Signs of money trouble for Giuliani

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) - January 11, 2008 "We have enough money, but we could always use more money," contended Mike DuHaime, Giuliani's campaign manager and one of those who now is working for free. "We want to make sure we have enough to win."

At the end of December, he said the campaign had $11.5 million cash on hand, $7 million of which can be used for the primary. He disputed the notion of a cash-strapped campaign, and said Giuliani continues to bring in cash; several fundraisers are scheduled this week in Florida.

DuHaime and other aides stressed that relinquishing pay was voluntary and was limited to senior staffers.

"I want to do everything I can to make sure Rudy's president, and I speak for a lot of the campaign when I say that," DuHaime said. "None of us joined this campaign for money."

Still, the move raises questions about whether Giuliani's bank account is as flush as he needs it to be to cobble together wins in enough states to secure the party nod.

The former New York mayor has yet to win a contest and is counting on a victory in delegate-rich Florida to prove his candidacy is viable heading into the multistate contests slated for Feb. 5, where he believes he can prevail in states like California and Illinois.

It's a costly strategy because Florida and states that follow it are home to some of the most expensive media markets in the country. With so many states voting in such a narrow time period, candidates can do little else but rely on paid media to get their message out.

Republican strategists estimate that it will cost roughly $35 million to run heavy levels of ads in the two dozen states that hold contests on Feb. 5.

All Republican candidates have struggled to raise money for the 2008 presidential race, an indication that GOP donors aren't as energized as Democrats.

Giuliani, for his part, poured several million dollars into advertising in Iowa and New Hampshire, only to come in far behind his opponents. He has been spending millions of dollars over the past month to run TV ads in Florida.