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Politics : Don't Blame Me, I Voted For Kerry -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Glenn Petersen who wrote (37721)	7/26/2004 6:20:33 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 81568

Vigorous Chicago fund-raisers fill Kerry's coffers ________________________________ By Paul Merrion Crain's Chicago Business July 26, 2004 Illinois, a lock for Democratic presidential candidates since 1992, has largely dropped off presidential campaign itineraries. But in terms of fund raising, the road to the White House still runs through Chicago. That's especially true for U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as he picks up the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Boston this week. Only the party's mother lodes of campaign cash from California and New York, along with home state Massachusetts and the deep-pocketed battleground of Florida, have done more for Sen. Kerry than the nearly $4.9 million raised in the Land of Lincoln. Perhaps more important, Chicago produced the top two honchos of a record fund-raising drive for a Democratic nominee. Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Vice-chairman Louis B. Susman, national finance chairman of the Kerry campaign, and Kirkland & Ellis partner William Singer, deputy finance chairman, teamed up to collect more than $185 million, including $99.2 million raised from April 1 to June 30. "It's the single most successful (fund-raising) job done in the history of the Democratic Party," says David Wilhelm, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee who's now president of Woodland Venture Management LLC, a Chicago venture capital firm. FUNDING THE RACE The Illinois fund-raisers who each raised more than $100,000 for the Kerry campaign are all in the Chicago area... Name / Occupation Joseph A. Cari Attorney, Ungaretti & Harris LLP Myron "Mike" Cherry Attorney, Myron M. Cherry & Associates Robert A. Clifford Attorney, Clifford Law Offices Philip Corboy Sr. Attorney, Corboy & Demetrio P.C. Joseph A. Power Jr. Attorney, Power Rogers & Smith P.C. Niranjan Shah Chairman and CEO, Globetrotters Engineering Corp. William Singer Attorney, Kirkland & Ellis Todd Smith Attorney, Power Rogers & Smith P.C. Louis B. Susman Vice-chairman, Citigroup Global Markets Marjorie Susman Wife of Louis B. Susman David Wilhelm President, Woodland Venture Management LLC Source: Public Citizen Messrs. Susman and Singer put the Kerry campaign within fighting distance of the $228 million raised by President George W. Bush, vindicating the unprecedented decision by a Democratic presidential candidate to forgo federal matching funds during the primaries, which would have limited total pre-convention spending to $45 million. Already, there's talk that Mr. Susman is in line to be secretary of commerce or just about anything he wants if Sen. Kerry wins. Mr. Singer, a former lobbyist for United Airlines, Sara Lee Corp. and other firms, also would wield clout in a Kerry White House. Neither Mr. Susman nor Mr. Singer returned calls seeking comment last week. In addition to raising money over the Internet, accounting for $57 million of donations collected through June, Mr. Susman organized Democratic donors like never before. "He's one of the reasons I worked so hard," says David Weinstein, former technology adviser to Mayor Richard M. Daley and president of Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, a small business development organization. Mr. Weinstein raised more than $50,000 for the Kerry campaign. "He was inspirational. He took time with me and I thought it was cool." chicagobusiness.com