Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Democrats’ Gala Aims for $11 Million

With President Clinton riding high in public opinion polls, Democrats gathered for an annual gala that officials said would set a party record by raising $11 million at a single event. The dinner at the Washington Convention Center is in honor of Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper. Common Cause, a public interest group, said it would lead a demonstration outside the convention center to protest “soft money” donations, money not subject to the tight restrictions placed by federal election law on individuals and political action committees that give directly to candidates.