Lieberman’s Top Aide on Fund-Raising Resigns Post

The top fund-raiser in the presidential campaign of Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) resigned her position Monday and her deputy made plans to quit after a weekend of turmoil inside the campaign over how to cut costs and put Lieberman into a position to compete with better-funded rivals for the Democratic nomination.

Finance director Shari Yost stepped down, and Democratic sources said her deputy, Jennifer Yocham, also intends to resign and that several mid-level staffers could follow them.

The sudden shake-up came as Lieberman prepared to report to the Federal Election Commission that his campaign raised $5.1 million in the second quarter and spent about $2.8 million.

Lieberman, the party’s 2000 vice presidential nominee, got a slow start raising money in the first quarter of the year. His onetime lead in national polls of the Democratic field evaporated in the first six months of the year, and he is running no better than fourth in early polls in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The disruption in the campaign finance department could put Lieberman at a fresh disadvantage at a crucial point in the fund-raising competition, and Democratic sources said the disputes that led to the shake-up reflected broader management problems of the Lieberman operation.

“Nobody’s been running [Lieberman’s] campaign,” said one Democratic source.

Lieberman has neither a campaign chairman nor a designated campaign manager.

Meanwhile, another Democratic presidential hopeful, Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio, said Monday that his campaign had raised $1.54 million during the second quarter, mostly from small Internet donations.

After spending about $527,000 from April to June, Kucinich has about $1 million on hand for his White House bid. Considered a long-shot candidate, Kucinich is slated to file financial reports with the FEC today.