Draft Gore 2008 PAC

Source: NJ's Hotline

Ex-Sec/State Henry Kissinger has agreed to become an honorary co-chair for Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign in New York, McCain aides said. Along with Kissinger, McCain has won the support of Pete Peterson, a former Commerce Secretary, and John Whitehead, the former Goldman Sachs chair and Reagan admin official.

Also -- on the eve of ex-NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani's first exploratory committee fundraiser, McCain's exploratory committee unveiled the names of the 57 wealthy and famous donors who've agreed to serve on his NY, CT and NJ finance teams.

They include Henry Kravis, a founding partner of the KKR conglomerate, John Lehman, the 9/11 commissioner and ex-Navy sec. and Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets.

McCain's campaign will not cop to this, but it's fairly clear they want this muscle-flexing to scare uncommitted donors away from signing up with other campaigns. The constellation of New York fundraising stars, in particular, poses a challenge to Giuliani. McCain's team believes that if Giuliani has trouble raising money, he will decide not to run.

On the downside, bragging about a large finance team raises expectations for how much they'll collect before the end of the first financial quarter of '07.

McCain is expected to forgo federal matching funds for both the primary and general election. McCain can tap each donor for a maximum of $2,100 per race, and he can raise money for both the primaries and the general election race at the same time.

A side note: recall that Gov. Mitt Romney's aides, when discussing their candidate's foreign policy education, let it be known that Romney had spent time with Kissinger.

Here's what McCain, in a statement he'll release later, has to say about his team: “I am honored to have the support of so many talented and experienced professionals. New York is the heart of the financial world, and this team’s work on behalf of my exploratory committee will be indispensable as we move forward.” [MARC AMBINDER] The full list follows the jump. The full list follows:

National Co-Chairs: Honorary New York Co-Chairs:

Lewis M. Eisenberg Honorable Henry Kissinger
James B. Lee Honorable Pete Peterson
John Thain Honorable John Whitehead
Larry Bathgate

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut Finance Committee Members:

Ken Abramowitz Russ Gerson Andrew Malik
Randy Altschuler Howard Gittis Georgette Mosbacher
Michael Ashner Michael Glassner John Myers
Kendrick Ashton Steve Goldberg Joseph J. Plumeri
Mark Broxmeyer Sid Goodfriend Scott Rechler
Bob Caruso Dan Hebert Ted Roosevelt, IV
Ben Chouake Gary Holloway Richard Rosenbaum
Harry Clark Woody Johnson Joe Schmuckler
Mayree Clark Munr Kazmir Barbara Sobel
Peter Cohen Dean Kehler Evan Stewart
Edward Cox David Knott Linda Tavlarios
Ray Dalio Richard Kogan Wayne Tuan
Patrick Durkin Henry Kravis Thomas E. Tuft
Anne Estabrook Jerry Leamon Barry West
Laurance Gay Alain Lebec Gordon Whiting
Peter Georgiopoulos Leah Lebec Laurence Zuriff
Andy Gershon John Lehman

###

Posted at 11:03 AM