Gore To Make Push To Raise Money For Democrats
By John King/CNN
WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, June 25) -- Vice President Al Gore will go home to Tennessee next month for a series of fund-raisers to help his political action committee reach its goal of raising $3 million to $4 million for 1998 Democratic candidates.
His PAC, Leadership '98, is part of the vice president's plan to build goodwill among Democrats in anticipation of his expected presidential bid in 2000. The committee also pays for Gore's political travels that are outside the scope of his official duties.
Federal Election Commission records show that Gore's PAC had raised $734,000 this year, as of May 31, and spent $474,000. With $112,000 carried over from last year, the PAC had $372,000 in cash on hand at the beginning of June.
However, while Gore's plans call for spending millions to help Democrats, the majority of his PAC's spending so far this year has gone into payroll, consulting fees and travel expense. Just $10,000 has been contributed to six Democratic congressional candidates as of the end of May.
The July events in Nashville will bring together Gore's state and national fund-raising operations. The vice president also plans an aggressive travel schedule during the 1998 campaign, including a speech this week to the Democratic state convention in the key state of Texas.
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