WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The GOP leveraged the $1 billion it raised in the 2004 presidential election more effectively than the Democrats, according to a Washington Post analysis.
The newspaper's extensive examination of election-fundraising data provided by the Federal Election Commission and the Internal Revenue Service, combined with interviews of campaign officials, concluded the $1.14 billion raised by Republicans went much farther in electing their nominee, President George Bush, than the $1.08 billion that supported Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.
Two relatively small tactical spending moves by GOP operatives proved to have an overwhelming impact on the election, according to the Post.
A $546,000 ad buy paid for by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which painted Kerry in consistently negative terms, and a $3.25 million payment to TargetPoint Consulting, which boosted GOP voter turnout through direct mail and technological innovations, helped the president win re-election Nov 2.
