Ever wonder how much cash it takes to fund a campaign? Ever wonder if the amount of money raised by a candidate correlates into winning? This post will break down this finances of the various campaign’s for the 2012 Presidential election, and give a comparison to some others throughout recent history.
Incumbent Barack Obama has raised the most money of any candidate on either side, raising over $151 million as of January 31. This compares favorable to the $103.8 million he had raised at this time four years ago, however this number is inflated because as the incumbent, he runs uncontested, allowing him to field donations from all Democrats.
Leading the Republican field in campaign finances (and delegates) is Mitt Romney. Romney’s $63.7 million raised is more than double than the next candidate in the field, but is not as much as the $90.1 million he raised at this point in his unsuccessful campaign for the Republican nomination four years ago.
The rest of the Republican field is an interesting in the sense that there is no direct correlation between money raised and delegates won. Also, there are candidates who have since withdrawn from the campaign that have raised more than candidates still actively seeking the nomination. The funding of the remaining Republicans is as follows (caps denotes candidate still seeking nomination): RON PAUL ($31.1 million raised); Rick Perry ($20.5); NEWT GINGRICH ($18.3); Herman Cain ($16.9); Michele Bachmann ($9.3); RICK SANTORUM ($6.7); Jon Huntsman ($6.4); and Tim Pawlenty ($5.9).
The most interesting takeaway from here is that Santorum, who has the second most delegates, is seventh overall in funding, still trailing three candidates that have withdrawn. Another interesting takeaway is that Perry, who raised more money than everyone not named Romney or Paul, is not longer seeking the nomination.
So the question remains, can you buy a campaign?
All numbers used from here. An interesting breakdown of how funds are obtained.
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