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In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors.
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California key source of campaign cash for presidential hopefuls
Wednesday April 16, 2003
By ERICA WERNER
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) California was a key source of campaign funds
for the nine Democrats who want to be president, with Sen. John
Edwards of North Carolina and Vermont Gov. Howard Dean both raising
more money here than anywhere else during the first quarter of the
year.
Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts led the race for California
campaign cash, raising $1.5 million in the state from Jan. 1
through March 31, according to reports filed with the Federal
Election Commission Tuesday. That was barely $100,000 less than he
got in his home state of Massachusetts.
Edwards was second, raising $1.1 million in the state, and
Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt was third with $540,000. Dean raised
$417,000 in California and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman raised
$348,000.
``When Democrats look at California they see green,'' said
Claremont McKenna College government professor Jack Pitney. ``It's
a state with environmental concerns, and a lot of money.''
California is also heavily Democratic and home to two top
fund-raising destinations: Hollywood and the Silicon Valley. The
early totals are considered an important sign of a campaign's
viability nine months before the New Hampshire primary.
Kerry has been among the most aggressive in organizing and
fund-raising in the state and the efforts appeared to pay off. The
dollars helped push him close to the front of the Democratic pack
with a total of $7 million raised. Edwards raised the most overall:
$7.4 million.
``I believe the enormous fund-raising success I've had in
California is testimony to the fact that Californians want
change,'' Kerry said in a statement.
Gephardt raised nearly $3.4 million nationwide, Lieberman nearly
$3 million and Dean $2.6 million.
Florida Sen. Bob Graham reported raising $9,750 in California
and $1.1 million nationwide.
Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich reported raising nearly $34,000
in California for a total of just over $173,000 raised, and former
Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun reported $4,600 from California
residents for a total of about $72,400 for the quarter.
The remaining hopeful, Al Sharpton, was conducting preliminary
testing-the-water activities and was not expected to file a
first-quarter report.
President Bush has not committed to seek re-election and has not
yet begun fund-raising for his campaign.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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