State: Reno is slow to raise, spend campaign funds

TALLAHASSEE -- Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, the leading Democratic candidate for governor, has raised a relatively modest amount of campaign money and has spent even less.

In a report filed Wednesday, Reno said she raised $102,179 -- about a fifth of the amount raised by rival Bill McBride -- and that she had paid off a political consultant who conducted some early polling for her.

But her report does not indicate Reno has even been putting gas in her red pickup truck, which she has been driving around the state for her homespun campaign.

The report is conspicuously absent the kind of detail that other candidates provide for travel, telephones, copy paper, postage and other campaign-related expenses. The law requires the reporting of such expenses, even when they are made by the individual candidate.

"I was told I should report it when I pay the credit card bills," Reno said Wednesday night. "I don't think we've gotten any of the bills."

Reno announced her candidacy Sept. 4. The report she and other candidates filed Wednesday covers the period from July 1 to Sept. 30.

In her filing with the Florida Division of Elections, Reno reported paying $20,362 for focus groups and $7,000 for surveys.

Both were done by the Citizens Committee for Passionate Care, a political action committee formed in August by Hugh A. Westbrook, a millionaire hospice care executive who has raised thousands of dollars for Democrats in the past 20 years.

Reno said she decided to reimburse the committee for the work "just to make sure I dotted every i and crossed every t, in case I wanted to use it."

Those two expenditures and the $1,280 cost of a computer from Best Buy were the only expenses Reno reported, a situation that left some of her opponents questioning how she is financing her campaign.

The focus groups and polling were done before Reno officially became a candidate. At the time, Reno said she was not receiving the results of the work which was done to lay the groundwork for a campaign.

Julie Simon, spokeswoman for the Reno campaign, said she and other campaign workers are still volunteers and have not submitted vouchers but will be paid once Reno raises the money. She said some of Reno's travel expenses have been paid by Greater Talent Network, her agent, which had already booked many of the appearances she has made in the last few weeks.

Reno reports receiving a modest $102,179 in contributions, mostly from individual donors in South Florida and attorneys in the Washington, D.C., area. Simon said she suspended fundraising after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, but accepted contributions that were sent in. "I think we'll raise enough money," Reno said when asked about the total collected during the 26 days since she formally declared her candidacy.

Her total contributions fall far short of the $512,000 reported by McBride, former managing partner at Holland & Knight, but ahead of the $68,635 reported by Rep. Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach and $90,054 collected by Sen. Daryl Jones of Miami, her key opponents in the Democratic primary.

All of the Democrats together fall short of the $1.2-million in cash that Gov. Jeb Bush reports receiving since he announced plans to seek re-election.

Bush canceled all fundraising and campaign events after the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, saying he did not think it would be appropriate to campaign.

Campaign manager Karen Unger said some money "trickled in" during the last three weeks of September, but none was solicited. She said no events are planned through the remainder of October.

"The cancellations came at a huge cost, but the governor felt it would be inappropriate to carry on campaign activities," Unger added.

Reactions from several campaign camps were muted Wednesday because of the terrorist attacks. Several candidates declined to discuss their opponents, saying they didn't think it was appropriate to engage in partisan politics with the nation at war.

In an e-mail sent to some campaign supporters, Unger urged Bush's supporters not to discuss fundraising efforts with the press as a measure of support for the governor's continuing effort to deal with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.

In the Republican race for attorney general, Education Commissioner Charlie Crist continues to lead the pack, with contributions totaling $814,371. Crist added $69,833 to his war chest during the quarter ending Sept. 30. Sen. Locke Burt, R-Ormond Beach, raised $124,000 during the quarter, bringing his total to $310,000. Solicitor General Tom Warner raised $73,985 since joining the campaign a few weeks ago. Sen. Buddy Dyer, D-Orlando, has raised $222,631 and has yet to draw a primary opponent.

In the race for chief finance officer, a new Cabinet position that combines the jobs of regulating insurance and banking, Insurance Commissioner Tom Gallagher has raised $727,108. The only Democrat, Cory Alston, had yet to file his report Wednesday.

In the race for agriculture commissioner, the incumbent, Republican Charlie Bronson, reported raising $387,666. Democrat David Carl Nelson reported raising no money. The report of former Sen. Rick Dantzler, a Democrat from Winter Haven, was not yet available.

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Lucy Morgan

From the Times state desk