Presumptive GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole faces two modern political firsts as he begins the nation's longest general election campaign:
- No candidate's campaign has had to live on so little money until the GOP convention.- No presidential nominee has been a congressional leader, one whose success in November depends on many colleagues, some who are Democrats and others who are Republicans who disagree with Dole on issues.
Following his Super Tuesday sweep of seven states, Dole is the de facto Republican nominee. He has three quarters of the delegates needed for the nomination, and he will get the rest on March 26 when California, Nevada and Washington cast their primary votes.
Dole has wrapped up the nomination quicker than any challenger in modern times.
In order to avoid conflict with the Olympics, the GOP convention, which ordinarily would be held in early July, was delayed until mid-August. Under federal rules, Dole must use primary money to finance his campaign until the convention.
Dole's problem isn't being able to raise enough cash - it's being able to spend it.
Federal Election Commission rules limit pre-convention, non-fundraising spending to $31 million. As of Jan. 31, the last filing period, Dole had already spent $21.7 million. It is estimated, counting what Dole spent between Feb. 1 and March 14, that Dole has at most a couple of million dollars left to carry his campaign through August.
"We are letting the reports speak for themselves," said Dole spokeswoman Christina Martin when asked how far Dole was under the spending limit. "We will go into the San Diego convention in full compliance with FEC rules and regulations."
There are ways around the FEC rules, say political insiders, but even those solutions make things more difficult.
He can, and probably will, transfer some campaign staffers to Republican National Committee or state party payrolls. But they would not be able to work out of their former Dole offices. The work they do at the GOP committees has to be different than what they were doing for the Dole campaign, under FEC rules, although obviously it would be focused on the November election.
Dole won't have money for television advertising during this period, while his November opponent, President Clinton, will be advertising during most of the coming months.
"They have got some creative folks at the Dole headquarters who I am sure will figure out a way," says Whit Ayres, a GOP consultant.
Clearly, Dole plans to use his role as Senate majority leader to showcase himself to the American people, who now tell pollsters they much prefer Clinton to him.
The problem with that strategy is that Dole, in the voters' eyes, is likely to be seen as responsible for what Congress achieves. If the public likes what Congress does he'll benefit, if not he won't.
"The election is not going to be a referendum on the incumbent president, as is usually the case, but it is also going to be a referendum on Congress because Dole is a symbol of Congress," said Brian Lunde, formerly executive director of the Democratic National Committee.
That is problematic for Dole, said Lunde, because the Senate majority leader isn't able to tell the other 434 lawmakers how to vote. Dole has serious differences on issues and tactics with many of the GOP freshman who have great sway in the House of Representatives.
"He is responsible for a lot of other lawmakers he doesn't agree with, and not just in the Democratic party," said Lunde.