ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, July 16, 1996 TAG: 9607160078
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITER
Democrat Mark Warner has financed a six-week television advertising blitz for his U.S. Senate bid with $1.65 million from his own pocket, according to a disclosure report he filed Monday.
Warner's vast fortune accounted for 94 percent of the $1.75 million his campaign raised during the five weeks that ended June 30, according to a statement filed with the Federal Election Commission in Washington.
Warner, 41, is an Alexandria cellular phone magnate whose personal wealth has been estimated at more than $100 million. Since entering the Senate race last year, Warner has pumped a total of $2.3 million into his bid, accounting for 76 percent of the money he has raised.
Eric Hoffman, a spokesman for Warner, would not say whether the Democrat has set a limit for personal spending on his campaign or if he plans to continue his expensive statewide television blitz through Election Day, Nov.5.
The record for personal contributions to a campaign is $30 million set in 1994 by Republican Michael Huffington, who ran unsuccessfully in California.
"Mark is making an investment to get his campaign message out, and there's nothing wrong with that," Hoffman said.
Warner is a heavy underdog in a race against three-term incumbent Sen. John Warner - to whom he is not related. Mark Warner's extensive advertising campaign has been designed to make him better known to voters.
The financial reports showed the two Warners are raising their money in different ways. Unlike his Democratic opponent, John Warner has not invested personal money into his Senate bid, although he did guarantee a $200,000 bank loan to his campaign, which has been half repaid.
And unlike his Republican opponent, Mark Warner is not accepting corporate donations from political action committees.
The reports show John Warner has raised slightly more than $1 million from PACs - including $141,000 during the five weeks that ended June 30.
John Warner is the second-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and many of his PAC contributions come from defense-related industries. Statistics released by the Federal Election Commission this spring showed John Warner ranked fourth among 225 Senate candidate across the country in accepting PAC donations.
All told, PAC contributions account for 30 percent of the total $3.4 million the incumbent has raised. John Warner, who trounced former federal budget director Jim Miller in a Republican primary last month, reported having $175,000 left in his treasury.
Mark Warner reported his campaign had a $115,000 cash balance.
Each campaign questioned the other's fund-raising tactics.
"It certainly isn't illegal to spend unlimited personal money in a campaign," said Eric Peterson, a spokesman for John Warner. "But the report doesn't show much evidence of public support for our opponent. The bottom line is that Virginians won't appreciate someone trying to buy himself a seat in the Senate."
Hoffman countered that Mark Warner has received personal donations from 3,000 people, most of them in small amounts that are not required to be detailed on reports.
When asked how much more personal money Mark Warner plans to put in his campaign, Hoffman replied, "Tell me how much more PAC money Senator Warner will take, and I'll have a better idea."
In other news Monday, the two leading candidates for governor next year also released their campaign finance reports for the first half of the year.
Lt. Gov. Don Beyer, according to a spokeswoman, raised $696,000. The Democrat has a balance of $650,000. Republican Attorney General Jim Gilmore reported raising $660,000 and having a $203,000 balance.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: M. Warner. color. KEYWORDS: POLITICS KEYWORDby CNB