On the Track of Lean Cats

The case of Democratic Senator Birch Bayh illustrates how a candidate's chances for success in 1976 can be shaped by the new rules on fund raising. "The thing we were watching the court for," says Bayh's finance director, Myer Feldman, "the thing that would have changed the entire nature of the campaign, was a ruling that would have lifted the limit on contributions. It's that $1,000 limit that has caused the problems."

Indeed it has. For all practical purposes, Bayh is close to insolvency. For that he can blame the finance law--and himself. He badly miscalculated the impact of the legislation, particularly the $1,000 limit, though he had supported the reform. Not until December did he hold his first formal fund raiser, long after the other candidates had started collecting money.

Bayh figured that he was the leading liberal in the race because of his strong Senate record, his labor backing, his folksy, flamboyant campaign style. All he would have to do was declare his candidacy, and the money would have started pouring in from well-heeled liberal well-wishers. Four years ago, that might have worked. But now the fat cats have been cut off--unless they want to break the law. The lean cats are growing scarcer and leaner all the time. Says Feldman: "It used to be fairly easy to find five people who would give $20,000 each. It is much, much harder to find 100 people who will give $1,000."

The average contribution to the Bayh campaign is less than $100, and many donations are in the $20 to $25 range. Because of personal connections, Feldman had little trouble collecting the first $100,000, even though he had to raise at least $5,000 in small donations in 20 states to qualify for matching funds. Feldman did most of the soliciting by phone. But after that the going got rougher. Other Democratic candidates--Morris Udall, Fred Harris and to some extent Jimmy Carter--had already approached the same contributors and sopped up much of the available funds. To date, Bayh has raised only $400,000, with another $100,000 in matching funds.

Operating on the brink, Bayh cannot compete on the scale of some of his rivals. While they have made profitable use of direct-mail appeals for funds, he is too strapped to do the same. "Even a small mailing of 250,000 pieces would cost $150,000," says Feldman. "At this stage in our campaign, we could use that money in better ways." One alternative under consideration is a nationwide television appeal for contributions, using selected stations. That would cost roughly $50,000, which Bayh can afford.

In the meantime, Bayh supporters have been holding small parties and receptions for potential donors in such states as California, New York, Illinois, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. But a series of dinners organized in New York on Jan. 22, Bayh's 48th birthday, netted only $50,000. If Bayh has any hope of surviving the costly primaries, he is going to have to bag a lot more lean cats.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so viewer discretion is required.