Dole the front-running money raiser

By Erin Caddell
Sentinel Staff
Sept. 13, 1995

   While pundits have questioned the momentum of Senate Majority Leader
Bob Dole's run for the White House in recent weeks, his support in New
Hampshire - at least among those who have contributed more than $200 to a
presidential candidate - appears strong. 
   The Federal Election Commission listed 191 individuals from New
Hampshire who had given more than $200 to presidential primary campaigns
as of June 30 - a total of $96,318. The list was compiled for The Sentinel
by the Northeast Citizen Action Resource Center, a research group based in
Hartford, Conn. 
   Nearly one-third of large contributions from New Hampshire, $31,518,
have gone to Dole, including 18 pledges of $1,000 - the most an individual
is allowed to donate to a candidate for the primary. 
   Federal campaign-finance rules require candidates to identify
individuals who give more than $200, and political action committees that
contribute money. 
   Individuals can give up to $1,000 for the primary election, and another
$1,000 for the general election; PACs can give up to $5,000 in each
election. 
   Sen. Phil Gramm, R-Texas, has also been a successful money raiser,
bringing in $19,550 to finish second on the list; President Bill Clinton
has raised $16,250 from New Hampshire, just in case a Democrat chooses to
challenge him in the first-in-the-nation primary. 
   Rounding out the list of major candidates who have had success raising
money in New Hampshire: former Tennessee governor and former U.S.
secretary of education Lamar Alexander, $8,500; conservative pundit
Patrick J. Buchanan, $7,700; California Gov. Pete Wilson, $5,500; Sen.
Richard G. Lugar, R-Ind., $3,750; and conservative columnist Alan Keyes,
$3,250. 
   At the bottom of the list is Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., with a single
large contribution of $300 from New Hampshire. But that's $300 more than
Rep. Robert Dornan, the ultra-conservative California Republican who, at
this stage, is no more than a blip on the presidential screen. By June 30,
Dornan hadn't gotten any contributions of over $200 from New Hampshire,
according to the records. 
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