The Nation : Robertson Matching Funds Set Record

Television evangelist Pat Robertson, who once said he would not accept government money for his Republican presidential campaign, has received more than $10.1 million, setting a new record, the Federal Election Commission said. The commission gave Robertson $243,296 this week, boosting him over the $10.1-million record set in 1984 by then-President Ronald Reagan’s reelection campaign, said Scott Moxley, a spokesman for the commission. Reagan’s 1984 allotment later was reduced to about $9.75 million, Moxley said. Candidates who meet certain fund-raising and vote-gathering thresholds are eligible to get matching money from the federal Treasury to help pay for their campaigns in the presidential primaries.