Kerry plans 20-city, $15 million fund-raising tour

Kerry plans 20-city, $15 million fund-raising tour
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/03/04/politics0248EST0435.DTL
SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writer
Thursday, March 4, 2004

(03-04) 23:48 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --

Democrat John Kerry is setting an ambitious $105 million goal for his effort to unseat President Bush and will soon start a 20-city fund-raising blitz aimed at scooping up at least $15 million by May.

If Kerry reaches his target, it would be a fund-raising high for the Democrats and roughly match the record $106 million that Bush raised for his primary campaign in 2000. Bush has already surpassed that total this year, collecting more than $155 million for his re-election bid, with millions more to come.

"This is the first time a Democrat has had the chance to raise money after he's been the nominee or the perceived nominee," Louis Susman, Kerry's national finance chairman, said Thursday.

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Milwaukee attorney Robert Habush, former head of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, supported former candidate and trial lawyer John Edwards but plans to raise money for Kerry. He expects other attorneys will, too.

"Considering our president hates us and has taken the trouble to put on his agenda a restriction of patients' and consumers' rights, I think it would be very easy to get trial lawyers engaged against President Bush," Habush said.