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| Presidential
Campaign Fundraising Heats Up |
Posted:
10.20.03 | |
| The
fundraising race is on for nine Democratic candidates who would like to replace
President Bush in 2004.
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 When
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark jumped into the already crowded presidential race, the
former NATO commander was behind in experience, coverage and dollars. The eight
other candidates for the Democratic nomination had been campaigning for months.
But in the short time he's been officially running, Clark has already raised $3.5
million.
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| The
importance of fundraising | |
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Fund raising is an important
part of politics. It takes money to run a political campaign - and for the presidential
race, it takes a lot. In the 2000 presidential election, President Bush spent
over $185 million.
Candidates need to pay for television, newspaper and radio ads,
posters and billboards, promotional material, and transportation.
 They
need to pay their staff, and while they may have volunteers, those
volunteers often cost money even if they're working for free -
at the very least they need office supplies and a pizza party
or two.
There are also rules that cover how politicians can raise money
and how much they can accept. For example, candidates can only
accept up to $2,000 from any individual. They can also accept
up to $5,000 from political committees. | |
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| Howard
Dean sets a record for Democrats | |
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Despite the restrictions,
the current candidates have already amassed quite a lot of cash
for their campaigns. Ex-Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont, who started
out with a small budget and little name recognition, has used
grassroots campaigning and the Internet to raise $25.4 million
this year -- including a Democratic record-breaking $14.8 million
in the last three months.
Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has raised more than $20 million,
and Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina $14.5 million. Rep. Dick
Gephardt of Missouri - the former top Democrat in the House of
Representatives - has raised $13.6 million. Sen. Joseph Lieberman
of Connecticut, who was former Vice President Al Gore's running
mate in 2000, has raised $11.8 million. Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich
has raised $3.4 million.
Former senator and ambassador Carol Moseley Braun of Chicago, the only
woman running, has raised $343,000. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton has brought
in $306,000. | |
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| The
nomination process | |
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All these candidates
are running for the Democratic Party nomination. Starting in January
2004, there will be a series of nomination contests across the
country - elections to pick the Democratic nominee.
Each state has its own laws for nominating presidential candidates,
but there are two basic methods -- primaries and caucuses.
A primary is much like the general
election, in which qualified voters go to a poll to cast a ballot for a candidate
within one party. A caucus requires voters to show up at a polling location
at a scheduled date and hour. The voters listen to speeches and debate the candidates
before an informal vote or head count is taken. Both processes choose delegates
to represent a candidate at the national convention this summer. The first
caucus is in January in Iowa and the first official primary is in New Hampshire.
By late March, we should know who the Democratic candidate is. Once a winner is
picked, that's when the general election race starts - against President George
Bush. | |
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| President
Bush's advantages | |
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President Bush has raised $83.9 million this year. He also has a big advantage
in that he is an incumbent - he's already in office. Unlike his Democratic rivals,
he doesn't have to worry about a tiring primary that will drain his funds - the
Republican Party appears likely to automatically pick him as their nominee.
Although he has several advantages, it does not mean his victory
is certain. Many incumbent presidents have lost before -  including
Mr. Bush's own father in 1992.
After the primaries, President Bush and whoever wins the Democratic
nomination will face off for the oval office. The candidates will
crisscross the country debating each other and making speeches,
trying to convince voters that they have the most valuable experience
for the job and their views and ideas best represent the interests
of the country.
The election is Nov. 2, 2004. Between then and now, expect
a fair amount of handshakes, baby kissing, photo ops and candidate ads. --
Chris Nammour, Online NewsHour | |
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Like many Californians, I live in a town where teenagers drive to school in gas-guzzling SUVs and pick-up trucks just because they want to look powerful and extravagant.
