USTIN, Texas - A citizens' group that requested names of backers raising at least $100,000 apiece for George W. Bush's presidential campaign said yesterday the 115 names Bush has released are not enough.
Bush, the Republican front-runner, made public Monday night a list of 115 ''Pioneers'' who collected $100,000 each.
But there are others trying to raise just as much, said Craig McDonald, director of Texans for Public Justice, which has conducted several studies of money in Texas politics.
''Bush has fallen short of full disclosure. There are 300 more Pioneers who are bundling contributions for the campaign,'' McDonald said. ''The public has a right to know who these high-rollers are and exactly how much they have delivered.''
Similarly in New Hampshire, the state with the leadoff presidential primary, a public-interest group wants to know who the Pioneers are.
New Hampshire Citizens Alliance says the Pioneers could very well be the nation's next ambassadors and Cabinet members, and New Hampshire voters deserve to know who they are.
The New Hampshire group has asked Bush to release names, addresses, occupations, and business affiliations of the Pioneers.
Bush described the Pioneers as mostly friends and longtime political supporters who are following federal campaign finance laws, collecting no more than $1,000 from an individual.
At $100,000 per Pioneer, the 115 would account for at least $11.5 million of the $37 million the Texas governor has amassed since launching his presidential campaign in early March.
The list of Pioneers identified thus far included Representatives Joe Barton from Texas and Jennifer Dunn from Washington, both Republicans; Governors John Engler of Michigan and Bill Owens of Colorado; Washington lobbyists such as Wayne Berman and Peter Terpeluk; and corporate executives such as Enron Corp. Chairman Kenneth Lay and construction company owner Alexander Spanos, who was chairman of April's Republican National Committee annual black-tie gala that featured President Bush, the governor's father.
Asked about the call for more names, Bush spokeswoman Karen Hughes said the campaign has been upfront about the effort.
