Fund Raising by Potential Democratic Presidential Hopefuls

Fund raising by potential 2004 Democratic presidential candidates for their political action committees and other candidates this year, and some of those who have received campaign contributions:

-PAC: Dedicated Americans for the House and Senate. Raised at least $138,447. Donations include at least $15,000 to Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, $5,000 each to Tennessee U.S. Senate candidate Bob Clement and Texas Democratic Party, $2,500 each to California House candidates Linda Sanchez and Dennis Cardoza, $1,000 to Iowa House candidate Leonard Boswell.

-PAC: New American Optimists. At least $658,750 raised so far this year. Donations include at least $20,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, $9,000 to New Hampshire Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen, $4,000 to Senate candidate Alex Sanders of South Carolina, $1,000 to Iowa congressional candidate John Norris.

-Fund-raising stops: Raleigh, N.C.; Washington; Los Angeles; Manchester, N.H.; Boston; Richmond, Va.; Nashville; New York; Charlotte, N.C.; New Orleans; Orlando and West Palm Beach, Fla.; Denver; Dallas; Austin, Houston and Beaumont, Texas; Davenport and Waterloo, Iowa; Charleston, W.Va.

-PAC: Effective Government Committee. Raised at least $799,607 this year. Donations include at least $5,000 to Texas congressional candidate Henry Cuellar and $2,500 to Nevada congressional candidate Dario Herrera.

-Fund-raising stops: Little Rock, Ark.; Denver and Telluride, Colo.; Los Angeles; Miami and West Palm Beach, Fla.; Chicago; Cedar Rapids and Des Moines, Iowa; New Orleans; Boston; New York; San Antonio; Augusta and Portland, Maine; Detroit; Manchester and Concord, N.H.; Columbia and Charleston, S.C.; Laredo, Texas

-Fund-raising stops: Washington; Arlington, Va.; Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; New York; Boston.

-PAC: Citizen Soldier Fund. About $250,000 raised this year. Donations include at least $20,000 to DSCC.

-Fund-raising stops: Boston, Worcester and Springfield, Mass.; New York; Tampa, Miami and Orlando, Fla.; Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif.; Milwaukee; Salt Lake City; Jackson Hole, Wyo.; Ketchum, Idaho; New Haven, Conn.; Dallas; Houston; Manchester, N.H.

- PAC: Responsibility, Opportunity, Community. At least $644,071 raised so far this year. Donations include at least $15,000 to DSCC; $5,000 to Iowa Democratic Party, $2,500 to Manchester (N.H.) City Democratic Committee, $5,000 to Michigan Democratic State Central Committee, $5,000 to Georgia Sen. Max Cleland.

-Fund-raising stops: Norman, Okla.; San Antonio and Austin, Texas; Jacksonville, Orlando, Palm Beach and Tampa, Fla.; Cleveland; New York; Albany and Westchester County, N.Y.; Denver and Vail, Colo.; San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Baltimore; Hartford, Conn.; Atlanta; Nashua, Concord, Portsmouth and Rye Beach, N.H.; Columbia, S.C.

Sources: Campaign officials and reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Apr 21, 2002

Democrats Considering White House Run Look to Become Party's Next Star Fund-Raiser

By Sharon Theimer
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Potential Democratic presidential contenders are competing to succeed former President Clinton as the party's "fund-raiser-in-chief," hoping their efforts on behalf of other candidates will pay off in 2004.

House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri has raised at least $15 million to help House Democrats in the fall election. Already this year he has appeared at fund-raisers in at least 21 cities.

Also raising money for fellow Democrats and contributing dollars from their own political action committees are 2000 presidential nominee Al Gore; his 2000 running mate, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman; Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota; Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry; and North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

"When you bring money in for the party you help yourself because not only are you currying favor, but you're also exposing yourself to a lot of political leaders in the various states that you're going to need in the primary season," said David Lanoue, a University of Alabama political scientist.

Early primary states such as New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina have been the major beneficiaries of the strategy. Kerry, Gephardt, Gore, Edwards, Lieberman and Vermont Gov. Howard Dean all have headlined party fund-raisers in New Hampshire in recent months.

Edwards and Gephardt have appeared at two fund-raisers each in Iowa since the first of the year. Gephardt and Lieberman have helped Democrats in South Carolina raise money at three events.

Leading Democrats also are reaching out to local Democrats in other ways.

Lieberman's Responsibility, Opportunity, Community PAC wrote a $5,000 check to the Iowa Democratic Party and gave $2,500 to New Hampshire's Manchester Democratic Committee last month.

Gephardt visited Portsmouth, N.H., during the Christmas holidays with House candidate Martha Fuller Clark, greeting shoppers and shaking hands.

Gore made his first postelection trip to New Hampshire in October for a party dinner. He spent three or four days beforehand driving around the state and inviting key activists to meet him for coffee.

"It makes a big impression on activists here in New Hampshire," state party spokesman Colin Van Ostern said of the visits. "It's a small enough state that people know who's coming and who's helping out."

New Hampshire party vice chairman Ray Buckley said the potential candidates now are bigger draws than then-Arkansas Gov. Clinton was when he first ran for president in 1992.

Clinton started visiting the state as far back as 1979 but the party's "players" did not consider him a top-drawer prospect, said Buckley, who recalls Clinton helping him raise money for his Manchester City Council race at one point.

Kerry said the help he received from Clinton in a tough Senate race against then-Republican Gov. William Weld in 1996 is one reason he is raising money for others.

"I won that race, built a nationwide base of donors, and I'll continue to use my position of strength to help other Democrats in the fights of their political lives," Kerry said.

In addition to those Democrats testing the presidential waters, California Gov. Gray Davis must be considered a potential fund-raising leader, said University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato said. Davis has raised $42 million for his own re-election bid this fall.

"If he hits the $60 million or $70 million mark, which he could easily do, he would establish himself as somebody who as a presidential candidate could provide the loaves and fishes for the parties and candidates across the country," Sabato said.

But proven fund-raising ability alone, however, is not enough to capture a major-party presidential nomination.

Texas Sen. Phil Gramm went all-out to raise money and campaign for other Republicans before his 1996 bid for the GOP nomination. But he ended up being forced out of the race early on.

"No one gets to be nominated by only one item," said Alec Poitevint, a Republican National Committee member from Georgia who was a member of Gramm's national finance team. "You've got to connect with the people. But it is part of a winning formula. There's no doubt about it."

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On the Net:

Interactive map showing fund-raising stops by the potential candidates is available at http://wire.ap.org

AP-ES-04-21-02 1337EDT

This story can be found at : http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGA9XRS6B0D.html

Dems Seek to Boost Registered Voters

Saturday, April 20, 2002

WASHINGTON — The Democratic Party will launch a new voter education and mobilization campaign it hopes will get more older people, gays and lesbians and minorities onto registration rolls.

In the Democratic radio address aired Saturday, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., made no secret that he hoped the "Every Vote Counts" campaign would also boost the number of voters registered to his party.

"So as a democrat with a small 'd,' I truly believe that a higher voter turnout will make the nation stronger," Rangel said. "And as a Democrat with a big ``D,'' I believe that greater political participation will be good for my party."

Three out of 10 Americans eligible to vote are not registered, with percentages lower significantly for groups including minorities, younger Americans and people with disabilities, the congressman said.

"These statistics represent a crisis in our civil society," he said.

Democrats will kick off the efforts Wednesday with a series of events around the country. Among them is a fund-raising concert at the Apollo Theater in New York City's Harlem neighborhood, which is in Rangel's district.

The drive will build on recent legislative efforts that Rangel said expanded political and voter participation, citing the campaign finance reform bill recently signed into law by President Bush as an example.

"Getting people on the rolls is just the first step," he said. "We need to maintain a consistent dialogue with these new registrants."

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