Ex-Knick Bill Bradley netted $1.5 million in his first big fund-raiser last night as he tried to show he’s “got game” for his race against Vice President Al Gore for the 2000 Democratic nod.
Gore also had metro-area money on his mind – huddling with big fund-raisers at the East Side home of banker Steve Rattner and at the posh restaurant Daniel.
The Democratic presidential race now looks like a Gore-Bradley fight, and the ex-New Jersey senator’s first test is to show he’s in the same league as the veep, whose aides claim he can raise $55 million.
Bradley’s target is more like $20 million.
The ex-Knick shot for the stars, calling in ex-Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson, an old pal, and Conan O’Brien’s drummer Max Weinberg, for the East Brunswick Hilton fund-raiser.
Bradley also said with a wry smile that he was one of the few Americans who skipped Monica Lewinsky’s interview – “I wasn’t particularly interested in it, and therefore I didn’t tune in.”
He added that he’s going after an “untapped” market of donors to compete with Gore, saying just 400,000 Americans give $1,000 to presidential campaigns – but 30 million could.
Other Democratic fund-raisers, including a few backing Gore, said $1.5 million was a solid start – close to the $2 million President Clinton was able to raise for Sen. Bob Torricelli (D-N.J.) Wednesday in Newark.
Gore, before going for the cash, echoed this week’s school-oriented New York schedule by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and stopped off to read to a class of second-graders at Bronx P.S. 153, where he pushed for smaller class sizes.
Meanwhile, the Republican 2000 race heated up as aides to Elizabeth Dole leaked word that she’ll announce her exploratory committee next week – right after Texas Gov. George W. Bush.
Bush said a few days ago he’s launching his exploratory panel – he’ll announce the names on Sunday amid reports they’ll include heavyweights like former Secretary of State George Shultz.