The American Spectator

p> DEMOCRAT SQUIRRELS br> Democratic leaders Tom Daschle and Dick Gephardt , among others, plan to travel the country this summer to round up what they hope will come close to $100 million in soft money leading into the fall campaign season. “It’s not about $1,000 or $2,500 to the party,” says one Democratic National Committee fundraiser. “It’s about $100,000. With campaign finance reform, we have to start stashing cash, because in its current forms, we won’t be see much of it for a while.” /p>

DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe has been especially adept at bringing in the big paychecks. Some estimate that in a good week, he can pull in between $5 million to $10 million for the party alone. “He’s great with the cash, I’ll give him that,” says a senior DNC board member.

Daschle and Gephardt are now pushing hard on the cash trail, in part, because while the big donations may dry up in 2002, they are looking to latch on to donors for their long-term career goals: a presidential run in 2004. Daschle, in particular is looking to make connections out west and in the northeast. “He’s been around long enough to know many of the top DNC donors,” says a Daschle staffer. “But now it’s about really getting in there, using colleagues to introduce him to their many backers. If he’s going to have a shot in 2004, he has to start building the network.”