A Fat Wallet For The Final Days

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Oct. 25) -- For the final push toward Nov. 5, President Bill Clinton has roughly twice the cash on hand for TV advertising and get-out-the-vote efforts as Republican rival Bob Dole.

According to financial disclosure reports, the Clinton/Gore campaign has about $34 million on hand, compared to $19 million for the Dole/Kemp campaign.

Not to worry, though, says Dole's campaign. "We have an aggressive strategy in place and we will be able to execute it with the funds that remain," Dole spokeswoman Christina Martin told The Associated Press.

For the Clinton camp, some of its funds are earmarked for efforts to boost voter turnout. In recent days on the stump, Clinton has repeatedly said turnout is the big remaining question in the '96 race.

Said Ann Lewis, Clinton's deputy campaign manager: "We have to make sure people don't think the polls look so good my vote doesn't matter." Democratic strategists say a big win could help down-ballot Democratic candidates.

Under campaign finance rules, each candidate can spend $74 million, $62 million in taxpayer funds and $12 million from the party. As of mid-October, Dole had spent about $55 million, while Clinton had gone through $39 million. The lion's share of candidates' spending goes for TV ads, polling and staff salaries.

While Ross Perot may not be much of a factor in the polls, he also has plenty of walking-around money for the campaign's final weeks: about $14 million. He qualified for roughly $30 million in public funds, based on his showing in 1992.

A Fat Wallet For The Final Days

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