Money Pours In for Dean, Clark

Howard Dean and Wesley K. Clark apparently will far outpace their rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination in contributions during the year’s fourth quarter.

The Dean campaign reported that as of late Monday, it had raised more than $14.1 million during the period, which ends Wednesday. As it continues to rely extensively on donations through the Internet, the campaign could break the party fundraising record it set in the third quarter.

Clark’s campaign said it anticipates taking in $10 million to $12 million during the fourth quarter.

None of the other seven Democratic contenders are expected to come close to those figures.

President Bush’s fundraising continues to dwarf all of the Democrats. His reelection campaign has raised more than $115 million this year -- shattering the record $106 million he collected for the 2000 election.

Dean’s fourth-quarter donations will give him a total of about $40 million raised during the year, easily leading the Democratic pack. He raised $14.8 million during the July 1-Sept. 30 period, more than any Democratic presidential candidate has collected during a quarter.

Clark did not enter the presidential race until mid-September, long after the other candidates. If he reaches the $12-million mark in fourth-quarter fundraising, he will have garnered about $15.5 million for the year.

Dick Gephardt’s campaign announced it anticipates donations of between $3 million to $4 million by the fourth-quarter deadline. Through Sept. 30, the Missouri congressman had raised almost $14 million.

Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts expects to have raised $2 million to $4 million in the fourth quarter, according to his campaign. As of Sept. 30, he had collected a total of $20 million. Kerry also recently lent his campaign more than $6 million secured through a mortgage on his Boston home and $850,000 in cash.

Fourth-quarter contributions to Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich are expected to total a least $1.5 million, according to his campaign. As of Sept. 30, he had raised about $3.4 million for the year.

The campaigns of Sen John Edwards of North Carolina, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the Rev. Al Sharpton and former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois did not provide estimates of their fourth-quarter contributions.

Early next year, most of the candidates will receive federal matching funds; for some of them, that check will exceed $3 million. Dean and Kerry opted out of the federal financing program, which will cost them the matching funds but has freed them from spending limitations that are part of it.