The Arizona Republic - 3rd Qtr Fundraising Rakes In $6 Million

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The Arizona Republic - 3rd Qtr Fundraising Rakes In $6 Million

By Dan Nowicki

Article Excerpt

John McCain's latest fundraising total is not exactly impressive, but it is another sign that his once-moribund presidential campaign is at least off life support.

McCain, an Arizona Republican, announced Thursday that he raised $6 million in July, August and September, a traditionally slow donation period.

Perhaps more importantly, McCain still has $3.6 million on hand, a clear signal that he and Rick Davis, his campaign manager since July, have made progress in cracking down on the overspending that last summer threatened to end McCain's presidential ambitions.

While McCain's third-quarter fundraising continues to lag his three main rivals for the GOP nomination - it also trails the $11.3 million he raised in the second quarter - he likely still will muster a last stand in New Hampshire, the state whose influential early primary McCain won in 2000 and where he is now running television ads reminding voters of his military service and prisoner-of-war biography.

In the second quarter, McCain's campaign burned through $13 million with little to show for it.

"He has enough to compete in New Hampshire, and if he wins there, he'll be able to raise everything he needs for the rest of the primaries," said Dan Schnur, a California-based political strategist who directed communications for McCain's 2000 presidential run.

"If he doesn't, that will be it."

For his part, McCain in recent weeks has downplayed the importance of money, stressing what he characterized as his ability to outcampaign foes through hard work. In September, McCain demonstrated that money isn't everything. He performed well in a Sept. 5 debate, and his relatively low-cost "No Surrender" bus tour through Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina raised his profile, reaffirmed his conservative pro-military credentials and likely contributed to improving his poll standings.

"I think we've got certainly enough money to do well . . . and do what we need to do," McCain said during a Sept. 28 conference call with bloggers shortly before the quarter ended Sunday. "The main thing we've accomplished is not raise so much money as it is to cut our budget way back, which we should have done long before."

Some political experts continue to wonder if McCain's return to fiscal discipline comes too late. The unprecedented 2008 primary calendar, which will include more than 20 states casting ballots on Feb. 5, is expected to quickly consume campaign bank accounts, and the impact of winning in the traditional early states is untested in such a frontloaded scenario. Among those choosing candidates on Feb. 5 are California and other states with expensive media markets.

"It shows that he's reorganized and is spending his money more wisely," veteran Arizona pollster Bruce Merrill said of McCain's third-quarter results

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