Dr. Weishampel arranged for the primary financing of the project from the little-known space archaeology program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The question is whether the primary financing system can be reshaped to attract candidates capable of raising $200 million or more or give their opponents the resources to compete.
"Using Electron as the primary financing tool, the company has earned after-tax returns on this portfolio exceeding 20percentt," it said.
Ms. Granholm said a plan to conduct a state-run primary financed with private money was the fairest way to resolve the situation.
The primary financing for Bay Street comes from California Urban Investment Partners, a joint venture with MacFarlane Partners, and from the California Public Employees Retirement Systemm, one of the nation's largest public pension funds.
Med Diversified, based in Andover, Mass., filed for bankruptcy in Central Islip, N.Y., in November 2002 after its primary financing source filed its own bankruptcy.
Only a greatly abbreviated campaign with a series of free regional telecasts and probably no paid advertising at all can possibly solve this vexing question of primary financing.
Hamister and Chartwell, a New York company that is providing the primary financing for the deal, are paying mostly cash, but assuming some debt, in their purchase of the Sabres and the arena they play in, the HSBC Arena.
Lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have proposed legislation to revamp and expand the presidential primary financing system, but the ideas have not gained much traction in recent years.
The two primary financing options considered by the commission share "some commonalities," he said, including agreement on the need for strong public programs and a role for the private sector.
