State: Reno's fundraising lags for campaign

But Janet Reno, the only candidate as widely known as Republican incumbent Jeb Bush, is struggling mightily in her crucial quest to raise campaign money.

The former U.S. attorney general said Friday she may have raised even less money in the past three months than she did during her relatively weak efforts at the start of the year. Despite trying hard to pull in campaign contributions, Reno said pessimism about the Democrats' chances of unseating Gov. Bush is proving a major obstacle.

"It has been difficult to raise money," Reno said while campaigning in western Volusia County. "I think that people are concerned about the monies the Republicans have raised, and they want to be sure their dollars are competitive."

With statewide campaigns heavily reliant on expensive television ads, fundraising reports are a widely watched indicator of a candidate's viability. Candidates must file new fundraising reports next week. Another poor showing by Reno is sure to fuel continued grumbling by some Democrats that Reno, while poised to win the Democratic nomination in September, has little chance against Jeb Bush in November's general election.

Reno could not recall the exact amount raised since April, but she said it would probably be less than the $359,000 in cash she reported raising over the first three months of the year. She said she has raised some money for the state Democratic Party, which will not be reflected in her next fundraising report. A campaign spokeswoman said it appeared the report would be better than Reno suggested, but still a weak fundraising report is bad news for Reno's campaign.

Tampa lawyer Bill McBride, who is trailing Reno in recent polls by roughly 30 points for the Democratic nomination, will raise "considerably more" than Reno, said his campaign manager, Robin Rorapaugh, who would not give a total. McBride has consistently raised more than Reno, although both of them have been dwarfed by Bush.

The latest fundraising news reflects the Janet-can't-win perception she has battled for months. She is an icon to many hard-core Democrats and the overwhelming front-runner in the primary race. And yet long-shot candidate McBride has outraised her, won key endorsements from labor and a slew of public officials, and set up an active statewide campaign organization. The Reno campaign had a recent staff shake-up that was widely seen as an acknowledgement that it needed to improve.

Reno and McBride have nearly identical platforms, calling for more investment in some state services, particularly schools. Reno's supporters say she has the experience and charisma, while McBride supporters see his experience running a business and serving in Vietnam as giving him broader appeal.

With Reno struggling among donors and some activists, Rorapaugh suggested that Reno's candidacy is hurting the Democrats' hopes against Bush.

"They have to look seriously at whether Janet Reno is the spoiler in this campaign," Rorapaugh said of the Reno campaign. "She's a great lady and is beloved in Democratic circles, but at some point she's got to make the decision whether she can get the resources together to mount a credible campaign. We're confident that we can."

McBride had nearly $1-million on hand as of April, while Reno had less than $300,000. That's about enough for her to air one week of television ads in the Miami area. Her financial picture is worsened by her decision not to have the party money pay for many of her campaign expenses, as it does for McBride. Reno thinks it's inappropriate to take the money until she becomes the party nominee.

McBride, who used to run Florida's biggest law firm, needs much more money to introduce himself to voters on TV to have any chance against Reno. His supporters think that if he manages to upset Reno in the primary, he would be seen a giant killer and money would start flowing into his campaign and the state party. Even though he has outraised Reno to date, he has yet to show he can raise enough to mount a steady television campaign and overcome her lead in the primary.

Rorapaugh said McBride has not decided whether to kick in some of his own money for the campaign, which would cut off his eligibility for public matching campaign money. But she said the campaign will have enough to launch a statewide TV campaign without it.

Asked Friday how a first-time candidate like McBride could be raising more money than the universally known former attorney general, Reno smiled broadly. "He's got some good connections."

The other major Democrat in the race, state Sen. Daryl Jones, also said he has raised little money. None of the Democrats is remotely competitive with Bush's fundraising ability.

Bush had raised $2.4-million in the first three months of the year, more than twice what all the Democrats had raised combined. The Florida Republican Party, which continues to benefit from multimillion-dollar fundraisers featuring President Bush, had raised nearly $10-million -- nearly five times what the Democratic Party had.

State Democratic Party chairman Bob Poe insisted Friday that state party fundraising is in fine shape, even though it will never match what Republicans raise.

"We're on track to where we projected we should be. We're where we need to be," Poe said after a private meeting with Reno on Friday.

Reno predicted that Democrats would "be in the ballpark" to compete with the Republicans and that, in the end, the issues and her track record will overcome the Republicans' huge money advantage.

"Most Floridians in the end will believe that the candidacy that goes to the heart of the issues in Florida, that doesn't do spin, that addresses the issues in a methodical way ... this is the person who can win."

-- Adam C. Smith can be reached at (727) 893-8241 or adam@sptimes.com.

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