The Little Brown Reader

"The entire race has come down to this: We must win Wisconsin," said the message, which bore Dean's electronic signature. "We must launch our new television advertisement on Monday in the major markets in Wisconsin. To do that, I need your help to raise $700,000 by Sunday. . . . Your $50 contribution will allow us to get out our message onto the airwaves, and win Wisconsin. Please contribute now."

And they did, not only meeting the goal of $700,000, but continuing to donate as the campaign doubled the goal to $1.4 million. As of last night, the tally stood at $1.3 million.

Yesterday, a media consortium in Wisconsin released an analysis of advertising spending in the state by the Democratic candidates. It indicated Dean had not spent the $700,000 he said he needed for television ads, having booked only $227,000 worth as of last Friday. That was less than the money spent by his two main rivals, Senators John F. Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina. The study found that Edwards had booked $316,000 worth of ads, while Kerry had $263,000.