01.03.2004

Rep. Deutsch has $4 million in war chest for Senate run

MIAMI - U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch has topped the $4 million mark in his campaign for Florida's open U.S. Senate seat, extending his fund-raising lead heading into the election year. Deutsch, a Fort Lauderdale-area Democrat, raised about $800,000 during the year's final fund-raising quarter that ended Dec. 31, spokesman Ryan Hampton said Friday. Democrat Alex Penelas, the mayor of Miami-Dade County, raised nearly $400,000 during the quarter, increasing his war chest to about $2 million.

Former Education Commissioner Betty Castor, meanwhile, did not disclose preliminary numbers but campaign officials said they expected to show increases from previous quarters. The three Democrats vying for retiring Sen. Bob Graham's seat faced an abbreviated fund-raising quarter as the three-term senator mulled over his future and contributors went into holiday mode. The numbers were preliminary; campaigns are required to file reports by the end of the January.

Deutsch, a prolific fund-raiser who brought a hefty congressional account to the race, entered the quarter with about a $1.6 million advantage over Penelas. His quarter included a New York fund-raiser hosted by developer Donald Trump that raked in $100,000. "The congressman worked very hard and we got an incredible response from around the state and around the country," Hampton said. He said Deutsch remains on pace to raise more than $6 million for the primary.

Fred Menachem, Penelas' finance chairman, said the mayor canceled more than 20 fund-raising events in deference to Graham while the senator was deciding whether to seek re-election. Penelas raised about $300,000 during a birthday fund-raiser in December at the tony Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. "I think that all evidence is that we've got a great deal of support, not in only terms of votes at the end of the day but in terms of money," said Danae Jones, a Penelas campaign spokeswoman.

Jeff Garcia, Castor's campaign manager, said the former University of South Florida president will show "a significant increase" in fund-raising during the final quarter compared with previous periods. Castor, who has led in early polling, had about $460,000 cash on hand through Sept. 30. Castor has campaigned extensively across Florida and benefited from name recognition built during two statewide campaigns in 1986 and 1990. While Graham's decision-making process disabled fund-raising operations for the Senate contenders, Castor traveled to about 20 counties in the state.

Last modified: January 03. 2004 12:00AM

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