(Shenandoah, IA) Republican presidential hopeful Elizabeth Dole Thursday said the media is focusing too much on the money being raised by candidates rather than the important issues of the campaign.
“There’s so much concern, questions constantly about money, money, money,” Dole said of her interaction with reporters on the campaign trail. “It’s a horserace with regards to money and there’s not the attention to bringing people into the process.”
Media outlets have followed the fundraising prowess of Republican front-runner George W. Bush, who now has over $50 million in the bank, while questioning whether Dole’s campaign can continue on a shoestring budget.
“It’s constantly the money rather than your experience,” Dole lamented during a telephone interview with Radio Iowa.
Dole dismissed recent rumors of her campaign’s demise, pointing to her decision to formally announce her candidacy on November 7.
“I’m out here raising money and meeting people,” Dole said.
Dole’s campaign on Thursday touted their efforts to organize college students on Dole’s behalf. Twenty-one students from colleges around the state have been tapped to lead campus recruiting.
“So many young people are turning out….I want to get people more involved in the democratic process and get those voting numbers up,” Dole said.
Dole appeared at the World Food Prize ceremonies in Des Moines after holding three town hall meetings in western Iowa. She concluded her campaign day with a stop in Cedar Rapids.