Kerry Almost Broke, Bush $100M in Bank
According to information released by the John Kerry camp, the Massachusetts senator and presidential candidate had $2.1 million in the bank and debt of $7.2 million at the end of January.
Most of the debt was a $6.4 million loan he made to his own campaign. This left the Kerry camp $5.1 million in the red, says a report in the Washington Post.
Fellow candidate Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., at the end of January tallied $501,164 in the bank and debts of $382,667, for a net balance of $118,497.
Meanwhile, President Bush ended January with $104.4 million in the bank, poised to fund a prospective $50 million-plus ad blitz.
Mimicking a tactic used successfully by Bill Clinton against Bob Dole, the Bush campaign will unleash spring and summer television commercials lambasting Kerry just as he has no funds to counter the media assault.
Riding to the rescue may be the Democratic National Committee. Spokeswoman Debra DeShong said the DNC should have as much as $15 million available by the end of March.
At the end of last month, the DNC had $13.8 million in the bank. The Republican National Committee had $39.4 million.
Kerry rejected public subsidies in the primaries so that he would not have to comply with the limits that apply to those who accept matching federal grants for the first $250 of each individual contribution.
If Kerry becomes the de facto nominee, he will be free to raise money all the way to the Democrats' convention in July to use to counter the Bush ads.
However, Michael Meehan, Kerry's spokesman, lamented, "We will never catch up." This sentiment in spite of his candidate raking in $5 million thus far in February.
According to information released by the John Kerry camp, the Massachusetts senator and presidential candidate had $2.1 million in the bank and debt of $7.2 million at the end of January.
Most of the debt was a $6.4 million loan he made to his own campaign. This left the Kerry camp $5.1 million in the red, says a report in the Washington Post.
Fellow candidate Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., at the end of January tallied $501,164 in the bank and debts of $382,667, for a net balance of $118,497.
Meanwhile, President Bush ended January with $104.4 million in the bank, poised to fund a prospective $50 million-plus ad blitz.
Mimicking a tactic used successfully by Bill Clinton against Bob Dole, the Bush campaign will unleash spring and summer television commercials lambasting Kerry just as he has no funds to counter the media assault.
Riding to the rescue may be the Democratic National Committee. Spokeswoman Debra DeShong said the DNC should have as much as $15 million available by the end of March.
At the end of last month, the DNC had $13.8 million in the bank. The Republican National Committee had $39.4 million.
Kerry rejected public subsidies in the primaries so that he would not have to comply with the limits that apply to those who accept matching federal grants for the first $250 of each individual contribution.
If Kerry becomes the de facto nominee, he will be free to raise money all the way to the Democrats' convention in July to use to counter the Bush ads.
However, Michael Meehan, Kerry's spokesman, lamented, "We will never catch up." This sentiment in spite of his candidate raking in $5 million thus far in February.
