Hart must race to meet filing deadlines

Hart's renewed candidacy raises technical questions about financing and state filing deadlines. At the Federal Election Commission, spokeswoman Karen Finucan said it would be up to Hart to seek a ruling on whether the donations he received earlier this year would be eligible for matching federal campaign money.

She said Hart reported raising about $2.1 million during his candidacy, although it is not clear how much of that would be eligible for matching funds if the former senator won a favorable ruling from the commission.

Between now and Jan. 15, Hart would have to race to meet presidential filing deadlines in 15 states, accounting for at least 1,245 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. That's about 30 percent of the 4,160 delegates who are to attend the convention next July in Atlanta.

New Hampshire's filing deadline Friday is the first, followed by a handful of large states, including Massachusetts (109 delegates) and Texas (198) delegates on Jan. 4, Florida (146 delegates) on Jan. 5 and Illinois (187 delegates) on Jan. 15.