Groups Collect Money for Dem. Nominee

WASHINGTON -- The Democratic presidential nominee-to-be who emerges from the primaries will benefit from bundles of checks at least two groups are collecting for the winner weeks before the first votes are even cast.

The Council for a Livable World said it plans to take advantage of the Federal Election Commission's recent decision to let the Democratic women's group WE LEAD accumulate contributions for the presumptive nominee well ahead of time.

The council, a 41-year-old political action committee that supports arms control and nuclear disarmament, has started a Web site called www.AnyoneButGeorgeWBush.org to collect money for the future Democratic nominee. The group says it has raised more than $15,000 in its first week.

The FEC in October approved WE LEAD's plan to gather at least $100,000 for the presumptive Democratic nominee to help cover campaign expenses next spring and summer, when President Bush, unopposed in the primaries, is expected to have tens of millions of dollars to spend.

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