Giuliani Tracker

Giuliani Spends $13 Million in 3rd Quarter

(AP) -- Republican Rudy Giuliani spent $13 million between July and September, his biggest spending quarter yet as he positioned himself as his party's presidential front-runner.

Giuliani raised $11.4 million during the quarter, with about $10 million of it available now for his contest for the GOP nomination, according to a report filed Monday with the Federal Election Commission. His campaign listed $16.6 million cash on hand, $11.6 million available for the primaries with the rest designated for the general election.

All presidential candidates were required to file their third quarter reports with the FEC by midnight Monday.

Giuliani led the Republican field in fundraising this summer, according to early estimates provided by the campaigns, though his July-September total declined from his high during April-June.

Giuliani is ahead of the rest of the Republican candidates in national polls, but he lags behind former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the leadoff caucus state of Iowa. In New Hampshire, another important early voting state, polls show the race a virtual toss-up among Giuliani, Romney and John McCain. Fred Thompson, the "Law & Order" actor and former Tennessee senator, is also competitive with the top tier in state and national polls.

Giuliani's cash lead over the rest of the field could give him an advantage in the remaining 90 days before voters make their choices in the early contests.

According to the Giuliani FEC report, the campaign spent more than $2 million on payroll and $1.3 million on travel during the three-month period, about as much as he spent during the first six months of the year.

His campaign increased advertising this quarter, spending nearly $470,000 on an ad campaign on radio and newspapers, including a full-page ad in the New York Times last month criticizing Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton. Romney has spent much more on television, but radio is cheaper and can be targeted to specific audiences.

It was the first time Giuliani's campaign spent more than it raised during a quarter.

The third quarter is typically a hard period to raise money because candidates have already tapped their staunchest supporters.

Giuliani's top donor state remained his home state of New York, where he raised nearly $2 million. California, Texas and Florida followed with about $1 million each. Giuliani also found generous donors in Georgia, a state where his fundraising had not been particularly intense earlier this year. Led by donors in Atlanta, Georgians contributed more than $420,000 to Giuliani.

More than 1,300 donors who gave Giuliani about $1.6 million provided incomplete information to the campaign, failing to list their employers and occupations. Such data are required by the Federal Election Commission. The campaign indicated that it had requested the information from the donors.

For travel, Giuliani benefited from a plane supplied by Elliott Asset Management, a New York hedge fund founded by Giuliani backer Paul Singer. Employees of the firm and its related funds have contributed more than $140,000 to Giuliani's campaign so far.

Planes supplied by corporate backers have helped candidates defray travel costs because the contenders have been allowed to pay only first-class fare for the trips, a significant discount from the charter rate. New ethics rules passed by Congress, however, will now require all presidential candidates to pay full charter costs.

Giuliani Highlighting Rivals' Records

Republican Rudy Giuliani says he will try to follow Ronald Reagan's lead and stay out of the latest dustup between presidential candidates.

 

"Everybody wants the nomination. You point out the things that are most important to you," he told reporters Sunday. ... (Reagan) used to have an 11th commandment, that was thou shall not attack another Republican.

"I'm going to try to follow that commandment as much as I can," Giuliani said.

On Friday, Mitt Romney told an audience in Nevada that he's the most credible Republican seeking the party's presidential nomination. A day later, John McCain scoffed at the assertion and recalled Romney's moderate politics and past support of Democratic candidates.

Giuliani seemed content to let them have at it. But he was quick to point out what he suggested where inconsistencies in the records of both candidates.

"Honestly, I have the only results. I'm the only one who reduced taxes," Giuliani said, repeating a shot at Romney's record as Massachusetts governor.

He also touted his support for President Bush's tax cuts, which McCain initially opposed.

Giuliani said Republican voters will decide who is the best candidate.

"Every four years, we let the Republican Party members decide who they think can be the best representative of the party, who we think can be the strong fiscal conservative, who we think can defend the country the best, who represents their values the most. Let the party decide that," Giuliani said after greeting voters at a restaurant.

He then turned to a key argument for his campaign: that he is the only Republican in the race who can defeat Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front-runner.

"And let's make sure we pick someone who can beat the Democrats. That's what it's all about," Giuliani said. "We have our differences, but they're small. Us Republicans have differences between and among ourselves. But they're small compared to the vast differences we have with the Democrats."

Later Sunday, during a town-hall meeting in Exeter, Giuliani assured a young questioner that preparedness will be key for all crises, including those from outer space.

"If (there's) something living on another planet and it's bad and it comes over here, what would you do?" a boy asked.

Giuliani, grinning, said it was his first question about an intergalactic attack.

"Of all the things that can happen in this world, we'll be prepared for that, yes we will. We'll be prepared for anything that happens," said Giuliani, who mayor during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Giuliani Raises $11 Million, Leads GOP

Rudy Giuliani raised $11 million for the presidential race this summer, outpacing fellow Republicans though Mitt Romney was right behind with $10 million and tapped his own fortune to pump additional millions into the battle.

 

Giuliani's campaign income for the July-September quarter left him with $16 million cash on hand, aides said Thursday. Of that, about $12 million is available for the primary contests. Romney had $9 million on hand for the battle for the Republican nomination.

Romney contributed $8.5 million to his own campaign, a total that nearly matched his personal contributions for the first six months of the year. Overall, Romney, a former venture capitalist and Massachusetts governor, has dipped into his personal wealth for nearly $17.5 million.

John McCain, fighting to get back in the fray with the Republican front-runners, raised $6 million in the past three months and has $3.6 million cash on hand, his campaign said.

McCain aides said the fundraising and the financial condition of his campaign represent a turnaround for the Arizona senator, whose spending during the first six months of the year strained his budget while his polling numbers plummeted.

McCain was expected to report a debt of about $1.5 million, less than he reported at midyear.

Romney's ability to write his campaign checks has given him the resources to spend heavily on advertising throughout the year, particularly in Iowa where he was hardly known when he began his presidential effort.

His assets are estimated at between $190 million to $250 million, making him the wealthiest of all the candidates in both parties.

"Writing checks is always painful for me, no matter what it's for, but I nonetheless recognize this is a critical race," Romney told reporters in Manchester, N.H., on Thursday. "There is nothing more important to me than the success of this nation, and I know a lot of people are sacrificing to help my campaign, and I will certainly be contributing in my own campaign."

So far in the presidential contest, Romney has raised about $45 million from contributors. With his own money, the campaign's total receipts are more than $62 million. Giuliani is not far behind with more than $44 million, but about $4 million of that can be spent only in the general election -- if Giuliani wins the nomination. Romney is not raising any general election money.

The two Republicans lag far behind the two Democratic Party money leaders -- Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. Clinton has raised about $63 million for the primary and about $17 million for the general election. She also has transferred $10 million left over from her 2006 Senate campaign. Obama has raised about $75 million for the primary contest and about $4 million for the general election.

Giuliani Campaign Distances Itself From $9.11 Fundraiser

A spokeswoman for Rudy Giuliani says it is unfortunate that a supporter throwing a party that aims to raise $9.11 per person for the Republican's presidential campaign is asking for that amount.

Abraham Sofaer is having a fundraiser at his Palo Alto, Calif., home on Wednesday, when Giuliani backers across the country are participating in the campaign's national house party night.

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