Dean Donors Paid for Some Anti-Dean Ads

WASHINGTON —  A group that ran an ad using a picture of Osama bin Laden to portray Howard Dean as unqualified to fight terrorism was financed by donors including labor unions, former Democratic Sen. Bob Torricelli and at least two of Dean’s own donors.

Americans for Jobs, Healthcare and Progressive Values ran at least three ads in December against Dean in early-voting states, a finance report the group provided Tuesday showed.

The group spent $15,000 on an ad aired in South Carolina and New Hampshire that showed a picture of Bin Laden and said that Dean lacked the experience to take on terrorists.

The group aired two anti-Dean ads in Iowa, the first state to hold a delegate contest. One criticized Dean’s history of endorsements by the National Rifle Assn.; the other blasted his support for the North American Free Trade Agreement and said he supported cuts to Medicare.

In all, the group raised $663,000 last year and spent $626,840 of it, the finance report showed. It spent $500,000 on ads.

“We did more with $600,000 than Howard Dean did with $41 million,” said David Jones, the group’s treasurer and a Democratic fundraising consultant, referring to funds Dean raised and largely spent last year.

Jones’ effort drew some big donors, including two who gave $100,000 each -- Slim-Fast Foods tycoon S. Daniel Abraham of Florida, who also contributed $2,000 to Dean and several other Democratic hopefuls; and Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network, a New York-based sports cable channel that televises Yankee baseball games. The network’s chief executive, Leo Hindery, contributed $2,000 to then-Dean rival Rep. Dick Gephardt, who dropped out of the race after finishing fourth in Iowa.

California attorney Ken Ziffren gave $5,000 to the Jones group and $2,000 each to the campaigns of Dean, Gephardt and Sen. John F. Kerry.

Abraham and Ziffren did not immediately respond to phone messages left at their offices seeking comment.

Torricelli, who is raising money for front-runner Kerry, donated $50,000 from his Senate campaign fund to Jones’ group.

Federal Election Commission spokesman Bob Biersack said it was “fuzzy” about whether Torricelli’s contribution was permissible under FEC rules. Donations to such groups are not included on an FEC list of permitted uses for campaign funds.