Franken's fundraising outpaces Coleman's

WASHINGTON - Democratic Senate candidate Al Franken raised $1.89 million over the past three months, topping Republican incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman, who reported $1.7 million in campaign fundraising over the same period, including an August fundraiser featuring President Bush.

Democratic hopefuls Mike Ciresi, Jim Cohen and Dick Franson have yet to announce their latest collections.

The new numbers, posted Thursday on the Internet, still show Coleman with the overall money lead, posting nearly $5 million in cash on hand, compared with $2.45 million for Franken.

But Franken, a comedian chasing money as well as political credibility, appears to be closing the gap.

Franken outpaced Coleman's campaign in the second quarter of this year as well, raising $1.9 million to Coleman's $1.5 million. But Franken also appears to be spending money at a more rapid clip. His remaining cash is less than half the $5.18 million he has raised so far this year.

It's fairly unusual for Senate incumbents to be outfundraised by their challengers, particularly challengers with no previous electoral experience. But Coleman said Franken's national profile makes him anything but a conventional challenger. "He's a comedian who's got a lot of contacts around this country," Coleman said. "It's difficult to compete with the checkbooks of the Hollywood elite."

Coleman also said that Franken's high rate of spending indicates that he is relying heavily on telemarketing to fuel his fundraising campaign.

Franken spokeswoman Jess McIntosh dismissed Coleman's Hollywood quip. "It's not the few dozen celebrities Norm Coleman should be worried about. It's the 64,000 people who are sick of his support for this president and this war," she said.

The campaigns' views

Both campaigns have tried to emphasize their grass-roots givers. The Coleman campaign touted 16,000 Minnesota donors since the beginning of the year; Franken boasted 64,743 donors.

"Minnesotans identify with Norm's optimism, and his positive vision for the state, so it's no surprise that they choose to support him financially," said Coleman campaign manager Cullen Sheehan.

Franken's campaign did not release a breakdown of its Minnesota donors. Instead, his campaign focused on its ability to surpass Coleman's fundraising, despite the help Coleman got from Bush.

"Maybe next quarter he should have Bush and [Vice President Dick] Cheney," McIntosh said.

Franken announced his numbers in a YouTube video, www.startribune.com/a3436, that highlighted his stances on Iraq and health care, and downplayed the money game.

In previous reporting cycles, Coleman's campaign has relied more heavily on political action committees, while Franken's reports have been studded with show-business celebrities.

Republicans gloated that while Franken burned more than $1 million in the second quarter, a recent Minnesota Poll gave him only a 27 percent favorable rating, compared with 52 percent for Coleman, who faces his first reelection test next year.

"All the money in the world can't obscure the fact that Al Franken's extreme, out-of-control and vicious attack politics are wrong for Minnesota," said state GOP chairman Ron Carey.

In a closely divided Senate, Coleman is considered one of the most vulnerable Republicans up for reelection, with a job approval rating of 45 percent, well below the 50 percent danger zone.

Ciresi, a trial lawyer with more than $26 million in personal wealth, has not had to emphasize fundraising as much. Starting up in May, he reported about $750,000 in fundraising through the end of June.

Cohen, an environmental activist, did not enter the race until July.

More detailed reports are expected in several weeks. Candidates are required to file their third-quarter fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission by Oct. 15.

Kevin Diaz • 202-408-2753 kdiaz@startribune.com

Kevin Diaz • kdiaz@startribune.com