WASHINGTON – John Kerry (search) and John Edwards (search), surprise one-two finishers in Iowa, are hoping their rising political fortunes translate into campaign cash. Third-place Howard Dean (search) told donors he needs $1 million by next week's New Hampshire primary.
All three tried to capitalize on the previous day's Iowa caucuses with fund-raising e-mails sent Tuesday. They urged contributors to give in time to make a difference in the next big test, New Hampshire on Jan. 27.
"We've delivered the results, now we need to deliver the funds," Kerry wrote. "I need your help, and I need it immediately to continue the surge in New Hampshire."
Kerry saw an influx of cash within hours of his victory. He challenged donors to help him raise $365,000 over the Internet on Tuesday — a dollar for each day left before the 2005 inauguration, spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said. He collected roughly $300,000 by late afternoon.
The candidates entered the primary season in varying degrees of financial health. The Iowa outcome is likely to shake up the money race further, prompting some undecided donors to get off the fence and those who gave to losing candidates to donate to the early winners as well.
Like Kerry, Edwards saw an immediate surge in contributions. The North Carolina senator raised $100,000 over his Web site in five or six hours overnight, spokesman Roger Salazar said.
Edwards could be seeing his second reversal of fortune in the money race. Thanks in large part to millions of dollars from fellow trial lawyers, Edwards started 2003 leading in money, only to drop behind Dean and Kerry as the year progressed.
Edwards' second-place Iowa finish could help re-ignite his attorney donor base and help him move beyond it.
"With you, we can shock the world again," Edwards campaign manager Nick Baldick wrote in a fund-raising e-mail Tuesday morning.
Edwards met his goal of raising $20 million by the Iowa voting, and has enough money to see him through at least the Feb. 3 primaries, Salazar said. Edwards planned one fund-raiser in Boston and two in New York on Tuesday.
Dean began January as the financial front-runner. Fueled by unprecedented Internet fund raising, the former Vermont governor collected a Democratic record of $40 million last year and became the first in his party to skip public financing and its spending limits for the primaries.
Dean told donors Tuesday that he needs their help more than ever: "We must raise $1,000,000 by next Tuesday's primary," Dean wrote.
Dean spokesman Jay Carson said the appeal doesn't mean the campaign is short on money. He declined to reveal how much remains on hand, beyond saying it has plenty.
Like Dean, Kerry opted out of public financing. Kerry began 2003 second to Edwards in money and, like Edwards, saw his fund-raising totals fall as the months passed. He finished the year a distant second to Dean in money.
In December, Kerry pumped nearly $7 million in personal loans into his campaign to get through the early primaries, supplementing more than $20 million in contributions from others.
Spokeswoman Cutter declined to say how much cash the Kerry campaign had on hand, but said the Massachusetts senator's December loans are expected to see him through the Feb. 3 primaries before he will have to decide whether to put more of his own money into the race.
Another hopeful, Wesley Clark, was seeking to capitalize on his absence from the Iowa voting. His campaign sent a fund-raising e-mail Tuesday telling donors the race is wide open and that Clark must redouble his efforts to win.
Clark campaign chairman Eli Segal said the retired general started the new year with $10 million to $12 million in the bank, and expects to raise more than $3.5 million in January.
Clark saved millions by skipping Iowa, but also lost out on the bounce a top finish there would have offered.
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