Dean gets nod, not $6M
Gore could give 2000 kitty to DNC
hillnews.com
By Klaus Marre
While Howard Dean gained Al Gore’s coveted endorsement yesterday, the former Vermont governor won’t be able to directly tap Gore’s $6-million-plus campaign kitty left over from the 2000 election.
The money sits in a General Election Legal and Accounting Compliance (GELAC) fund and, as of Sept. 30, had a balance of $6.6 million. It cannot be transferred directly to another candidate. But federal campaign law permits Gore to make transfers, without limit, to a national, state or local committee of a political party.
In July, Gore made a $450,000 contribution to the Tennessee Democratic Party, the first sizeable chunk of money to come out of the account.
A Gore spokesperson said no determination has been made on how the rest of the money would be spent, and declined to speculate on whether Dean would be given an advisory role in determining how the rest of the money would be spent.
If given to the national Democratic Party, for example, the money could help support the eventual nominee in the general election. Another option would be to give the money to charity. A Federal Election Commission (FEC) spokesperson said that if there were any ongoing enforcement actions related to Gore’s 2000 campaign, the money for any fines or fees also could come out of the account. The spokesperson could not comment on whether such an investigation was under way.
Gore made the donation to the state party after the FEC had completed an audit of the account. The amount significantly exceeded the sum of all contributions the party had collected in its federal account in the first six months of this year, when it had taken in $307,429.
The Gore spokesperson said the donation “reflects the special relationship” the former vice president has with his home state.
Although Gore’s money cannot go directly to Dean’s coffers, the former Vermont governor already holds a large fundraising lead over the other contenders.
Gore’s endorsement has jolted the Democratic primary and provided a boost to Dean, who already is leading in national polls and in Iowa and New Hampshire.
In an address yesterday to Dean supporters in Harlem, N.Y., Gore urged Democrats to focus on defeating Bush, not each other. “I would urge all of the other candidates and campaigns to keep their eyes on the prize,” Gore said, adding that Dean “has the best chance to win and the best chance to lead our country in the right direction.”
Gore’s endorsement is the largest prize earned by any of the contenders at this point in the primary, and arguably as valuable as any endorsement from a Democrat, comparable only to that of former President Bill Clinton.
Gore asked all Democrats to unite behind Dean. “[We] don’t have the luxury of fighting among ourselves to the point where we seriously damage our ability to win on behalf of the American people this time around,” Gore said.
He added that Democrats should adopt former President Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment, which said Republicans should not speak ill of each other.
In response, Dean quipped: “I have been picking a fair amount of buckshot out of my rear end in some of these debates and we’re going up to New Hampshire tonight and see if I do some more.”
However, the other contenders, though apparently surprised by Gore’s announcement, gave no indication that they would drop out of the race and rally behind Dean.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), Gore’s running mate in 2000, said yesterday on NBC’s “Today” show that he was “caught completely off guard” by the announcement, but added that he is now “more determined than ever to continue to fight for what I believe is right for my party and my country, to take us forward and not backward.”
Lieberman pointed out that he speaks to Clinton “all the time” and said: “What really bothers me is that Al [Gore] is supporting a candidate who is so fundamentally opposed to the basic transformation that Bill Clinton brought to the Democratic Party in 1992.” |
