Is Kerry going to provide the same sort of transparency?
Going beyond Federal Election Commission (news - web sites) disclosure requirements, the (Bush) campaign was providing a searchable database on its Web site listing every donor who gave more than $1.
The Web site also lists Bush's "Pioneers," volunteers who have raised at least $100,000, or "Rangers," those who have collected at least $200,000 or more. At least 18 have raised enough to be classified "Rangers;" at least 50 have earned the "Pioneers" nickname.
The campaign will list employer and occupation information for almost all the donors, Mehlman said.
story.news.yahoo.com
Bush Identifies All Major Fund-Raisers
By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Dick Gephardt (news - web sites) sought to reassure party leaders Tuesday that he's still a serious presidential contender despite his fifth-place status in the race for Democratic cash. President Bush (news - web sites) led the 2004 field with $34.4 million and took the unprecedented step of identifying all his major fund-raisers.
Gephardt, the former House Minority leader, raised $3.87 million in the second fund-raising quarter, about $1 million less than his campaign had hoped. That put him behind John Kerry, John Edwards, Howard Dean and Joe Lieberman (news - web sites) in money raised so far this year.
The Missouri congressman contacted key party officials to stave off possible defections and wooed one of the largest uncommitted unions in the race — the 1.4 million-member American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. His campaign said it will overhaul its finance operation.
In the cash race, Gephardt fell behind despite endorsements from several labor unions, strong showings in polls nationally and in Iowa — the first state to vote — and his experience raising money for his 1988 presidential bid and for House Democrats.
"They have a real problem in their whole fund-raising apparatus," said Tony Coelho, Al Gore (news - web sites)'s campaign chairman in 2000. "With the endorsements they have and the poll numbers they have, they should not be having the trouble they're having raising money. Don't forget, in 1988, this is what knocked him out of the race too, ... money."
Coelho said Gephardt still has time to prove himself by Oct. 1, the start of the fourth and final fund-raising quarter before the primaries begin. "By then you better have your money situation worked out," he said.
Gephardt aides pledged to retool their fund-raising tactics as part of a broader reassessment of his campaign strategies. Gephardt raised $3.5 million from January to March and transferred $2.4 million from his House campaign, giving him a total of $9.8 million for the year, with $6.3 million in the bank.
In contrast, Kerry raised $13 million over the same period, with about $10.9 million in cash on hand.
"We thought we raised more and we should have raised more and we're going to raise more," Gephardt campaign manager Steve Murphy said. "We've got a good financial organization. We're going to plug some holes and raise the $10 million we need to get through the rest of the year."
Gephardt was talking to party leaders and constituency groups, urging them not to give up on his campaign. One meeting was with Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which has not endorsed a candidate.
At the other end of the fund-raising spectrum was Bush, who raised $34.4 million between mid-May, when he announced his re-election effort, and the end of June. The campaign spent about $2.4 million in the second quarter and started July with $32.6 million on hand, campaign manager Ken Mehlman said. It had 105,000 donors, he said.
Going beyond Federal Election Commission (news - web sites) disclosure requirements, the campaign was providing a searchable database on its Web site listing every donor who gave more than $1.
The Web site also lists Bush's "Pioneers," volunteers who have raised at least $100,000, or "Rangers," those who have collected at least $200,000 or more. At least 18 have raised enough to be classified "Rangers;" at least 50 have earned the "Pioneers" nickname.
The campaign will list employer and occupation information for almost all the donors, Mehlman said.
That decision drew praise from Larry Noble, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a campaign-finance watchdog group.
"I think the public needs to know who it is who's raising $100,000 and $200,000 in contributions," Noble said, adding, however, that it didn't mitigate his concerns about what those collecting large sums for Bush might expect to get in return.
Bush, the sole Republican candidate, is aiming to raise a record $150 million or more for next year's primaries. Many observers think he could raise $200 million.
The presidential campaigns were detailing their finances in reports to the FEC on Tuesday.
Edwards, a North Carolina senator, was expected to report about $4.5 million raised in the second quarter, giving him about $11.9 million raised so far this year. He was expected to report roughly $8 million on hand.
Former Vermont Gov. Dean pulled into third place in Democratic money after raising $7.6 million in the second quarter, much of it over the Internet. He collected $10.1 million so far this year and had $6.4 million on hand.
Lieberman, a Connecticut senator and Gore's running mate in 2000, was reorganizing his fund-raising team after raising $5.1 million this quarter, putting him in fourth place. In all, Lieberman raised $8.1 million this year and began July with $4 million on hand.
Among the other candidates, Florida Sen. Bob Graham (news, bio, voting record) was expected to report about $2 million in the second quarter, giving him $3.1 million for the year and at least $1.5 million on hand; Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich (news, bio, voting record) raised $1.7 million in the second quarter, for a total of $1.7 million this year and about $1 million on hand.
Former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun raised about $150,000 during the quarter, giving her $222,450 in contributions for the year. Figures for Al Sharpton's campaign were not immediately available. |
