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For the first time in Democratic Party history, under the leadership of Chairman McAuliffe, the DNC is debt free. The new 21st century Democratic Headquarters on Capitol Hill has been prepaid, therefore every dollar raised by the DNC during this cycle will be spent to win back the White House in 2004.
For Terry McAuliffe, love of politics and the Democratic Party is a family value. When he was growing up in Syracuse, New York, his father served as Treasurer of the County Democratic organization. From an early age, McAuliffe walked precincts and attended Party functions with his father.
After graduating from Catholic University of America, McAuliffe immediately became active in national politics, signing on with the Carter-Mondale Reelection Committee. It was during this campaign that he wrestled an alligator on a dare from a fund-raising prospect and he has been wrestling with tough challenges ever since. He has served as Finance Director of the DNC and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, National Finance Chairman and then National Co-Chairman of the Clinton-Gore re-election committee. He also served as the Chairman of the 53rd Presidential Inaugural Committee. In 2000, McAuliffe chaired the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles; the convention that helped give the Democratic ticket a 20-point bounce in the polls, on its way to a popular vote victory in the fall.
McAuliffe has been a successful entrepreneur since he started his first business, McAuliffe Driveway Maintenance, when he was only 14 years old. He is an attorney, having received his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1984, and a business leader in the fields of banking, insurance, marketing and real estate.