THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 22, 1994 TAG: 9410220291
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
In the strongest sign yet that he will run for president in 1996, former Vice President Dan Quayle has created a presidential exploratory committee with $100,000 left over from his old Senate campaign account.
Because he hasn't formally registered as a candidate, Quayle has not filed any records with the Federal Election Commission detailing the new committee, which can spend money to test the political waters.
But his former Senate campaign account, which Quayle recently converted into a political action committee called Issues '94, reported to the FEC this week that it transferred $100,000 on Sept. 20 to the ``Dan Quayle Exploratory Committee.''
The exploratory committee and the PAC listed the same address in Indianapolis.
William R. Neale, a close Quayle associate and treasurer for his new PAC, said observers should not read too much into the creation of the committee.
``It's not doing anything yet. He has just set aside the money in the event that he decides to pursue federal office so he can comply with all the applicable FEC rules,'' Neale said.
Presidential hopefuls create exploratory committees to raise and spend money to gauge their chances before formally declaring their candidacy. They are subject to federal donation limits, but their activities must be disclosed only if a candidate files to run.
Neale said he believes Quayle won't make a final decision on running until the new year.
Nonetheless, Quayle is acting more and more like a candidate, and the latest moves, including the creation of the new PAC, put him on par with other GOP hopefuls. by CNB