Thompson's initial fundraising falls bit short

By
Fredreka Schouten, USA TODAY
August 1, 2007, 4:00 PM ET
2 min read

WASHINGTON -- The nearly $3.5 million Fred Thompson collected in June for his likely White House bid fell short of his goal but exceeded what several other GOP candidates collected during the first month of their fundraising.

Tuesday's filing with the Internal Revenue Service provides the first public view of Thompson's finances since the former Tennessee senator and actor launched a committee in early June to explore a presidential bid. Thompson also reported spending nearly $626,000 — less than $1 out of every $5 raised.

The total misses the $5 million goal Thompson's supporters set for June and lags far behind the money collected by leading GOP rivals. The report comes days after a shake-up of his staff.

Still, Thompson said he was pleased. "The level of support and enthusiasm from people across this country is inspiring," he said in a statement. "It's a respectable number, but it's nothing to write home to Mom about," said GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio.

"He has to contend with a late start, and $3.5 million does not overcome a late start."

Thompson outpaced Arizona Sen. John McCain and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani during their initial month of fundraising. Among other Republicans, only former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney raised more, taking in nearly $6.9 million in his first month of campaigning in January, according to campaign-finance data compiled by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics.

Overall, the former Law & Order actor collected money from nearly 9,200 people. Online contributions accounted for about $772,000, or about 22%. Thompson has pledged to make heavy use of the Internet to connect with voters.

Thompson's online fundraising shows he is off to a strong start, said GOP online strategist David All. By contrast, Giuliani raised $1.3 million online through June — about 4% of his fundraising take.

Prominent Thompson donors included Law & Order producer Dick Wolf, former New York senator Alfonse D'Amato and cosmetics executive Georgette Mosbacher, who co-chaired McCain's 2000 presidential campaign. Each gave $2,300.

Contributing: Associated Press