PROVIDENCE -- How much money does the Lincoln Chafee campaign have left?

The answer may be very little, the Republican incumbent senator acknowledged at today's press conference where he announced the endorsement of Democrat Myrth York, a former gubernatorial candidate.

"I am going to confess that we are so broke we are not polling," Chafee said this afternoon at the Federal Reserve restaurant, when repeatedly asked about his internal polling numbers. "We are using all our resources to influence voters."

Most competitive federal candidates continuously run internal polls to gauge where they stand.

But a few seconds after Chafee made the "broke" comment, he retracted it: "We're not broke. Let me correct that."

Chafee, listed as among the 10 richest members of Congress, loaned his campaign $298,000 earlier in the week. And he dipped into his personal fortune twice last month for an additional $500,000.

Chafee said his campaign is depending on another campaign's internal polls for information, though he wouldn't acknowledge which one.

-- projo.com staff writer Steve Peoples