Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Big GOP donors smile on Gallagher

The top-tier fundraisers who raked it in for the Bush-Cheney campaigns are favoring the chief financial officer, but with a smaller impact.

By ADAM C. SMITH
Published March 23, 2006

For Florida's champion Republican money raisers, it used to be so simple: pull out those hefty Rolodexes and start reeling in checks for a candidate named Bush.

These days, Republican fundraisers in Florida are taking sides between the party's gubernatorial candidates, Charlie Crist and Tom Gallagher.

So far, no clear consensus has emerged, but a St. Petersburg Times analysis shows Chief Financial Officer Gallagher has attracted twice as many of the big Bush rainmakers as his opponent.

Of the 62 Floridians who raised at least $100,000 for the Bush-Cheney campaigns in 2000 and 2004, dubbed "Pioneers" and "Rangers" by the campaign, 24 have given money to Gallagher this election cycle and 12 to Crist. Five have given to both candidates, 21 have given to neither, and one has contributed the Democrat Jim Davis of Tampa.

Turns out, though, those veteran fundraisers haven't provided much of an actual boost to Gallagher. He raised nearly $1.6-million less than Crist last year, $6.87-million to $5.24-million, and is now finishing up a crucial fundraising period.

Gallagher's campaign was rocked in late January by revelations that he traded stock in insurance companies while serving as insurance commissioner and that as a Cabinet member he voted for a pipeline project that would affect an energy company he had invested in.

"We're going to have an excellent quarter," said developer Mark Guzzetta, Gallagher's finance chairman, dismissing the impact of the negative publicity about Gallagher's day trading.

A top fundraiser for Jeb and George Bush, Guzzetta said the Bush-Cheney Rangers and Pioneers know Crist and Gallagher well, but "most believe that Tom is the more competent and qualified guy."

George LeMieux, chief of staff for the Crist campaign, dismissed the significance of Ranger and Pioneer allegiances. "The most important thing in fundraising is raising the most money, and Charlie Crist has done that."

By some accounts, the number of top-tier Republican fundraisers backing Gallagher is little more than a generational reflection. The most veteran fundraisers simply have more history with Gallagher, 62, who has been in politics for more than three decades. Crist, 49, won his first election in 1992.

Marty Fiorentino, a top fundraiser from Jacksonville supporting Crist, said the attorney general has reached out to many fundraisers who are just under the top level.

"There's a lot of new blood in his campaign," he said. "What I see is Charlie reaching out, down into the middle of the pyramid."

Neither campaign would estimate what it will wind up raising through March 31. But with both Republicans breaking fundraising records, some party members worry about a campaign finance arms race where all that money will wind up funding a nasty and damaging primary battle.

Tampa developer Al Austin, one of the nation's top Republican fundraisers and finance chairman for the state GOP, said Gallagher and Crist understand that after the primary, the winner will need state party money for the general election.

"We have the leverage for keeping these guys on the issues and not get too negative," said Austin, whose wife has contributed to both candidates and sees the primary as wide open. "We're all telling them: "If you start going negative we're all going to come down on you.' "

The Democratic gubernatorial primary pits U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa against state Sen. Rod Smith of Alachua. Davis leads Smith in fundraising, $1.63-million to $1.31-million last year, but they are dwarfed by the Republicans.

The Smith campaign will not release its fundraising totals for 2006, but campaign adviser Screven Watson said campaign officials "were happy with their numbers. I'm sure the Davis people will be happy with theirs. I don't think you'll be writing any obituaries."

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

[Last modified March 23, 2006, 02:15:42]