-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">
</A> -Cui Bono?-
Click Here: <A HREF="aol://4344:3167.gwbush.21053964.606935254"> Bush Nears
Campaign Spending Record</A>
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Bush Nears Campaign Spending Record
By JONATHAN D. SALANT
.c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (Jan. 31) - George W. Bush spent almost $17.3 million - some
$200,000 a day - in the three months before the Iowa caucuses and New
Hampshire primary and is nearing the spending record for an entire
presidential campaign.
His spending total for the period between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 was far more
than any of the other contenders for the Republican nomination, according to
reports filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission. Bush already has
spent almost as much money - $37.3 million - as most of the other candidates
will be allowed to spend for their entire campaigns.
Bush is not accepting federal matching funds so he is not bound by spending
limits.
On the Democratic side, Vice President Al Gore has raised $29 million, plus
$2.9 million to pay legal and accounting costs in the general election.
Former Sen. Bill Bradley has raised $27.7 million.
Bradley outspent Gore during the fourth quarter of last year, $10.9 million
to $8.7 million. Overall, Gore has spent $23.2 million in his quest for the
nomination to Bradley's $19.4 million.
With Bradley and Gore battling, political observers say the eventual nominee
may reach the $40 million spending limit long before the party convention
next August, while Bush has millions more to spend. That's the problem Bob
Dole faced in 1996 against Bill Clinton.
''There would be in effect a blackout,'' said Herbert Alexander, professor
emeritus of political science at the University of Southern California. ''The
presidential candidate who's going to be nominated in August cannot spend
money to keep staff, to advertise, to say things he wants to say in ways he
wants to say it.''
During the last three months of the year, Bush raised $11 million, bringing
his total to $68.7 million. He also took in $1.3 million for a separate
account to pay his legal and accounting costs for the general election. Bush
had $31.4 million in the bank as of Dec. 31.
He already has raised more money than any other presidential candidate ever
has, and is about to break all spending records as well. In 1996, Republican
nominee Dole spent $42.2 million for his entire campaign.
Bush is not accepting taxpayer funds for his campaign; candidates who accept
the federal matching funds must limit their spending to around $40 million.
''What's extraordinary is how the money keeps coming in,'' said Anthony
Corrado, a professor of government at Colby College in Waterville, Maine.
''To put this in some perspective, Bush essentially by the first week of
January 2000 had spent about what the other candidates would be able to spend
under the spending caps for the entire campaign - and he still has another
campaign's worth of money left to spend.''
Bush also has been able to outspend publisher Steve Forbes, who is not
accepting federal matching funds and is mostly financing his own campaign.
Forbes reported spending $33.6 million, including $14 million during the last
three months of 1999. He reached into his own pocket for $28.7 million for
his presidential run last year, including $12.4 million between Oct. 1 and
Dec. 31. When he ran in 1996, he spent $37.5 million of his own money.
''We plan on spending what it takes to be successful,'' Forbes campaign
manager Bill Dal Col said. ''We still fund-raise when we have the
opportunity, but we spend most of our time concentrating on building a
grass-roots organization and keeping Steve on the road delivering his message
to the voters.''
An Associated Press computer analysis of Bush's fourth-quarter figures found
$3 of every $10 spent by the Texas governor going for TV commercials. Besides
Iowa and New Hampshire, Bush ran commercials in Michigan, South Carolina,
Arizona, and Delaware, where early primaries are being held.
''You can't turn on a TV or listen to the radio and not hear or see something
about George Bush,'' said Rep. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who is backing one of
Bush's opponents, Sen. John McCain.
Of the $37.3 million Bush spent through Dec. 31, about $10 million went for
fund raising, $6 million for television commercials, $6 million for general
operations and $4 million for travel.
McCain, R-Ariz., reported raising $13.6 million, plus an additional $2
million transferred from his Senate campaign funds. He has around $7.7
million to spend, including $6.2 million in federal funds.
Among Democrats, Bradley raised twice as much money as Gore during the last
three months of 1999 - $8.5 million to $4.1 million. Bradley had $8.3 million
in the bank at the end of the year to Gore's $5.7 million.
Reform Party candidate Patrick Buchanan reported raising $1.2 million during
the last quarter of 1999, when he left the Republican Party, and borrowed
$1.4 million. For the year, he raised $5.1 million and borrowed another $1.4
million. He had $372,283 in the bank and debts of $2.5 million.
AP-NY-01-31-00 1814EST
Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news
report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed
without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active
hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
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