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Bill's big help-Hil E-mail bid

BY KENNETH R. BAZINET
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON - Ex-President Bill Clinton is asking his wife's supporters to fill her campaign war chest by midnight tomorrow, maintaining it would send political observers a powerful message more than a year from the Senate election.
Clinton's E-mail appeal to members of the Friends of Hillary claimed his wife is atop the GOP's hit list, but she can still wow supporters and defy critics by reporting a huge haul of campaign contributions by the June 30 filing deadline.

"The mid-year Federal Election Commission report is the yardstick that the political operatives and pundits use to judge what kind of shape candidates are in for the 2006 elections," Clinton wrote.

So far, an A-list GOP opponent hasn't emerged, but the ex-President noted his wife "has already been singled out as the Republicans' No. 1 target for defeat next year.... When 2006 is over, they want Hillary out of the Senate."

Clinton added, "Chelsea and I are so proud of Hillary and what she is doing."

It's not the only time Team Clinton has done a last-minute fund-raising E-mail, but it's the first time it has come from the ex-President, the campaign said.

Hillary Clinton told the Daily News it wasn't too early to roll out a big gun like her husband. "I think there's going to be a lot of money spent against me by many, many sources," she said yesterday at a Capitol Hill event.

A longtime Clinton insider acknowledged that hefty contributions could scare a GOP name player with a base of support - like Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro - from jumping in the race.

The campaign refused to say whether this quarter's donations would top the $3.9 million raised the first three months of the year.