Patrick's war chest gets big boost
Collects $170,000 in May contributions
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick collected $170,000 in contributions this month, his campaign said, relying heavily on out-of-state donations to stifle skepticism in the political establishment about his ability to launch a serious campaign for the party's nomination.
Patrick's campaign confirmed that his fund-raising surged in May, more than double what he took in last month. It was the third month in a row that the candidate has doubled the previous month's collections.
''This suggests that he has become a very serious and credible candidate for governor," said Philip Johnston, chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, who is neutral in the race. ''The big question about Deval had been whether he could raise sufficient money to run a strong campaign. It appears he has answered that question."
A Globe analysis of donations found that 40 percent of the $218,000 Patrick's campaign collected from January until May 19 came from out of state. His campaign said that the out-of-state portion drops to 33 percent for this month alone, which includes the latest surge of fund-raising.
By contrast, the party's early favorite in the 2006 race, Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, received 12 percent of donations from out-of-state since January, according to a Globe analysis. With his $2.7 million war chest, Reilly also holds a commanding lead over Patrick in fund-raising.
Secretary of State William F. Galvin, who has also expressed interest in seeking the Democratic nomination, has about $1.6 million, most of it stockpiled during the past half-dozen years.
Patrick has pumped $300,000 of his own money into the campaign. As of April 30, he had $228,639 in his campaign account, a figure that includes the May fund-raising surge his campaign aides described.
''We may never catch the competitors," said Kahlil Byrd, Patrick's press secretary, noting that the campaign faces considerable start-up expenses. ''We have to continue to raise money and spend it wisely, and go after people's vote in every town and city in Massachusetts."
Patrick's spokesman portrays the latest fund-raising figures as a signal that Patrick's candidacy has struck a strong chord in Massachusetts. Brought up in a poor black neighborhood in Chicago, Patrick attended Milton Academy and Harvard University. He later served in the Justice Department under President Clinton and worked in top corporations. If he were to win, Patrick would be the state's first black governor.
''Deval Patrick is clearly inspiring something in the grass-roots, throughout Massachusetts," Byrd said. ''We don't know if we will hit these numbers again, but it is a good place to be in May 2005."
Patrick is also spending heavily to get his campaign up and running, as well as to raise his name recognition.
Indeed, a Globe poll two months ago showed only 22 percent of the respondents recognized his name, while Reilly's was known to 79 percent.
June, a time when politicians can raise a large amount of money before the normal summer doldrums, brings another challenge for Patrick's candidacy: Reilly, who has a June 6 fund-raising event planned and other strategies to boost his war chest, is hoping to stockpile $3 million into his accounts by July 1 and another $1 million by the end of the year.
In December, Reilly brought two of the state's most accomplished fund-raisers, Steve Grossman, former cochairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Alan Solomont, former finance chairman of the national party, into his campaign as part of his strategy to focus almost exclusively on raising a huge war chest. His strategists are convinced that money will decide the September 2006 primary.
To jump-start his candidacy, Patrick drew heavily on his connections in corporate America, where he worked as general counsel to Texaco and
For example, Patrick received $500 each from longtime Clinton friend Vernon Jordan, former Clinton White House political director Mignon Moore, and former Clinton administration official Jim Johnson.
Patrick, who supports gay marriage and opposes the death penalty, has also drawn on some old Bay State Republicans with deep Brahmin political roots: former state Senator William Saltonstall, son of the late US Senator Leverett Saltonstall, and George Cabot Lodge, the 1962 GOP Senate nominee who lost to then-newcomer Edward M. Kennedy. He is the son of former US Senator Henry Cabot Lodge.
Byrd said that those and other donations representing varying ideological sources reflect Patrick's broad appeal.
''When Deval Patrick first announced his candidacy, some people thought that his appeal would be confined just to progressive voters," Byrd said. ''We now see that he appeals to people across the political spectrum, including Republicans, Democrats, and Independents."
Globe correspondent Bill Dedman contributed to this report. 