Kerry Campaign Relying On Help of Groups' Ads
By Thomas B. Edsall and Sarah Cohen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, March 22, 2004; Page A04
The general election campaign began in March with President Bush holding $110 million in the bank, 46 times as much as his all-but-certain Democratic opponent, Sen. John F. Kerry.
Kerry went into the month with $2.4 million in cash on hand, according to reports filed Saturday night with the Federal Election Commission. Technically, Kerry's debts of $7.7 million pushed him deep into the red, although $6.4 million is a loan he made to his own campaign and it does not have to be paid off. Bush's debts were $90,000.
The disparity between the two candidates reflects Kerry's degree of dependence on third-party, pro-Democratic independent groups to help carry out his campaign on television. The Bush campaign has invested more than $20 million in TV ads, many of them alleging that Kerry wants to raise taxes and weaken anti-terrorism legislation.
In recent weeks, Kerry has received a substantial number of contributions through the Internet -- campaign officials reported raising $1 million or more daily -- and the Massachusetts senator will begin a 20-city fundraising tour a week from today. Altogether, the campaign says it plans to raise at least $80 million from Jan. 19, the day of the Iowa caucuses, to the Democratic Party Convention in late July.
The Kerry campaign has spent $2 million on television ads since wrapping up the Democratic primaries and caucuses. The Bush campaign has spent $22.8 million on network ads in battleground states, $3.4 million on cable TV and more than $1 million on radio, according to Democratic media specialists. The Bush campaign declined to confirm or deny these figures.
Kerry spokesman Michael Meehan played down the impact of being outspent, especially during March and April.
"They are definitely outspending us, and so far in a national poll out yesterday [measuring support for the candidate in Newsweek magazine] after three weeks of misleading ads, it was 48 to 48." When independent candidate Ralph Nader was included, the poll numbers shifted to 45 percent for Bush, 43 for Kerry and 5 for Nader.
Nader reported on Saturday that he raised a total of $559,493 and spent $299,192 in February, leaving him a cash balance on March 1 of $260,301.
In addition to the $2 million Kerry spent on television over the past three weeks, two pro-Democratic groups, the Media Fund and MoveOn.org, have spent a little less than $10 million. Together, Kerry, the Media Fund and MoveOn.org have spent about half of what the Bush campaign has invested during March.
The largest source of contributions to Kerry was from employees of the law firm Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, said Dwight L. Morris and Associates, which tracks donations and expenditures. Firm employees gave Kerry $22,475 in February, bringing the firm's total to $115,375.
The top four employers of Kerry contributors were law firms, as were five of the top 10. Other top firms were Robins Kaplan Miller & Ciresi, $99,000; Piper Rudnick, $74,550; and Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo, $65,840.
Bush's top donors, in contrast, were dominated by securities, accounting and other financial firms. Goldman Sachs appears in Kerry's and Bush's top 10. Employees of the securities and commodities broker have given $62,750 to Kerry and $241,250 to Bush.
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