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That's the strategy for past donors to the Florida Democratic Party, who are keeping their wallets shut until a sure bet emerges.
By WES ALLISON, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 12, 2002
President Clinton was so grateful for Chris Korge's help after the 1996 election that he invited him to spend a night in the White House. For the 2000 presidential election, Korge helped raise $10-million for the Democratic National Committee, plus $1.6-million for Al Gore.
This election season, the Coral Gables lawyer and businessman has raised nearly $100,000 for one of two major candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for governor -- of Pennsylvania.
In his state, however, where Democrats are scrapping to retake the Governor's Mansion from President Bush's younger brother, Korge has kept his checkbook closed. And so have many in his circle of fundraising friends.
"There's no money because there's no clear candidate," said Korge, the DNC's national finance vice chairman in 2000. "Believe me, the No. 1 choice (for fundraisers), if there was a clear candidate with a credible chance of winning, would be Florida.
"But people are putting their money in other priorities because they just don't believe at this point."
With the November election just six months away, some of the Florida Democratic Party's most prolific donors in past elections have not written checks, campaign finance records show. Others have given a fraction of what they gave during the 1998 governor's race, when Republican Gov. Jeb Bush beat Democrat Buddy MacKay.
The upshot is a lopsided money race to go with what polls show is a lopsided political race: Through the first three months of the year, the Florida Democratic Party raised $1.4-million. The state Republican Party raised seven times as much, $9.8-million.
Some Democratic leaders and fundraisers dismiss the disparity, noting that fundraising typically doesn't pick up until late summer or early fall.
But the Republicans' advantage has allowed Bush the luxury of spending $2-million on statewide TV ads touting his commitment to public education, the Democrats' top campaign issue.
While several prominent Democratic fundraisers, such as Jacksonville lawyer Wayne Hogan and Tampa lawyer Steve Yerrid, have given liberally, experts say most major donors require more than political idealism to get into a race.
They want a winner. Or at least a competitive challenger.
Polls show former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno with a comfortable lead over her closest Democratic challenger, Tampa lawyer Bill McBride, although McBride has raised more money and enjoyed more support at the state Democratic convention last month in Orlando.
The same polls show Bush comfortably leading Reno and McBride.
"There's a reason why someone coined the term "smart money,' " said Karl Koch, a Tampa-based Democratic Party consultant. "The people who write the big checks are sophisticated, experienced people when it comes to modern politics, and they're only going to spend their money on who they think is the strongest candidate.
"I think you've got a lot of people waiting right now to see who, in our field, becomes the strongest candidate."
Among those regular contributors who are conspicuously missing from state Democratic Party finance reports from July 2001 through the end of March: Pompano Beach businessman Hank Asher, who gave $120,000 in 1998; Paul Tudor Jones of Greenwich, Conn., an investor and Everglades activist who gave $80,000 in 1998; and Richard W. Slawson, a lawyer in Palm Beach Gardens who gave $120,000 in 1998.
Other major donors have given at a fraction of their 1998 levels.
Slim-Fast magnate S. Daniel Abraham of West Palm Beach, who raised $1.7-million for Gore in 2000 and gave $75,000 to the state party in 1998, has given just $5,000 (although the bulk of his 1998 donation came just before the election).
The Miami law firm of Ira Leesfield gave the party $105,000 in 1998 but just $1,000 this election. The West Palm Beach firm of Lytal, Reiter has given $6,500, compared to $170,000 in 1998.
Party funding is especially important in Florida because state law limits contributions to candidates to $500. There are no limits on donations to political parties, however, so candidates count heavily on them for advertising, polling and organization.
State law also allows parties to pay the salaries of the candidates' campaign staff.
Bob Poe, chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, acknowledged the difficulty of convincing some past donors to give. But he said more will contribute as the race intensifies.
"They're seasoned and sophisticated, they're pragmatic and practical," Poe said. "They have a certain amount of resources they donate to politics, and they want to go with a winner.
"Some of these folks, it has to come into better focus for them, and that's part of my job."
Most party donors spread their gifts over several quarters. The party has received substantial support from a few key donors since July, including Hogan ($120,000), Orlando developer James H. Pugh Jr. ($75,000) and two South Florida law firms, Williams, Parenti ($100,000) and Searcy, Denney ($83,000).
The Democrats raised about $400,000 more in the first quarter of this year than they did in the first quarter of 1998. Their biggest donor was the Florida Education Association, which gave $50,000, followed by the nursing home industry ($40,000) and the International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades ($35,000).
The Republican Party, however, more than doubled what it raised in the first quarter of 1998, including $1.7-million from national Republican groups.
State Sen. Skip Campbell's Fort Lauderdale law firm gave $160,000 to the Democratic Party in 1998 but nothing this year. He blamed the party leadership for failing to aggressively court contributors or demonstrate how the party will convert contributors' money into victory.
Last week, Campbell met with several Senate Democrats to discuss the situation.
"We need to start having some major events where people (are encouraged) to make an investment," Campbell said. "And it is an investment. You have to make sure it pays certain dividends, which is to have the type of government you really want to have. And I don't think we've really done that."
Poe disagreed, and said the party is working hard to raise money. For the first time, the party has hired a consultant, the Competence Group of Chicago, to raise money nationally. About a third of the party's contributions this year came from out of state.
For the first time, the party has two fulltime staffers who will focus on fundraising. Poe, who is meeting this weekend with DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe, said the national Democratic Party also has pledged financial and organizational support.
Gary Pajcic and his brother, Steve, the Democratic nominee for governor in 1986, have given $50,000 through their law firm since July. Gary Pajcic said they strongly believe it's money well spent.
Although he's supporting McBride in the primary, Pajcic said those who say Bush is too strong for Reno or McBride are wrong. They also plan to give more.
"We believe that Bush can and will be beat in the election," Gary Pajcic said. "He has a lot of vulnerabilities."
Bob Montgomery, a West Palm Beach lawyer who has given at least $30,000 to the Democrats since July, said the party has more support than it might appear. He said many big contributors won't give until later.
"Whoever wins the primary, they're not going to have any problem raising money to be competitive. Not a problem in the world," he said.
Korge isn't so sure.
He meets quarterly with a cadre of national fundraisers who relish the thought of beating President Bush's younger brother. But he said many don't think Reno is the candidate who can beat Bush and aren't convinced McBride can beat Reno in the Democratic primary.
"My strategy is I want to get into the race if it means something. At this point, I'm still looking to see if there's any clear path to victory," Korge said.
Korge urged Pete Peterson, former ambassador to Vietnam, to seek the Democratic nomination. Peterson said he would explore running for governor, but he gave up the idea in September.
The leading Democratic candidates also are well behind Bush in fundraising. Through March, Bush had raised $4.4-million. McBride had raised $1.14-million and Reno had raised $916,000.
Even Emily's List, which raises money for female Democrats, has yet to back Reno's campaign, despite her status as the nation's highest-profile female gubernatorial candidate.
Meanwhile, Emily's List has raised $400,000 for Michigan gubernatorial candidate Jennifer Granholm, who must beat two men for the Democratic nomination, including former Gov. James Blanchard.
Florida's two other visible Democratic candidates, state House Minority Leader Lois Frankel (whose law firm contributed $140,000 to the party in 1998) of West Palm Beach and state Sen. Daryl Jones of Miami, each raised less than $150,000 in the last quarter.
Reno said she's trying to make her case to major fundraisers.
"In the materials I've seen, I am running ahead of my opponent against Bush, and I'm cutting Bush's lead," she said in Tampa last week. "So I'm going to keep going like I'm going."
As for the missing major donors, especially those from South Florida, "I think they'll all be there after the primary."
McBride said he couldn't speak to party fundraising, but said his fundraising has accelerated since the state convention.
"I'm very pleased with where we are, and pretty excited," he said.
For his part, Korge said he plans to focus on raising money for Democrats running for Congress. At his home in December, he co-hosted a $500,000 fundraiser featuring Al Gore for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
He said he also has raised $75,000 to $100,000 for Ed Rendell, the former mayor of Philadelphia who is challenging Bob Casey Jr. for the Democratic nomination for governor of Pennsylvania.
"There's only so many hours in a day and so many dollars on the table," he said, "and people want to put their resources where it can make a difference."
-- Times researcher Kitty Bennett contributed to this report.
The Florida Division of Elections makes public the quarterly campaign contribution reports from candidates and political parties. To view them online, go to election.dos.state.fl.us. The next set of reports should be available July 10.