Another Democratic presidential candidate has decided to forego public financing in order to raise as much money as possible for his race. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry stood in front of the Drake Diner in Des Moines to announce that he will not accept taxpayer financing of his campaign, which means he can sidestep campaign spending limits in Iowa and elsewhere. Kerry says he made the decision because rival Howard Dean announced earlier this week that he would give up federal matching funds in order to raise as much money as possible for his campaign. Kerry says Dean changed the rules of the race, and anybody who wants a legitimate shot at winning the Democratic party’s presidential nomination must play by those new rules. Kerry suggests doing otherwise would be folly. Kerry says he’s not going to fight with one hand tied behind his back because he doesn’t believe in “unilateral disarmament.” This is the second major tactical move of the week in Kerry’s campaign. Kerry fired his campaign manager on Sunday. Kerry says this hasn’t been the easiest week in his campaign, but Kerry says he’s been in a lot of tough fights before and fought back and won, and he says that’s what he’s going to do now. Kerry says he hasn’t decided whether he’ll use his personal wealth to bankroll his campaign. Kerry’s wife inherited part of the Heinz ketchup fortune when her first husband died.
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