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Bush bests others in fundraising
By STEVE BOUSQUET, Times Staff Writer TALLAHASSEE -- With a boost from the President, Gov. Jeb Bush raked in nearly $2.4-million in campaign cash in the first three months of this year. That's more than twice as much as the combined totals of Bush's two leading Democratic opponents, Janet Reno and Bill McBride, since they started campaigning. Reno raised $359,000 in cash during the quarter that ended March 31, and McBride raised $400,000, according to reports filed Wednesday with the Division of Elections. In every camp, the money helps underwrite TV ads, advisers, pollsters and other costs in one of the most closely watched governor's races in the country in 2002. Bush pledged to raise no money during the regular legislative session. His campaign said most of the money was raised from 13 events held before the session opened Jan. 22. One of the biggest was a Jan. 9 dinner at the Capital Hilton hotel in Washington, D.C. that was scheduled to be held last November but was delayed following the terrorist attacks. The $5,000-per-plate dinner raised both hard and soft money, for the Bush campaign and the Republican Party of Florida, and was the first campaign event featuring President George W. Bush after the attacks. "It is a clear sign that the people of Florida are not only happy with the governor and his policies, but are looking ahead to four more years," said Todd Harris, Bush's campaign spokesman. "It's good to be king," countered McBride's campaign manager, Robin Rorapaugh. "Clearly there's a fundraising organization at work. That's the power of incumbency. Republicans have traditionally raised more, and spent more, than the Democrats. We're confident we'll have the resources to get the Democratic message out." Polls show McBride is slowly picking up ground, but he remains far behind the better-known Reno. A recent St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald survey showed Reno with a lead of 48 percent to 18 percent over McBride, with 25 percent undecided and the remainder split between two lesser-known candidates. Reno's momentum was slowed in late January following a widely publicized fainting incident during a speech to college students in Rochester, N.Y. She sought to revive her campaign with a three-week "Red Truck Tour" across the state. Campaign spokeswoman Nicole Harburger emphasized that $250,000 of Reno's money came in during March. To date, Bush has raised $4.4-million, Reno $1-million and McBride $1.1-million total. Because of the limited information available on all candidates' reports Wednesday, it was not possible to determine the sources of candidates' donations. The full reports will be online during the next several days at www.dos.state.fl.us. Two other Democrats were slowed by rules barring state legislators from soliciting or accepting contributions while the Legislature is in its regular 60-day session. Sen. Daryl Jones of Miami said he collected about $60,000 in the first quarter, and Rep. Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach said she raised no money. Frankel said Bush's fundraising success in recent months shows he was more focused on his political future than in bringing the legislative session to a smooth conclusion. "I don't know how you can be raising that kind of money. I know he wasn't paying attention to the session. That's pretty clear." The Bush campaign noted that it has received more than $35,000 raised or donated by lawyers working at Holland & Knight, the firm McBride helped build into a nationwide legal powerhouse. One of Bush's supporters, lawyer Steve Uhlfelder, was a partner in the firm until recently, when he left to start his own firm. The Republican Party also had a profitable three months, but its totals were not available Wednesday. The state Democratic Party reported nearly $1.5-million in the period.
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From the Times state desk
From the state wire
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