Perry could have trouble fundraising nationally for presidential campaign

July 26th, 2011 Sienna Muriel Leave a comment Go to comments

Gov. Rick Perry seems close to announcing his candidacy for president, but some experts say his late start will make fundraising for a national campaign harder than in donor-friendly Texas, while others believe he’s building expectations in a ho-hum Republican field.

While Perry continues to think about running — “nothing’s changed,” spokesman Mark Miner said — his pursuit of campaign funds is intensifying. On Tuesday, he called money people nationwide to an Austin meeting and two days later made a California stop for more fundraising discussions.

Republican fundraisers are expected to gather in Austin on Thursday to assess Perry’s ability to collect enough money for a nationwide campaign.

David Carney, Perry’s longtime political adviser, is reaching out to people in key states, especially Iowa, which holds the first caucuses, and New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation primary state.

“We’re right on the cusp of ‘too late,’” said Austin political consultant Bill Miller, who advises clients in both parties. “It’s a national campaign, and he’s going to have to raise money in small increments. In Texas, we’ve got unlimited contributions, and there’s lots of people who give him hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time. It’s a lot harder to raise it in $2,000 bites than $200,000 bites.”

In Texas, one well-known supporter, home builder Bob Perry (no relation), contributed, with his wife, more than $2.5 million to the governor from 2001 through Dec. 31, 2010, according to state filings. Rick Perry has been governor since December 2000. Federal rules limit individual contributions to $2,500 per election.

“Like his predecessor, George W. Bush, Gov. Perry has been extremely reliant on big donors to fill his gubernatorial coffers,” said Andrew Wheat, research director for Texans for Public Justice. “From 2001 through 2010, Texans for Rick Perry raised $102 million. Half of that money, $51 million, came from the 204 contributors who gave him aggregate totals of $100,000 or more.”

Former Bush political adviser Mark McKinnon, who is based in Austin, said Perry’s success in Texas is likely to translate to the national stage.

“Perry will do fine with fundraising,” he said. “He has a national network as result of chairing the Republican Governors Association.”

His prospects for winning voter support are also good, McKinnon said.

“Given how dissatisfied voters are with the field, I would say it’s an advantage that Perry is starting late,” McKinnon said. “He’s going to be the new flavor of the day for voters hungry for something different than what they’ve seen so far.”

As of Saturday, CNN and Fox News have Perry at 14 percent, with Mitt Romney at 16 percent in the CNN poll and 17 percent in the Fox poll.

“Republicans are not entirely satisfied with their field. He’s filling an opening,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. “There’s always excitement for the new guy.”

As for the late entry, just six months before New Hampshire’s primary, Sabato said, “It’s relatively late but not too late,” noting that Bill Clinton began his campaign in October 1991.

Fort Worth lawyer Dee Kelly, who is close to the billionaire Bass family and influential in Republican political circles, sees the race as “wide open.”

“This field is not complete. There’s a lack of enthusiasm about the field,” said Kelly, who has not committed to any candidate but likes Perry. “The key is whether he can bridge the gap between the Tea Party and the traditional Republicans, the Bush people.”

Perry aligned early with the Tea Party in Texas.

But to political aficionados, Perry’s test will be fundraising — with the need to raise as much as $10 million for the primary.

“Timing is an issue because a pyramid of fundraisers takes time to build out,” said Pat Oxford, chairman of the Houston law firm Bracewell Giuliani. “A lot has to be sequenced and the political people in New Hampshire and Iowa will be screaming for the candidate’s time.

“It’s totally a different game, fundraising at the federal level,” Oxford said. “Anyone who gives $1,000 or more wants to see the guy.”

Republican consultant Reggie Bashur is convinced that Perry will run. And some of his Texas allies believe his announcement will likely come shortly after the “fast and pray” event he’s called for Aug. 6 in Houston.

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