For months the press, the public and the candidates themselves have watched in amazement as George W. Bush amassed a Presidential campaign war chest of almost $70 million. He made history surpassing the record amount of money raised by any candidate in a Presidential election.
Choosing to forgo federal matching funds, and the spending restrictions associated with these funds, Bush has spent the past several months spending at a rapid pace -- a pace that is now obviously disconcerting to some campaign aides and Bush fundraisers. Anonymous fundraisers and aides have been expressing their concern and frustration with the amount of money spent by the Bush campaign thus far and few results to speak of (NY Times- 2/16/00).
Unofficial reports suggest that the Bush campaign war chest has been significantly dwindled and the campaign now has only $20 million in cash on hand. Doing the simple math, one comes to the realization that George W. Bush has spent about $50 million dollars in the span of just several months. Fundraisers and aides also claim that since January, Bush has been spending about $3 million a week. At this pace, even if Bush does win the nomination he will most likely have spent all of his money in the primary season.
What does the Bush campaign have to show for all of this spending? A mediocre win in Iowa and a relatively insignificant win in Delaware. For $50 million, George W. Bush has been defeated in N.H., lost his tag as the sure-thing frontrunner and has been engaged in a serious and competitive race with a man who could defeat him in South Carolina come Tuesday.
So the big question remains, where is all the money going and why is it not producing results? For starters, because Bush is running a 50-state campaign, it is crucial for him to run ads in every state. Thus the most money is being spent on media advertising.
The Bush campaign also has an extensive paid staff. Many of his funds are going to a team of consultants, advisors, and strategists. According to a January 2000 report from the Federal Election Commission (FEC), six out of the 10 highest paid campaign staffers are members of the Bush team. Karl Rove has an annual take-home income of $111,175; Karen Hughes, $108,618; Joe Albaugh, $104,766; Ari Fleischer, $100,043; Joshua Bolten, $97,849; and Maria Cino $95,047. In total, the Bush campaign spends over $16 million on his staff alone.
According to a report by Washington Post reporter Terry M. Neal, Bush was quoted at a campaign event in South Carolina on Tuesday saying, "If you're sick and tired of the politics of cynicism and polls and principles come and join this campaign." Interestingly enough, however, a good portion of the Bush campaign's spending also goes to voter research, which includes extensive in-house polling.
As a point of comparison, this same FEC report shows only one staffer from the John McCain campaign on the top 10 list-- Allen Haywood who takes home $114,984. In total, the McCain campaign spends just over two million on its paid campaign staff. There is no question that McCain's campaign war chest is (or perhaps was) dwarfed by that of George W. Bush throughout this race. Still, the senator from Arizona has more significant results to show his donators. He has a tremendous victory in N.H., a surging momentum of attraction and energy and the chance to oust Bush for the Republican nomination.
Saturday is the second major face-off between John McCain and George W. Bush, the South Carolina primary. Indeed, if Bush wins, he will have something to show for the $50 million he has spent. If McCain wins, though, perhaps the political cynics of the world will have a little more hope and believe that money without a message will not determine the winner of a Presidential election.
