by Frank James
Nothing says a campaign is having trouble raising money than the admission that its senior staff have volunteered to work without pay.
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Craig Gordon of Newsday has this story:
“From day one our campaign has been focused on a national strategy built around the new primary calendar,” DuHaime said. “We will have the funds necessary to carry out our campaign plan and deliver the Mayor’s message in Florida and beyond.”
But with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney pledging to carry his campaign to Florida Jan. 29, Giuliani staffers worry that they could face a millionaire candidate who already has dipped into his personal fortune several times, and shows little signs of stopping. Romney, however, could be dealt a crushing blow if he loses Tuesday in Michigan.
Before Friday’s no-paycheck move by senior staff, there had been warning signs that funding was growing tight in Giuliani’s campaign. In the three months ending in September, he raised $11 million but spent $13 million.
Also, the campaign on Thursday pulled paid staffers from Michigan and South Carolina — where Giuliani is no longer competing seriously — to send them into all-important Florida, where he launched a $600,000 advertising campaign.
In addition, Giuliani’s decision to spend heavily on TV ads in New Hampshire now appears to have been a strategic miscalculation, as neither the ads nor Giuliani’s extensive campaigning there seemed to help him much in the state. He finished a disappointing fourth-place Tuesday, even behind Mike Huckabee, who barely campaigned there.
Besides Romney, Giuliani’s competitors also are strapped for cash right now. New Hampshire winner John McCain’s campaign has always lagged in fundraising, and even Huckabee had raised little before his come-from-behind Iowa win.
DuHaime said the Giuliani campaign has a total of $12.7 million cash on hand — but only $7 million can be used in the primary contests.