Kerry Tops Democrats in Cash on Hand

WASHINGTON — Despite a recent fund-raising surge, Howard Dean lags behind his top Democratic presidential rivals in a key category: money in the bank.

The former Vermont governor cemented his standing as a top-tier candidate by raising $7.5 million between April and June, first among the nine Democratic candidates for the quarter. That gave him a total of $10.1 million since the beginning of the year.

Dean is the only candidate airing TV ads -- $300,000 worth in Iowa -- and he invested thousands of dollars to build an Internet-driven grass-roots operation. Those expenses and others, including a growing campaign staff in Burlington, Vt., leave Dean with more than $6 million cash on hand and fourth overall, aides said Monday.

Officials with the other top Democratic campaigns, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said:

* Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts has about $11 million in the bank, including $2.6 million from his Senate campaign account. Kerry raised about $6 million in the second fund-raising quarter, second to Dean.

* Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina has about $8.5 million on hand, none of it from his Senate account. He raised about $5 million this quarter, tied for third with Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.

* Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri has close to $7 million in ready money, including $2.4 million from his congressional campaign account. Gephardt raised just $4.5 million in the second quarter, a disappointing fifth-place finish.

* Lieberman has about $4 million in the bank.

* Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, who got a late start, has more than $1.5 million on hand.