2 Major Parties Set Fund-Raising Record

Outdoing themselves yet again, the national Democratic and Republican parties raised a record $881 million for the 1996 election, federal officials reported. That’s a 73% increase over four years ago, when the various committees of the two parties brought in $508 million. Eight years ago, the two parties’ total was only $207 million--one-fourth of the 1996 figure. Republican committees, including those devoted to congressional fund-raising, brought in $549 million. Democratic committees raised $332 million.