Al Sharpton on the Campaign Trail

— -- ABCNEWS' Beth Loyd is on the campaign trail with the Rev. Al Sharpton as he runs for president. For the latest report, scroll down.

Singing a redemption song

RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 8 — After a strong showing in Detroit, the Sharpton campaign picked up seven delegates and a little relief over the weekend. The collective "Whew" is audible. Campaign manager Charles Halloran is very pleased and says it's a bit of redemption, proving the Reverend still maintains appeal in urban areas.

The success can in large part be attributed to two people: Marjorie Harris, the executive director of the National Action Network, who recruited "invaluable" volunteers for the two week push leading to primary day, and Michael Pitts, who moved to Michigan and organized the effort there with little more than $3,000.

The strategy was to bombard Detroit with visits by Rev. Sharpton to churches, colleges, and organized forums. Unfortunately for the campaign, Michael Pitts has quit the campaign and is getting some much-needed R&R at home in California. He says he is suffering from lack of appreciation — both verbal and financial.

On Sunday, Sharpton made his usual tour of churches, this time focusing on Richmond and the surrounding suburbs, which are largely African-American. The campaign will tour Richmond until Wednesday, rarely straying outside the city limits. One campaign source said that the less-than-satisfying showing in South Carolina is a result of failure to focus the effort on certain parts of the state.

Down, but not out

COLUMBIA, S.C., Feb. 3 — Rev. Al Sharpton strolled into his primary night headquarters nearly an hour late. He was greeted by a swarm of media, about 20 supporters, and nearly a dozen stragglers from the hotel who came by to catch a glimpse of the Reverend and to feast on the free food.

A third place South Carolina finish by itself is a decent showing for the Sharpton campaign, but the failure to collect a single delegate is clearly a huge disappointment.

In his speech, Sharpton claimed victory for his third-place showing, saying that he beat so-called mainstream candidates: Dean, Clark, and Lieberman. He repeatedly mentioned his "double-digit" showing but didn't acknowledge the fact that he only got 19 percent of the black vote. The "I will win delegates to carry me to the convention" talk is packed away, likely never to return.

Sharpton did not walk away completely empty-handed. He got one delegate in Delaware — meager, but better than nothing. He vows to stay in the race, now turning his attention to Michigan and Virginia.

Yet, the campaign has no money. In fact, it is nearly half a million dollars in debt and the FEC has yet to approve its requests for matching funds. Sharpton argues that he's proven he can do well without money. But money or no money, he won't get to take the stage at the convention with no delegates.

The Rev.'s Last Stand

COLUMBIA, S.C., Feb. 1 -- Rev. Al Sharpton kicks off his last South Carolina tour today beginning with a "From Property to President" Rally at the Charleston Slave Market.

The Sharpton campaign put all of its relatively few eggs into two baskets -- the Washington, D.C. basket and the South Carolina basket. (The campaign currently has three radio ads on the air in South Carolina -- including one with Johnnie Cochran and another with Russell Simmons).

The non-binding primary result in Washington, D.C. was quite satisfying for the campaign and all are hoping for the same here. Although it is unspoken, a third place or better finish would qualify as a victory and the campaign hopes it will provide them some much-needed momentum heading into Michigan and Virginia.

After the Town Hall Meeting in Aiken on Sunday, Sharpton joked around with Rep. Clyburn and then was approached by a woman who was in attendance. She handed the Reverend a flier that her mother had given her. It was an advertisement for "the boy preacher" that her mother had saved all these years. It was certainly "a moment."

Campaign trouble wrap-up:

The campaign is facing a couple of disputes. Rev. Sharpton is planning to file a court challenge to get on the Louisiana ballot -- a state he has visited more than a few times. The deadline was Friday and although the campaign met the deadline it used a personal check, not an accepted form of payment. The Secretary of State tried to contact the campaign, but failed numerous times -- the phone number listed on the paperwork was wrong.

Meanwhile the FEC is not recognizing Rev. Sharpton's request for federal matching funds, which the campaign desperately needs. While campaign manager Charles Halloran says he will work out the dispute, it turns out the campaign owes the FEC money, in the form of a $5,500 civil fine for failing to file a statement of candidacy and late submission of financial disclosure forms.

No Iowa, No Problem

Harlem, N.Y., Jan.19 - Monday, January 19 was significant to the Reverend Al Sharpton because it was a day to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. and not because of a caucus in a state where Sharpton said "there ain't many blacks." The result of the Iowa caucus is of virtually no consequence to Sharpton. He didn't expect to be a blip on the radar screen but he does have a vested interest in the success or failure of Howard Dean. Sharpton is more than happy to take credit for any damage done to Dean over the last week. In fact, he demands props for his most recent attack at the debate.

Campaign manager Charles Halloran says the impact in South Carolina of Gephardt's dropping out could fall either way. Some of those planning to vote for Gephardt because of Rep. Clyburn's endorsement may vote for Sharpton. On the other hand, Gephardt's presence in the race could've split the white vote and given Sharpton a better chance to do well.

After attending a rally in Columbia, S.C., Sharpton flew to New York to attend his National Action Network's annual MLK Day celebration-which seemed to be more of a Sharpton campaign rally than anything else. As usual, the Reverend was running behind schedule. He strolled in 45 minutes late and greeted those officials already on stage including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Councilman Charles Barron-who is running (with Sharpton's endorsement) for mayor in 2005, Congressman Rangel, and former Mayor David Dinkins.

Sharpton, as fiery as ever, took the opportunity to poke a little fun at General Clark. "I saw your candidate [in South Carolina], Congressman Rangel. He's learning how to do the black thing. I'm going to teach him. We might even have him clapping on the beat by next year this time."

Then, amid gasps by the audience and smirks on the faces of the officials, Sharpton went on a Dean-bashing tirade, throwing in Moseley Braun just for fun. "He hired Carol. She, you know, dropped out of the race and endorsed him; he hired her. So, I hit him at one debate and got her a job. So, if I hit him this week at the debate, maybe I can get two more Negroes jobs. Maybe by the end of the race, I can get him to hire at least ten black folks. That's progress."

Second place, but "still a winner"

JAN. 13--Howard Dean may have won the Washington, D.C. primary, but the Sharpton campaign is declaring its showing a victory. Early Tuesday morning, campaign manager Charles Halloran said that unless Dean completely blows them away, he will consider it an accomplishment. He was hoping for the best and expecting the worst. A strong second is wildly pleasing to them, indeed.

Sharpton, the only candidate to campaign in Washington, is likely to take at least some of the credit for the surprising voter turnout -- 12 percent of registered voters, 16 percent of Washington Democrats, compared to 8.4 percent in 2000. The Reverend will continue to argue that, although he didn't win, he ran a mean grassroots campaign in Washington, focusing on the churches, while Dean was endorsed by local officials.

Besides spending a proportionately monstrous amount of time campaigning for the primary, Sharpton's strategic attack on Dean at Sunday's Brown and Black debate and the weekend bombardment of radio advertisements in Washington, contributed to the "victory." Several Washington residents approached Sharpton during his weekend blizt through the Capital, and thanked him for bringing to light Howard Dean's "all-white Cabinet."

The goal is two-fold: Of course, there is legitimacy to Sharpton's declared intention of drawing attention to Washington, D.C. statehood but the campaign is also hoping that this will create some momentum -- but not in Iowa or New Hampshire. Starting now, it's all South Carolina, all the time, where a second-place showing would be nothing less than extraordinary for the Sharpton campaign.

Sharpton rallies the district

NEW YORK CITY, Jan. 12— At 7:00 am on Monday morning, Rev. Sharpton was shaking hands at a metro station in Washington, D.C., his operatives handing out fliers promoting the Sharpton rally scheduled for later that evening. Sharpton rarely goes to neighborhoods and train stations for mano-y-mano campaigning and, therefore, is not an expert.

According to a metro station patron, the Reverend was operating more like a celebrity than politician. He just stood there waiting for people to approach him and he would shake hands and move on to the next-never once did Sharpton take the initiative to walk over and engage the metro-riders.

Dealing a bad hand, race card included

NEW YORK CITY, Jan. 11— Rev. Al Sharpton took the opportunity at the well-timed Brown & Black debate to raise a race question to his biggest perceived threat in Tuesday's District of Columbia primary. He slammed Dean for failing to have a person of color in a senior policy role in his administration in Vermont -- another example of what Sharpton calls, "walking the walk but not talking the talk." He passionately attempted to distinguish himself as the candidate bringing race to the forefront -- chiding Moseley Braun for defending Howard Dean.

When Dean made mention of his many endorsements among black and Hispanic politicians, Sharpton whipped out his favorite endorsement one-liner. He said, "I think you only need cosigners if your credit is bad" -- a rather ironic statement considering Sharpton's recent media-focused endorsement ceremonies in New York and Washington.

(Speaking of bad credit…)

When Saturday came, it brought with it an incredibly unflattering front page New York Times article on Sharpton's financial troubles both within his National Action Network and in the campaign. The campaign saw it coming yet campaign manager Charles Halloran was "relieved." He said, "It could've been worse," which makes one wonder… Fortunately for the campaign, the strategic attack on Dean will likely trump this. The campaign proudly sent around the AP article moments after it was posted.