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Resolve vote or lose funds, top Fla. donors say

In print: Saturday, March 15, 2008

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Influential fundraisers for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton have stepped up behind-the-scenes pressure on national party leaders to resolve the disputed Florida and Michigan primaries, with some Florida fundraisers even threatening to withhold their donations unless the state's delegates are seated or a new primary is held.

Pushing to seat the Florida delegates, at least one top Clinton fundraiser, Paul Cejas, a Miami businessman who has given the Democratic National Committee $63,500 since 2003, has demanded that Democratic officials return his contribution last year of $28,500, which they have agreed to do.

"If you're not going to count my vote, I'm not going to give you my money," said Cejas, who was the U.S. ambassador to Belgium from 1998 to 2001.

Christopher Korge, a Florida real estate developer who is another top fundraiser for Clinton, held an event in his home in Coral Gables last year that brought in about $140,000 for the national party, set aside in a special account for the general election battle in Florida. But he told committee officials this week that if Florida's delegate conundrum is not resolved satisfactorily he would be asking for the money back.

"If we do not resolve this issue, I think it's safe to say there will be a request for a return of $140,000," Korge said.

The anger from Clinton fundraisers seems to emanate mostly from Florida, where the impasse appears farthest from resolution.

Some Clinton backers said they were intentionally withholding their contributions to the party, arguing that Howard Dean, the Democratic National Commitee chairman, has left the situation in the hands of the states and the candidates, as opposed to exercising leadership to resolve it.

"My wife and I could max out, and we won't," said Ira Leesfield, a Miami lawyer who has given $61,500 to the DNC since 1997. "We're dissatisfied with the DNC not taking the bull by the horns."

About 250 top fundraisers for Clinton met in Washington on Wednesday. Terry McAuliffe, the Clinton campaign's chairman and a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, encouraged the donors to pick up the phone and call party leaders, as did Clinton.

But McAuliffe said in an interview on Friday that he did not approve of donors holding back their contributions from the DNC.

A review of records filed with the Federal Election Commission shows that top donors to the committee are heavily weighted with Clinton supporters.

Of 196 people who have given at least $30,000 to the DNC since 2005, it appears 71 of them contributed to Clinton, with donations totaling more than $295,000, while 67 gave to Obama for about $189,000. And 25 gave to both.