Campaign Expenses Quotes

Politics is a damn expensive business. I had one hell of a time trying to raise money as a candidate. I had to put a second mortgage on our house to get that campaign started, and I ended up spending over $300,000 to get elected. I believe that public financing of federal election campaigns is the only thing that will insure good candidates and save the two-party system. It is the most degrading thing in the world to go out with your hat in your hand and beg for money, but that's what you have to do if you haven't got your own resources.

If the friends of the candidate choose to go to expense for committees and canvassing [campaigning] there are no means of preventing them; but such expenses out of the candidate’s own pocket, or any expenses whatever beyond the deposit of £50 (or £100), should be illegal and punishable.

Campaigns are so much more expensive than people think they are. Just to keep the lights on is several thousand dollars a month.

The cost of campaigning has skyrocketed in recent years because of the falloff in TV viewership. With only one-third as many people watching TV as did 20 years ago, politicians have responded by buying three times as many ads, driving the cost of campaigning to levels which only favored candidates can afford.

I was sitting alone in a grim mood - furious that the press attacked Senator Edwards on the price of a haircut. But it inspired me - from now on, all haircuts, etc., that are necessary and important for his campaign - please send the bills to me... It is a way to help our friend without government restrictions.

You need a lot of money to become president.

While campaigns typically purchase mailing lists, it was strange to use donor money to buy a mailing list from the campaign's own candidate, especially when [Newt] Gingrich could have gifted the mailing list for free as an in-kind donation.

I don't think I would have to run a campaign that's financed like General Motors.

I will tell you, running for President, the money I spent is peanuts compared to the money I won't make. And that's O.K. because this is so important. What I'm doing is so important.

Now, in an analysis of campaign finance filings by Politico we learned the [Donald] Trump campaign has paid Trump businesses more than $8 million so far in this race, that includes $1.3 million in rent for campaign offices, half a million for food and facilities for events, over $300,000 for corporate staffers, and nearly $6 million for the use of Trump's private plane.

The first thing you need to run for President is a budget of around $20 million dollars a day.