Karger campaigns despite little tangible support
David Kamerman for The Boston Globe
Fred Karger, a self-described openly gay Republican presidential candidate, takes a photo of his supporters in Manchester, N.H., last month.
Fred Karger, a Californian who routinely describes himself as an openly gay Republican presidential candidate, has been excluded from debates, and hasn’t ranked a mention in most polls.
So far, he hasn’t raised much money either, he said yesterday. But Karger isn’t giving up.
A former Republican political strategist, Karger is running on a platform of making the GOP more inclusive, particularly for gays.
From July 2010, when Karger set up an exploratory committee, through June 30, Karger raised just $40,000 in donations. He contributed another $210,000 of his own money to his campaign.
That sum is peanuts compared to his Republican competitors.
Mitt Romney has raised over $18 million, while Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Herman Cain, and Newt Gingrich all raised between $2 million and $5 million.
Karger is hoping to bring in some money at a Beverly Hills cocktail reception July 24, where tickets range from $100 for an individual to $2,500 for a “diamond sponsor.” He also has a July 21 fund-raiser planned for San Francisco.
“Fund-raising begins in earnest now,” Karger wrote in an email to the Globe.
Shira Schoenberg can be reached at sschoenberg@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @shiraschoenberg.
About Political Intelligence
Glen Johnson is Politics Editor at boston.com and lead blogger for "Political Intelligence." He moved to Massachusetts in the fourth grade, and has covered local, state, and national politics for over 25 years. E-mail him at johnson@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @globeglen. |
