Presidential Candidates-to-Be Make the Most of Fundraising Rule-Bending

The charade comes to an end this month for many of the 2016 presidential contenders, who have long avoided saying they are running — while they are so obviously running — in order to sidestep rules that burden declared candidates. The timing is driven by money. April marks the start of a sprint to raise as much of it as possible for an official candidacy before the summer reporting deadline. Candidates who fail to show that the early big money is flowing into campaign accounts could quickly falter.