Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, April 15, 1995                   TAG: 9504170060
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

CLINTON FILES FOR RE-ELECTION

Without fanfare, the president filed papers with the Federal Election Commission on Friday declaring himself a candidate for re-election and establishing the Clinton-Gore '96 Primary Committee Inc.

The political paperwork will be followed up months from now by the showy balloons-and-bunting kickoff of Clinton's re-election campaign. The formalities were necessary at this point so Clinton could crank up his money machine.

On Monday, Clinton will send a letter to what press secretary Mike McCurry describes as 1 million of the president's ``closest friends,'' inviting them to join a national steering committee for the re-election effort.

The letter doesn't expressly ask for money, but McCurry said it does ``conveniently'' include a return envelope.

In the letter, Clinton tells his supporters, ``I need your partnership once again to succeed in the most challenging campaign I will ever face.''

He also invokes the specter of ``dangerous and shortsighted measures'' by his GOP opponents in what is likely to be a recurrent campaign theme, warning against ``a different vision which reduces government to an entity without room for helping children ... or sensible regulation to protect ordinary Americans.''

McCurry said Clinton hopes to raise and spend the maximum legal amount for the primary phase of the campaign, which is likely to be around $33 million.

Keywords:
POLITICS