Agran to Gain Federal Funds for Campaign

Even though his presidential campaign has been largely inactive since the New York state primary in April, former Irvine Mayor Larry Agran qualified Thursday for at least $100,000 in federal matching funds.

Agran’s campaign hopes to receive up to $280,000 in federal money, matching the amount it has raised since the presidential bid began in August. It’s unlikely, however, that any of the federal money will be received before California’s June 2 primary.

Still, Agran said, Thursday’s qualification announcement will reignite a modest campaign in California, with just more than two weeks left before the state’s primary. An Agran aide said the candidate is planning to travel around the state and schedule appearances on radio talk shows.

“This is a significant milestone for our campaign,” Agran said, “one which we had hoped to achieve months ago, and I have no doubt that we would have but for the expulsion from the nationally televised debates. It has more than symbolic value, however, because it means money coming into the campaign that allows us to meet bills and carry forward.”

Mike Kaspar, press secretary for Agran, said most of the matching money will be used to pay outstanding debts accumulated during the campaign, such as expenses for travel and offices in New Hampshire, South Dakota and Irvine.

Kaspar did not say, however, how much money the campaign owes.

Agran’s name has been on the ballot in 35 states for Democratic primaries, but he has not received more than 1% of the vote in any contest. Agran has attributed much of his poor performance to a lack of attention he has received from national Democratic leaders and the news media.

Finally, in April, Agran was arrested in New York City on suspicion of disorderly conduct while protesting his exclusion from a televised debate between the major Democratic candidates.

“The arrest, in a lot of ways, was the culmination of a whole series of things that had been forced on the Agran campaign,” Kaspar said. “That thing--physically and psychologically--took quite a toll on Larry.”

Agran had originally hoped to qualify by January for federal matching funds. On Thursday, he became the 10th presidential candidate to meet the difficult threshold for federal money. To be eligible, a candidate must raise at least $5,000 in 20 states--a total of $100,000--with no single contribution greater than $250.

Fred Eiland, spokesman for the Federal Elections Commission in Washington, said Thursday that an audit of Agran’s fund raising has made him eligible for $100,000 in matching funds.

After meeting the threshold, Agran may also apply for matching funds to meet the remainder of his campaign bankroll, he said.

Even with the money, Agran does not expect to receive more than 1% of the vote in the California primary, he said.

He could qualify for delegates to the Democratic National Convention in New York if he receives more than 15% of the vote in any single congressional district. But even in his home base of Irvine, that appears unlikely, Agran said.

Instead, the candidate hopes that his California campaign will provide a platform for ideas he has championed.

Most important, Agran said, is his proposal to reduce the military budget by 50% and use the money to address urban problems.

“The violence in Los Angeles, I think, evidences how tragic it is that we haven’t had the kind of debate about urban issues that should have been at the heart of the presidential campaign,” Agran said.