Taft draws on GOP loyalists to recruit donors

By JOHN McCARTHY
The Associated Press
5/9/02 5:29 PM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- When President Bush leaves town Friday afternoon, Gov. Bob Taft hopes to add more than $1 million to his re-election campaign.

To make sure, though, Taft's campaign has asked Republican loyalists to recruit donors for the fund-raiser at a downtown hotel. Their goal is to sell as many tables of 10, at $2,500 or $1,000 a seat, as they can.

The list of "presidential event chairs" is impressive: Canton steelmaker W.R. Timken Jr., The Limited Chairman Leslie Wexner, basket manufacturer Tami Longaberger, credit-card magnate and Cleveland Browns owner Al Lerner and insurance executive and Cincinnati Reds owner Carl Lindner, among others.

Together, the 13 chairs contributed at least $619,175 to Ohio candidates, parties and political action committees in 1999-2000, according to a review of campaign finance reports by the watchdog group Ohio Citizen Action.

Finding people to pay thousands of dollars to mingle with Bush and Taft was not too difficult, said Thomas Noe, one of the chairs. Noe is a rare coin trader in Maumee and member of the Ohio Board of Regents, as well as the former chairman of the Lucas County Republican Party.

"I know a lot of the people in northwest Ohio who are supporters of the governor or the president," Noe said. "Seeing people's interest in it, it was a very easy sell. There's a lot of excitement about having lunch with the president."

Those who raise at least $25,000 can get their picture taken with Bush, while those who sell $10,000 worth of seats get to pose with Taft. Donors of $2,500 get to attend a reception with Taft and his wife, Hope, and $1,000 contributors can attend the luncheon.

The proceeds will go to Taft's campaign. The $2,500 per-person limit means the cash raised will be "hard money" that can be spent directly by the candidate's campaign.

The chairs are a valuable link to donors, big and small, Taft campaign spokesman Orest Holubec said.

"They're the leaders in our fund-raising strategy. They reach out to Governor Taft's supporters and remind them of the importance of having another four years of solid leadership," Holubec said.

Taft's campaign reported $6.1 million on hand as of April 17, while Democrat opponent Tim Hagan had $146,686 available. Hagan's fund-raisers pegged the current figure at $450,000 to $500,000.

Citizen Action's Catherine Turcer questioned the need for such a big fund-raiser when Taft's cash advantage is nearly 42-1. She also wondered where the donors' money would go if he still has a big lead in October.

An Ohio Poll conducted among registered voters from April 4-20 found that Taft led Hagan 60 percent to 31 percent, about the same margin a November Ohio Poll found.

"At what point does this become complete and total overkill?" Turcer said. "What he may well choose to do is to give the money to the Republican Party or other candidates. What's going to happen to this money?"

Holubec insisted that Taft would need the money for his campaign. Taft raised at least $9.8 million for his 1998 election.

"We expect our opponent to be well funded and we're taking nothing for granted. It's a very expensive state to campaign in," Holubec said.

Democrats held similar events to take advantage of President Clinton's popularity when he was in office. There's more to it than just fund-raising, party spokeswoman Lauren Worley said.

"I think a big part of it is the payoff in visibility," she said. "It's kind of a rallying point for the people in your party, just as much as it is for the money."

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On the Net:

Governor's home page: http://www.state.oh.us/gov/

Hagan campaign: http://www.timhaganforgovernor.com/

Ohio Citizen Action: http://www.ohiocitizen.org/