Four Candidates In Money Trouble

Three prominent contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination - Sens. John F. Kerry (Mass.) and John Edwards (N.C.) and Rep. Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.) - spent more than they raised during the last quarter, depleting crucial resources as the Jan. 19 Iowa caucus and the Jan. 27 New Hampshire primary fast approach.

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) barely stayed out of the red for the quarter, raising $3.63 million and spending $3.59 million.

Dean set a record for Democratic presidential fundraising in a quarter, collecting $14.8 million and spending $8.8 million. Combined with money raised earlier this year, Dean had a cash balance of $12.4 million on Sept. 30, up from $6.4 million at the end of June, according to aides.

Clark, who entered the race in the closing two weeks of the quarter, raised $3.5 million, spent just over $100,000, for a balance of $3.4 million, according to a report his campaign filed yesterday with the Federal Election Commission.

President Bush's reelection campaign released his totals for the quarter on Tuesday -- $49.5 million. He has raised $83.9 million since he announced his reelection campaign in May, and has $70.4 million in the bank.