Kerry raises $34 million in June

WASHINGTON – Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry raised at least $34 million in June, lifting his record total to more than $180 million with a month of fund-raising left.

Kerry is expected to accept full government financing for his general-election campaign, which officially starts July 29 when he is nominated at his party’s convention in Boston. At that point, he will receive about $75 million in taxpayer funding – the only money he can spend campaigning until the Nov. 2 election.

President Bush has about a month longer to raise and spend private campaign funds. Bush also is expected to accept government funding for the general election campaign, and will receive his check after he accepts the Republican nomination in New York City in early September.

Bush raised at least $218 million through the first week of June. His campaign has not yet released fund-raising figures for the month, but Bush is expected to report having $64 million in the bank at the start of July.

Returning to the campaign trail after a two-day break, Kerry today will begin a Fourth of July weekend bus tour of small Midwestern towns to promote his plans for rural America. Kerry says those parts of the country have been hurt by the Bush administration’s impact on education, trade, budget cuts, health care and the distribution of high-speed Internet access.

Bush’s campaign responded with its own call, saying Kerry’s policies could cost him rural votes.

Rep. Mark Green, R-Wis., criticized Kerry’s support for a compact guaranteeing minimum prices for dairy farmers. The compact meant a loss of income for farmers, which caused hundreds of farms to go out of business, he told reporters.