Posted on 08/13/2002 8:43:59 PM PDT by Antmatic
Challenger Denise Majette's fund-raising machine has kicked into overdrive, surpassing U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney's bank account with a week left until the Aug. 20 Democratic primary.
Majette's 4th Congressional District campaign has raised nearly $1.1 million, compared to about $623,000 for McKinney. And since July 1, Majette has outdrawn McKinney nearly 7-1 in contributions, much of that coming from out-of-state donors, campaign disclosure reports show.
Some contributors, like Michael Moskowitz, a New York financier, said they had grown weary of Mc-Kinney's controversial statements and support of the Palestinian cause. The Friends of Israel PAC gave Majette $5,000 Aug 2.
Moskowitz, who said his parents were Holocaust survivors, met Majette Aug. 2 at a fund-raiser in New York and gave $1,000 because "I can feel this woman is genuine."
"McKinney's the radical Muslims' representative in Congress," said Moskowitz. "She had all this Arab/Muslim money that wasn't allowing Majette a say. All this money does is give Denise Majette her say."
Bob Doyle, financial consultant to the Majette campaign, said the financial surge shows that the challenger's campaign is building momentum. It has also erased what had been nearly a 5-1 lead in cash on hand for McKinney, as both campaigns gobble up TV and radio spots for a last-minute push.
"This is truly a unique situation, a challenger in a primary outraising an incumbent congresswoman," Doyle said. "We're running a modern, tactically superior campaign."
Bill Banks, McKinney's campaign manager, said he does not believe Majette's campaign is gaining momentum and questioned how much money Majette has left after running a slew of recent TV ads.
Banks said some of the Majette donors seemed to be the same "people who contributed to the campaign to defeat Hillary [Clinton, in the 2000 New York race for U.S. Senate]. They are trying to do something similar here, and it's not going to work."
At the end of June, McKinney had $462,000 cash on hand to Majette's $100,000. But at the end of July, Majette, with nearly $500,000 in contributions that month, had $197,000 on hand to McKinney's $141,000.
And since Aug. 1, Majette has raised more than $215,000 to McKinney's $25,000.
Doyle said McKinney had a large lead in cash in June because the Majette campaign was establishing a headquarters, buying computers, hiring workers and paying for polling.
"Our investment is paying off in spades," he said, adding that people are realizing that McKinney is beatable.
A poll released Aug. 1 by an Internet political news service helped create more buzz for Majette's campaign, Doyle said. The poll showed the race a virtual dead heat.
"It has played a role in showing both voters and opinion leaders that this is for real," he said. "It has charged up the campaign and enlivened the contributions."
--- Staff writer Rhonda Cook contributed to this article
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