(2004-01-30) Dean Out Of Money

The Howard Dean campaign has spent all but $5M of the $41M it raised. Dean, whose Internet-fueled $41 million in fund raising last year was a Democratic record, is now withholding staff salaries and has decided against airing ads in any of the seven states voting next Tuesday.

I'd like to know how the money was spent. TV? Tonight is the deadline for reports on spending during the last quarter of 2003.

George W Bush already filed - his campaign spent $31.6M in 2003. * Of the $31.6 million in expenditures, Holt said roughly half went to fundraising costs. The Bush-Cheney campaign has broken all presidential fundraising records with the $131.8 million it collected last year. In addition, Holton said, 40 percent of spending went for administrative costs, staffing, security and setting up offices around the country, "all the bricks and mortar of the operation."*

This Jan29 article notes Figures from a rival campaign, confirmed by the independent Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks advertising spending, show that Dr. Dean has spent roughly $9.2 million in advertising since June... Tricia Enright, the campaign's communications director, said Dr. Dean was forming "a new creative team" to overhaul its television advertisements. She said the campaign was not firing its media firm, in which Mr. Joe Trippi is a partner. Many Dean supporters have been critical of the ad campaign, particularly in Iowa. Some questioned the arrangements by which Mr. Trippi forfeited a salary as a campaign manager but collected commissions - said to be as high as 15 percent in some cases - based on advertising buys. (Conflict Of Interest)

Feb1: Dean dedicated more (in 2003) than $8.5 million to consultants, staff salaries and related expenses. Ads were another major cost, taking up at least $7 million, and the campaign spent at least $4.5 million on direct mail. Dean said early on that he would run a national campaign, even as rivals focused on one or two early-voting states. He hit the airwaves quickly and built get-out-the-vote operations in several states.

2004/02/04 03:28 GMT
It's worth noting that 5 million dollars is more than any of the other Democratic candidates have -- a lot more. Clark has less than 4 million, and it goes sharply down from there.