Politicians Report Fundraising Totals

by David Tamasi

WASHINGTON - The two New Hampshire Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives submitted their most recent campaign fundraising reports to the Federal Election Commission this week and said that neither has a 2004 opponent yet.

Congressman Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfesboro, reported raising $84,119 during the three months that ended Sept. 30, leaving him with $291,503 cash on hand. Fifth-term Congressman Charles Bass, R-Petersboro, raised $57,560 during that period, and had an available cash balance of $101,820.

Congress members must file reports with the FEC four times a year, detailing how much money they have raised and spent.

The reports can serve as a barometer to incumbents' strengths or weaknesses. Based on the amount of money they have raised, they can scare off or invite potential challengers. Congress members run for re-election every two years, and any challengers would likely announce by January their intentions to run in 2004.

First term Congress members are generally viewed as the most vulnerable because they usually have not established the fundraising prowess that comes with long-term incumbency. By this calculation, freshman, Bradley would be most likely to draw an opponent. But his spokesman said no challenger has emerged.

"We have not heard anything about potential challengers," said Bradley's spokesman, T.J. Crawford.

A closer review of his filing revealed that nearly 40 percent, or $32,950, of the cash Bradley raised from July 1 to Sept. 30 came from political action committees (PACs) and Republican Party committees. Of the $350,888 Bradley raised so far this year, more than half, $196, 215, came from PACs and political committees, including $1,500 from General Electric's PAC. Bradley received $2,000 from the International Firefighters Association of Firefighters, two contributions totaling $7,000 from the Florida, Power & Light Company Employees PAC and $1,000 from Federal Express's PAC.

Bradley spent $44,993 in the third quarter, with $27,060 going to SCM Associates, a Republican direct mail marketing firm. New Hampshire Governor Craig Benson, a fellow Republican, contributed $1,000 to the Bradley campaign.

In the 2002 election, Democrat Martha Fuller Clark raised $2,526,066 more than Bradley. Bradley beat her 59 percent to 39 percent.

Half of the money Bass raised, $29,500, came from political action committees and the Republican Party. Bass received $1,000 donations from the Mohegan Tribe, which owns Mohegan Sun Casino and the Mashantucket Pequod Tribal Nation, owners of Foxwoods Casino, both of which are in Connecticut. In addition, the National Cable & Telecommunications PAC gave $5,000 and the American Maritime Associations PAC donated $2,000 to Bass. The New Hampshire Congressman made a $1,000 contribution to President Bush's re-election effort and gave $500 to the campaign of Nashua Mayor Bernard Streeter. He spent $13,604 in the third quarter of this year.

Bass won his last two races, even though his 2002 opponent Katrina Swett raised $1,429,259 compared to Bass's $906,760. In 2000 Barney Brannen raised $99,351 more than Bass.

Bass spokesman Sally Tibbetts said he did not have an opponent yet.

On the national level, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, a Democratic candidate for president, reported raising $3.9 million during the third quarter of the year. Kerry spent much more than that -- $7 million.

Kerry's fundraising has dropped steadily since the first three months of the year, when he took in $7 million. He raised $5.9 million from April through June. In total, Kerry has brought in nearly $17 million, considerably less than the $25 million reported by former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, who is leading Democratic presidential contenders in fundraising.

Records for Senators Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass.; Judd Gregg, R-N.H., and John Sununu, R-N.H., were not available at the end of the week because senators file their reports differently than House members, according to Barbara Riley, a spokesman for Sununu.