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The Morning Grind / DayAhead |
A month like no other
By Robert Yoon
CNN Political Unit
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| | ON CNN TV | 
Former White House counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke joins "American Morning" to discuss his claims about the White House and 9/11. |
 VIDEO |
 CNN's Kathleen Koch on how President Bush warns that John Kerry will raise taxes.
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 CNN's Suzanne Malveaux on the new book from former Bush counterterrorism coordinator Robert Clarke.
PLAY VIDEO
 CNN's Dana Bash on Bush's weekend campaign kickoff rally in Florida.
PLAY VIDEO
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RELATED |
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- If it were up to John Kerry, every month this election year would be like February.
That was when the Massachusetts senator won 17 of 19 contests, knocked off all but one of his major opponents and, according to reports filed over the weekend with the Federal Election Commission, posted his best fund-raising numbers to date as a presidential candidate.
And if it weren't for the pesky fact that his Republican opponent ended the month with 47 times more money in the bank, then he'd probably be downright ecstatic.
Kerry raised $8.4 million last month, which was far more than he had raised in any month since he first got in the race in December 2002. Sure, that's still $5.4 million short of the $13.8 million President Bush raised in the same time frame, but it's a respectable showing nonetheless.
Less respectable is the $2.4 million Kerry had in the bank at the end of the month, compared to the whopping $110 million the Bush-Cheney campaign had socked away in its bank account.
Kerry burned through 99 percent of the money he raised in February, and 94 percent of the $41.4 million he's raised so far this campaign. President Bush had a burn rate of 59 percent for the month, and had spent only 32 percent of the $159.4 million raised campaign-to-date.
Daunting as it is, the Kerry campaign has laid out an aggressive fund-raising strategy for the coming months to narrow the cash gulf. The presumptive Democratic nominee hopes to raise a total of $80 million by the July convention in Boston, and has already raised almost $15 million this month in online donations alone, which guarantees Kerry a second consecutive personal fund-raising record at the end of the month.
The Bush-Cheney campaign reports raising at least $6 million through fund-raising events so far this month.
Later this week, the snowboarding senator will return from his vacation in Ketchum, Idaho, and attend the DNC Unity Dinner on Thursday, which is expected to raise over $10 million, although it's not clear how much of that will make its way to Kerry.
Next Monday, Kerry heads to California to kick off a 20-city nationwide fund-raising tour, which will not only help pad Kerry's campaign coffers but will give political reporters and headline writers in 20 lucky cities the opportunity to use the clever phrase "Cash and Kerry," not to mention the word "coffers."
The Kerry Gravy Train starts in California, then heads off to stops in Washington (April 7); Boston (April 13); New York (April 14); and New Orleans (April 21); as well as still-undated events in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta and Houston. Each fund-raiser will be coupled with a public campaign or message event.
Of course, with any plan to raise money, a plan to spend that money can't be far behind.
In fact, the Kerry campaign will unveil a new television ad in a noon conference call today. The topic and exact size of the ad buy are still under wraps, but Kerry spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter told the Grind that they would expand the buy into more markets than their previous buy, which ran in at least 16 key battleground states, according to TNS Media Intelligence/Campaign Media Analysis Group, CNN's consultant on ad spending.
Notable FEC filings highlights
All my checks-es live in Texas: President Bush has received more contributions from his native Texas than from any other state. Texans contributed $1.3 million to the Bush-Cheney campaign in February, for a total of $14.5 million so far this campaign. Other cash-cow states for Bush-Cheney '04: California ($12.8 million campaign-to-date), Florida ($12.3 million) and New York ($7.8 million). Kerry's best state was California ($4.9 million campaign-to-date), Massachusetts ($4.3 million), New York ($3.8 million) and Florida ($1.3 million).Nader financing details: Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader ended February with $260,000 in available cash. He contributed $40,000 of his own money to his campaign last fall in preparation for his bid, which he didn't announce until late February. He also received an unspecified in-kind donation of $84,000 from his 2000 campaign account. Nader's campaign has paid the non-profit group Citizen Works, which Nader founded, and the Resources Conservation Center over $37,000 in rent and occupancy fees incurred since October 2003.Hollywood and dime: This won't be the last time you hear this, but Hollywood stars have opened up their wallets for the Democratic candidate. Liberal stalwarts Norman Lear and "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening each gave the maximum $2,000 to Kerry. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow gave Kerry $1,000, as did soap star Deidre Hall, whose "Days of Our Lives" character was recently revealed to be a serial killer, in case you were wondering. And the most obscure Grind Hollywood Find for the day: actor Harry Morgan, best known as Col. Sherman Potter on "M*A*S*H," gave $1,000 to Kerry.Five out of six dentists agree: Bush received 51 contributions from dentists in February; Kerry received 8.Fourth time's a charm: Larry David, co-creator of "Seinfeld" and star of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," has donated $2,000 to the Kerry campaign. Last year, he had also donated $2,000 each to former Democratic presidential candidates Howard Dean, John Edwards and Dick Gephardt.Win Ben Stein's Money, Part I: The only TV/movie celebrity who gave to Bush-Cheney in February was actor/media critic Ben Stein ($1,000).Win Ben Stein's Money, Part II: Ben Stein also gave $500 to Nader.What's the frequency, Kerry?: R.E.M. front man Michael Stipe ponied up $2,000 for Kerry. Eagles drummer Don Henley gave Kerry $1,000.Keep reaching for those stars: Nader also received a total of $4,000 from uber-disc jockey and fellow Lebanese-American Casey Kasem and his wife, actress Jean Kasem. Other celebrity Nader donors: singer Patti Smith ($1,000) and defense attorney/TV legal analyst Gerry Spence.Bunny money: Kerry received a $1,500 contribution from Christie Hefner, CEO and chairman of Playboy Enterprises, and daughter of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.CNN's Sasha Johnson contributed to this report.
