Boston Globe staff writer Rick Klein twice reported that Democratic National Committee (DNC) fund-raising was “lagging” or “falling behind” under new chairman Howard Dean. In fact, Dean's fund-raising to date has surpassed his predecessor's, both in raw dollars and relative to Republican fund-raising.

A June 9 Globe article co-authored by Klein and staff writer Nina J. Easton reported that DNC fund-raising was “falling behind” when compared to the Republicans:

Meanwhile, some donors are upset that the DNC under Dean's stewardship is falling behind in fund-raising, failing to appeal to party high-rollers. In the first quarter of this year, the DNC raised $14.1 million, compared with $32.3 million by the Republican National Committee.

Klein wrote a second article on Dean June 10 in which he reported simply that Dean's fund-raising is “lagging”:

Dean's comments have drawn public rebukes from other prominent Democrats, including potential 2008 presidential contenders. When compounded with lagging fund-raising under Dean's leadership, the controversial comments have contributed to an image of disarray within the Democratic Party.

Media Matters for America documented that, as DNC chairman, Dean raised $14.8 million between February and April 2005 -- roughly a 74 percent increase from the same period in 2003, the previous non-election year. Additionally, over that same three-month period, the DNC has raised more money in 2005 in comparison to the Republican National Committee than it did in 2003.

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