Kerry May Forgo Funding Too
Democratic presidential contender John F. Kerry said Sunday that he would decide in a few days whether he too would opt out of public financing in the primaries.
Following the announcement of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean on Saturday that he would forgo public financing, freeing him to spend unlimited amounts in his race for the White House, Kerry said that he regretted Dean’s decision but that he might have to follow suit.
“We’re going to make our decision over the course of the next day or so,” Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”
Such a move would allow Kerry to tap into the sizable personal assets shared with his wife, heiress Teresa Heinz Kerry.
Dean is the first Democrat in history to forgo the taxpayer-financed system that encourages small donations by matching them with federal funds, freeing him to exceed the $45-million spending cap that comes with the money.
Dean said he was forced to opt out to compete with President Bush, who already had said he would forgo matching funds and that he was aiming to raise $175 million before the Republican National Convention.
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