Spring Break
Clinton campaign working to erase debts
Rick Pearson and Mark Silva - Chicago TribuneIssue date: 3/27/08 Section: MCT News
CHICAGO _ In a new Internet video, Hillary Clinton acknowledged to potential contributors Monday that "running for president is an arduous undertaking." In the extended battle for the Democratic presidential nomination, it's also an expensive one.
Challenged to compete with rival Barack Obama's surprising and unparalleled fundraising ability, Clinton's campaign ended February with more than $8.7 million in debts during a period in which she loaned her effort $5 million, federal records show. Obama, in contrast, reported $625,058 in debts.
Clinton, a proponent of universal health care, listed having nearly $300,000 in unpaid invoices from health insurance firms that cover her staff. Her campaign also listed owing $3,161 to her Park Ridge alma mater, Maine South High School, where her campaign held an event on Feb. 4, the day before the Illinois primary.
Jay Carson, a Clinton campaign spokesman, said many of the debts were simply matters of paperwork and timing, explaining that invoices the campaign had not paid as of the end of February must be listed as debt, even if they arrived the last day of the reporting period. Carson said many obligations had been paid during March, including the debt to Maine South, which was paid on Monday.
The two campaigns have dueled with expenses totaling $299.2 million by February's end _ $158.5 million for Obama and $140.7 million for Clinton _ and that total will go well beyond the $300 million mark once March expenses are calculated.
Already, Obama has spent about $2 million on television ads in Pennsylvania, which votes April 22, and he is spending about $150,000 a day in the state, said Evan Tracey, chief operating officer for Campaign Media Analysis Group-TNS, which monitors political advertising. In contrast, Clinton has spent about $440,000 in Pennsylvania on television, or about $50,000 a day, he said.
"If you judged (the Obama spending) against Clinton's, in a basketball game, it would be a rout," Tracey said.
Challenged to compete with rival Barack Obama's surprising and unparalleled fundraising ability, Clinton's campaign ended February with more than $8.7 million in debts during a period in which she loaned her effort $5 million, federal records show. Obama, in contrast, reported $625,058 in debts.
Clinton, a proponent of universal health care, listed having nearly $300,000 in unpaid invoices from health insurance firms that cover her staff. Her campaign also listed owing $3,161 to her Park Ridge alma mater, Maine South High School, where her campaign held an event on Feb. 4, the day before the Illinois primary.
Jay Carson, a Clinton campaign spokesman, said many of the debts were simply matters of paperwork and timing, explaining that invoices the campaign had not paid as of the end of February must be listed as debt, even if they arrived the last day of the reporting period. Carson said many obligations had been paid during March, including the debt to Maine South, which was paid on Monday.
The two campaigns have dueled with expenses totaling $299.2 million by February's end _ $158.5 million for Obama and $140.7 million for Clinton _ and that total will go well beyond the $300 million mark once March expenses are calculated.
Already, Obama has spent about $2 million on television ads in Pennsylvania, which votes April 22, and he is spending about $150,000 a day in the state, said Evan Tracey, chief operating officer for Campaign Media Analysis Group-TNS, which monitors political advertising. In contrast, Clinton has spent about $440,000 in Pennsylvania on television, or about $50,000 a day, he said.
"If you judged (the Obama spending) against Clinton's, in a basketball game, it would be a rout," Tracey said.
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