Washington ? One-time presidential candidate Howard Dean, whose campaign fund went from boom to bust, is pleading with donors to open their pocketbooks one more time and help him retire at least $400,000 in debt.

Dean sent an e-mail appealing for cash to pay his bills for supplies and services. “When these things were ordered, we thought we could win key early contests and use the momentum to secure more victories in other states,” he wrote.

Dean broke party records for a presidential candidate by raising $41 million last year. The candidate was so confident the money would continue to flow that he became the first Democrat to skip public financing and rely solely on his own fund-raising ability to finance his campaign.

That confidence also carried through to spending decisions. By the end of 2003 — before the primary contests even started — Dean had spent nearly every dollar he had taken in.