Bush, Kerry set funds records

Campaign finance reports due April 1 show fund-raising records were shattered by President Bush and presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry.

Mr. Bush raised $37.8 million in the first quarter of 2004, which allowed him to reach his fund-raising goal of $170 million. Mr. Kerry netted $50 million in the same time frame, a record for a non-incumbent candidate.

The Bush campaign has raised $169.5 million so far, not including direct mail and phone donations totals for March, its finance officials said.

Bush campaign officials estimate that the campaign has raised nearly $180 million, which eclipses the 2000 campaign that hit $98 million.

“Our total at the end of February was $158.2 million … and we raised $11.375 million in March through events alone,” a Bush campaign official said.

Phone and direct-mail requests in March outpaced event fund raisers for a second straight month, the official said.

Mr. Kerry’s campaign posted a record-breaking first quarter, raising $50 million, said campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill, with $36 million coming from direct mailings and phone banking. The campaign also set a single-month record, receiving $38 million in March, she said.

The Kerry campaign credited Howard Dean for his innovative fund-raising techniques, most notably through the Internet, and said they have surpassed the one-time party front-runner in funds raised.

“I think our list at this point in time is much larger than the Dean list, and we have certainly raised much more money than the Dean campaign has,” she said. “They set a great standard and we’re sort of taking that standard and driving it forward.”

The $50 million raised in the first quarter surpasses the $29 million record set by Mr. Bush in the second quarter of 1999.

Given the success of its fund-raising efforts, Ms. Cahill said, the campaign will soon begin to be more aggressive in its advertising.

“You’re going to see an increased level of activity from us,” she said.

Despite the belief in both parties that they would be hampered by the ban on soft-money, those donations unregulated by federal contribution limits kept pace with numbers from last year.

The Democratic National Committee raised $27 million last quarter, beating the $26.9 million it raised in the same time frame four years ago. And the party is recording more than $26 million in its bank accounts.

“When campaign finance reform arrived, pundits all but declared Democratic Party fund raising dead. But we focused on investing in an effective small donor program and that investment has paid off,” DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe said.

The Republican National Committee did better, as expected given the historical fund-raising advantage the party has over the Democrats, nearly doubling the amount raised by the liberal party. The RNC raised $48.1 million for the quarter with $18.4 million coming in March, and posting $54 million in its accounts with no debt.

The Republican congressional and senatorial fund-raising arms also held an edge over the Democrats.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee pulled in $12.5 million in the first quarter and reported $15.6 million in cash. The latter is in stark contrast to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Although the DSCC took in $11 million in the first quarter, keeping pace with Republicans, it estimated it would have $6 million in cash after paying the final $1.7 million of a $6 million loan outstanding from last cycle.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee banked $11.5 million in the first three months of 2004, while the National Republican Congressional Committee brought in $20 million.