Weld Looks Elsewhere in America For Donations as N.Y. Gives Little

With New Yorkers thus far showing little interest in the Republicans in the governor’s race, William Weld is increasingly looking elsewhere in America for money.Mr. Weld, a popular governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997, has been raising money not only in his old state, but also in California and Connecticut. His campaign is planning trips to Texas, Florida, Maine, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.He’s also trying to tap into the fundraising networks of several former governors, including Pete Wilson of California, Marc Racicot of Montana, Frank Keating of Oklahoma, Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin, and John Engler of Michigan, whom he got to know when he was the Bay State’s top executive. His campaign is using national direct mailings to solicit donations.It’s a strategy that reflects the harsh reality facing New York Republicans running for statewide office this year. With dissatisfaction running high among Republicans donors regarding President Bush and the party and with the perception that Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is unbeatable in November, the well is unusually dry, Republicans say.“I’m not going to tell you it’s not difficult to raise money for Republicans in the state,” a veteran Republican fund-raiser said. Mr. Weld, who moved to New York from Massachusetts in 2000, has been spending much of his campaign trying to introduce himself to New York voters. His fund-raising efforts haven’t been helped by the lack of public support he’s been getting from top New York Republicans, including the state Senate majority leader, Joseph Bruno, and Governor Pataki, who is busy filling the coffers of his own political action committee in preparation for a possible presidential run.Facing a surprisingly strong challenge from Republican John Faso, Mr. Weld is hoping to raise enough money from his old friends and contacts to demonstrate that he’s a more credible threat to Mr. Spitzer than Mr. Faso, a former minority leader of the Assembly who ran for state comptroller in 2002. Republican delegates who are unfamiliar with Mr. Weld may support him anyway at the convention later this month, thinking he can raise more money.He’s expected to make a third trip to California in late June, his campaign said. During his earlier trips, his aides said he attended private dinners with several couples who wrote checks for the maximum amount allowable by state campaign laws, at just under $50,000 a person. After the stop in California, the campaign has a fund-raiser in Manhattan at Cipriani restaurant on 42nd Street. His aides say the event will bring in more than $1 million – though it’s not clear how much of that money will be bundled with earlier contributions. An executive producer of the television program “Law and Order,” Dick Wolf, is hosting another fund-raiser for Mr. Weld on May 22 at the New York Athletic Club.Mr. Faso, whose January 15 filing showed that he had $1 million in the bank, is known among state party members as a loyal, policy-driven Republican, but he has miniscule name recognition outside of New York. Mr. Weld had $2 million in the bank by January 15.Neither campaign would say how much they expect to raise by July 15, the next periodic report filing deadline.“Bill Weld has a natural and national advantage,” said Mr. Weld’s chief fundraiser, Cathy Blaney, who is also raising money for Mr. Pataki. “There are a lot of people that know he has won before and are confident he can do it again.”The Faso campaign said it was a mark of strength that Mr. Faso’s support is coming from closer to home. “John Faso has a proven record in New York and people are responding to that,” a spokeswoman for Mr. Faso, Susan Del Percio, said.

Weld Looks Elsewhere in America For Donations as N.Y. Gives Little

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