The Federal Election Commission decided yesterday to hand over $12.6 million in disputed federal funds to Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan, leaving the party's other faction, led by John Hagelin, screaming fraud.
This marks yet another incident of inter-party fighting since the Reform Party's August convention in Long Beach, Calif.
"The Reform Party's image has been nearly destroyed," said Larry J. Sabato, government and foreign affairs professor, adding that the party is almost certain to be harmed in the November elections.
In August, Hagelin and his followers walked out of the convention after Buchanan's nomination. Since then, the coveted $12.6 million in federal money has been hotly disputed, with Hagelin supporters alleging fraud on Buchanan's part.
Now, Hagelin supporters say the FEC's 5-1 decision in favor of Buchanan does not consider the Hagelin camp's fraud accusations and plans to file an appeal in federal court.
The Hagelin camp alleges that Buchanan submitted five million illegal voter names for the Reform party primary and that Buchanan skewed votes in his favor at Reform party committee meetings.
"There are many complex issues, including fraud, that the FEC chose not to address but these will be dealt with in court," said Bob Roth, director of communication for the Hagelin campaign.
The FEC did not want to look at all of this information because "it is such a political hot potato, and they just wanted to get rid of it," Roth said.
But the Buchanan campaign insists that Hagelin's claims are false and outrageous, Buchanan spokesman Brian Doherty said.
"We have followed every rule of the Reform Party nomination committee to the letter," Doherty said.
The Buchanan campaign said it believes the courts will rule quickly and in their favor once all the information has been reviewed.
"Mr. Buchanan is the one and only official Reform Party candidate," Doherty said.
Although Buchanan has gained control of the federal funds, the intense fighting that has occurred may hurt both factions of the Reform Party in the long run, as it harms their chances in the national election.
With the large sum of money Buchanan could receive from the federal government, Buchanan might be able to run a decent campaign, Sabato said.
But fellow political scientist Robert Holsworth said no matter who receives federal funding, the Reform Party will never be able to establish itself with the American electorate.
"The Reform Party is a small squabbling faction, not a real political party," said Holsworth, professor and chair of the department of international and public affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.
While the Reform Party is busy bickering over the distribution of funding, the Green Party does not have the luxury of relying on federal funding to drive their campaign.
In order to be eligible for federal campaign funds, third parties must garner at least 5 percent of the vote in the previous presidential election, a feat the Green Party has yet to accomplish.
But the Green Party and its candidate, Ralph Nader, made progress throughout their campaign with the help of individual donations, said Stacy Malkan, assistant press secretary for Nader.
Recent polls show Nader with between 3 and 4 percent of the vote, bringing him close to the 5 percent mark that would make the Green Party eligible for funding in the 2004 presidential election.
"We would consider 5 percent a victory," Malkan said.
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