Following the money on the campaign trail
As the general election approaches, campaigns are heating up
again. Signs are showing up on street corners. Mailers and recorded
phone messages remind us that’s its election season. Campaigns take
money, and how candidates raise that money
– and spend it – can offer insight for voters.
Following the money on the campaign trail
As the general election approaches, campaigns are heating up again. Signs are showing up on street corners. Mailers and recorded phone messages remind us that’s its election season. Campaigns take money, and how candidates raise that money – and spend it – can offer insight for voters.
Campaign financing plays different roles depending on the political race.
“The larger the district or the number of voters, the more important money is,” said Terry Christensen, a political science professor at San Jose State University. “In a city council district, the differential in money is not so important. A candidate with a lot of volunteers can overcome that if a candidate has a lot of support.”
District 4 differential
Tracie Cone, a candidate for District 4 supervisor, hopes Christensen is right. She came in a close second in a three-way primary in June, coming in just 60 votes behind incumbent Reb Monaco.
“Volunteers are everything,” Cone said. “I have a pretty big committee and they are all volunteers. I’ve got 20 people who are active in walking with me, stuffing envelopes and making phone calls.”
Through May 20, Cone raised nearly $4,000 and spent $6,400.
“I could have collected more money, but I made a conscious decision not to take money from people who would have business in front of the county,” Cone said. “I know politicians everywhere do it, but how could you not owe those people a favor or certainly citizens would think you did.”
In local races, most of the money donated comes from inside the district, Christensen said.
“Some candidates will get money from nearby people who share an interest or think a candidate will meet their expectations,” Christensen said.
Many of Cone’s donations have come from people in Santa Clara County or outside of San Benito County.
“These are from my friends who have known me the longest and know what I stand for,” she said. “These are people I grew up with or people I worked with in San Jose.”
Monaco also has relied on the help of friends and volunteers during his campaign. Many of the volunteers working with him are the same people who helped him with his bid for county supervisor four years ago. A chunk of Monaco’s contributions also go to paid staff.
“They can dedicate more time to signs or messages that I want to get out,” he said. “They help clarify platform statements or design the information that is going to go out.”
From Jan. 1 to May 20, Monaco raised more than $22,600 and spent more than $16,000. Many of his donations have come from local ranchers as well as a hefty $1,500 contribution from Ken Gimelli. Gimelli owns the San Juan Oaks Golf Course.
His contributions have played a large part in his primary campaigning.
“I’m a retired school teacher. I am not a wealthy person,” Monaco said. “To be able to get my message out is very expensive for me.”
Unlike Cone, Monaco focused on raising money from local people, businesses or unions that have members in the county.
“Some of my major contributors have been personal friends of mine,” he said. “I have people come up and say they like the way I have built consensus, that I am an articulate person and they feel confident in me.”
The amount of contributions collected can suggest a strong support base for a candidate and becomes more important in bigger races.
Funding his own campaign
In the race for a state office in a district that encompasses four counties and stretches from San Jose to King City, the Republican candidate for the 28th Assembly District, Ignacio Velazquez, has opted to bank roll his own campaign. Since Jan 1, Velazquez has collected $162,200. More than 96 percent of that money came out of his own pocket.
“I take in contributions from people I know – individuals,” Velazquez said. “I know how the system works. You are bought off by different groups. They look solely on numbers and give money based on who they think will win.”
Velazquez has spent $74,000 for a television ad, phone messages and a primary flier that urged Democrats to vote for him as a write-in candidate.
In regional races, a candidate financing his own campaign is rare.
“We are seeing more people get into races and self fund, but its still not common,” Christensen said. “When looking at a race, one way to measure the likely success of a candidate is how much money they can raise from a variety of sources.”
He cited Simon Salinas as a candidate who has built up a broad base of support over years in office.
“Holding an office isn’t necessary to win an assembly race, but it does help build that base,” Christensen said. “Being a leader of a union or an active member of the chamber of commerce is helpful.”
Broad base support
Caballero has collected $311,280 since Jan 1.
The number of donations she has received eclipses Velazquez’ contributions. While many of the donations are from individual donors – many who donate small amounts online – Caballero has collected her share of donations from political action committees. Bank of America, State Building and Construction Trades Council of California and the Farmers Employees and Agents PAC have all donated to her campaign.
“It’s just a reflection of the fact that people trust her,” said Rick Rivas, her campaign manager. “She will be an advocate for working families and bring jobs to the area. We have labor interests and businesses that both support us.”
Caballero has spent nearly $200,000 on her campaign, a large chunk of that to salaries and rent costs. “You can run a campaign in another state for a fraction of the cost in California,” Rivas said.
Rivas has chosen to focus on direct mailers, community gatherings such as coffee get-togethers and walking precincts to get the vote out.
“We want to run a positive campaign,” Rivas said. “Voters care about issues that are important to them. We are going to refrain from flooding telephone lines with inappropriate calls.”
