Dean to see big lead in fund-raising

By Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff, 9/30/2003

Howard Dean is likely to surpass each of his Democratic presidential rivals by more than $10 million in fund-raising this quarter, but President Bush will outpace the combined fund-raising efforts of the entire 10-candidate Democratic field for the three months ending today.

Dean, a former Vermont governor, passed $13 million yesterday, had 1,500 house parties around the country last night, and has launched a massive Internet drive. He should exceed by a wide margin his $15 million goal for the quarter that ends at midnight. The previous Democratic quarterly record for a nonelection year was $10.3 million, set by President Clinton in 1995.

By contrast, the Bush campaign said it expects to take in $48 million to $50 million for the last three months, raising the total this year to more than $82 million, according to the Associated Press. Bush plans to collect up to $170 million for his reelection effort.

Newcomer Wesley K. Clark, the retired Army general who jumped into the Democratic race less than two weeks ago, surpassed $2 million early yesterday, and his campaign had yet to count large numbers of checks from big fund-raising events, a campaign official said.

Final accountings are due at the Federal Election Commission by Oct. 15.

With a year-to-date take reaching at least $26 million, Dean has roared past Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts in this year's fund-raising. A campaign official said Kerry expects to raise $4.5 million to $5 million for the quarter, which could place him second for the third consecutive quarter. He will have raised at least $20.5 million for the year.

Bunched behind are Senators John Edwards of North Carolina and Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut and Representative Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri.

Edwards led the field with $7.4 million through March, but fell to $4.5 million last quarter and will collect "well under $4 million" this quarter, spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri said. That would put him about $5 million behind Kerry for the year and trailing Dean by at least $10 million.

Trailing even further in this year's collections are Gephardt, who said yesterday only that he will exceed his $3.9-million take from the last quarter, and Lieberman, who spokesman Jano Cabrera said expects to raise "around $4 million." That would put Gephardt in the $14 million range for the year, and Lieberman around $12 million.

The campaign of Senator Bob Graham of Florida continues to lag behind the top tier of candidates in collections. Spokesman Jamal Simmons said only that Graham will surpass last quarter's $2 million take, which would put the senator over $5 million so far this year.

Representative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio hopes to duplicate his $1.5 million in receipts for the quarter that ended June 30, a spokesman said. That would put him around $3.2 million this year.

Former Illinois senator Carol Moseley Braun and the Rev. Al Sharpton have not been significant factors in the fund-raising competition.