With $50 Million, Kucinich says, “I can win”
Ohio Democrat says he will accept federal matching funds
BY Josh Israel | August 17, 2007
Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio)
Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio) says that he will buck a trend among presidential hopefuls and participate in the federal matching funds program.
In an interview with Jules Witcover of the Center for Public Integrity, Kucinich endorsed the matching funds system, which provides federal funds to presidential candidates who demonstrate a required level of financial support from individual donors and who agree to abide by spending limits. “I think that the reason why the system was set up was to try to limit the tremendous influence that interest groups would have on the political process,” he said. “Government for sale is government that escapes the reach of the great mass of American people.”
Several other 2008 contenders have announced that they will opt out of the program, including Democrats Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, and Barack Obama. Republicans John McCain and Mitt Romney have also opted out.
Asked about his chances in a contest where his opponents are expected to rake in record sums, Kucinich pointed to the $13 million he raised for his 2004 effort, a figure that included about $3 million in federal matching funds. “I got into the race late last time,” he said. “So I am just thinking that with a concerted effort I should be able to triple it or quadruple it.”
Kucinich says he thinks he can win with a modest campaign war chest.
“I think that if we are able to raise $50 million — which is a large amount of money but would be dwarfed by what we are hearing other campaigns are raising — I could run a competitive campaign,” he told the Center. “And I can win.”