Bush and GOP brethren tap N.C. donors deeply

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Bush and GOP brethren tap N.C. donors deeply

Fund-raising by so many candidates puts squeeze on usual donors

JIM MORRILL

Staff Writer


By the time President Bush leaves Charlotte today, North Carolinians will have given his re-election campaign more than $3 million.

Throw in a costly U.S. Senate race, the nation's most expensive congressional primary and a seven-way scramble for governor, and some candidates are asking: Just how deep are Republican pockets?

Some Republicans say they've found no shortage of contributors, even if they have to look out of state. But with Bush and Senate candidate Richard Burr at the front of the line, money can be tight farther back.

"The well has pretty much dried up after the first of the year," says Jim Snyder, a Republican running for lieutenant governor. "There's only so much money out there, and the reality is that the more noticeable races are going to attract that money."

Bush is expected to raise $1.5 million today at a luncheon at the Charlotte Convention Center in what will be the last personal fund-raiser of his campaign. He'll also visit Central Piedmont Community College to propose an increase in job training. Both events are invitation-only.

This year's confluence of high-profile races and higher donation limits seems to be squeezing Republicans more than Democrats in North Carolina. While Sen. John Edwards of Raleigh raised nearly $2 million in the state for his unsuccessful presidential bid, presumed nominee John Kerry of Massachusetts has raised only $44,000. Republicans also have costly primaries for Congress and governor.http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/8357157.htm