Bush Outspent Gore 2 To 1 In August

As he has done throughout the election season, George W. Bush spent almost twice as much as Al Gore last month. The difference this time is that both Bush and Gore have the same amount of money to spend for the fall campaign.

Bush spent $21.5 million, Federal Election Commission records show, while Gore spent $11.3 million. Both candidates spent more than half of their funds on television commercials: Bush $12.1 million and Gore $9 million.

The two major party presidential candidates each received $67.6 million in taxpayer funds to take from the nominating conventions to Election Day and cannot raise any private funds except for certain legal and accounting expenses. Bush had to start dipping into his general election account before Gore because the Republican National Convention was two weeks earlier than the Democratic gathering.

During the primary campaign, Bush did not accept any federal matching funds and so could spend as much as he could raise. The Texas governor both raised and spent more than $100 million, the first candidate to do so. In August, he raised $1.4 million and spent $2 million.

Gore, who had to limit his spending as a condition of receiving more than $15 million in taxpayer funds, spent more than $45 million to secure the nomination, including $3.6 million in August.

Officials of both campaigns failed to return several calls seeking comment on their finances.

Even as Bush drains his campaign kitty faster than Gore, the GOP nominee will have a financial advantage because of the Republican National Committee's bigger bank balance than its Democratic counterpart. The RNC raised $29.3 million last month.

"The Bush-Cheney ticket is exciting our Republican grassroots, and bringing in independents and Democrats too," GOP National Chairman Jim Nicholson said.

The GOP reported a bank balance of $63 million as of Aug. 31, and Democratic officials, who do not have to report their finances until mid-October, acknowledged that they would not match the Republicans.

"We're going to have enough to be competitive, but we, unlike the Republicans, don't think the party that brings in the most amount of money is the party that wins the race," Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Jenny Backus said.

The Republicans can spend millions of dollars for ads in support of Bush, as long as the commercials do not specifically urge viewers to vote for the candidate.

Democratic political consultant Peter Fenn said such a financial advantage could hurt his party.

"It's the concern the Democrats have, that they may have the issues on their side, they may have the right candidate, but if the Republicans are going to spend this kind of money, it makes it tough in battleground states," Fenn said.

But Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said Gore will have enough money to compete.

"You can target few more places and send out a few more messages," Miringoff said. "It may allow for a few more flurries in targeted areas, but it's all at the margins. I don't think people in targeted states are going to notice a lack of Democratic money."