The cost of doing local politics is high

Alicia Robinson

The saying goes that winners never quit, but in the political world,

they never quit trying to raise money because it costs a small

fortune to run for public office.

Election observers said it’s hard to put a specific price on a

winning campaign for public office, but they agreed that money is an

important ingredient in who wins.

“It’s pretty tough to put a dollar amount on a successful

campaign, because the factors are always so different,” GOP pollster

Adam Probolsky said, but that didn’t stop him from trying.

In Orange County, Probolsky said, “You shouldn’t even think about

getting into a competitive legislative race unless you can raise

about a quarter of a million dollars.”

Between January 2003 and Feb. 19, 2004, the campaign for the

Republican primary in the 68th Assembly District cost victor Van Tran

about $506,000, and opponent Mark Leyes $187,000, according to

campaign finance reports filed with the California secretary of

State’s office.

During the same period, the 70th Assembly District Republican race

was a higher-ticket item, with victor Chuck DeVore spending almost

$384,000 to beat opponent Cristi Cristich with her nearly $819,000.

In the 35th State Senate District primary, winner John Campbell

spent close to $824,000, while opponent Ken Maddox ponied up close to

$427,000 for his campaign, reports showed.

GETTING OUT THE MESSAGE

The elements that make up the total cost of winning an election

come from various quarters. Getting the message out to voters is

vital, and in Orange County, there’s just one way to do it.

Orange County is in a “media ghetto,” with no major radio or TV

exposure for candidates and spotty, unpredictable print coverage,

said Orange County Republican Party Chairman Tom Fuentes, who has

watched many an election in his 30 years with the county GOP.

That leaves direct mail, but in the 70th Assembly District, at

least, it’s an expensive proposition. The district includes 128,000

registered Republican voters, so the cost of printing and sending

just one major mail piece could run a candidate $50,000, Fuentes

said.

And then there are the seemingly indispensable accessories of any

serious campaign today: consultants. They’ve made an industry out of

the democratic process, charging fees, hiring campaign staff and

generally driving up a candidate’s costs before the would-be

politician even puts out a single communique, Fuentes said.

In Newport-Mesa, the residents’ personal wealth has a ratcheting

effect on political spending. Nationwide, Orange County ranks near

the top in the amount of money donated not only to the GOP, but the

Democratic party also, UC Irvine political science professor Mark

Petracca said. People have the money to give, and they’re not shy

about giving it to candidates or the party.

Looking at races in the latest primary, he said, “You’d be hard

pressed to find too many other districts where this much money was

spent.”

GETTING THE MESSAGE RIGHT

Of course, how much money a candidate has is just one of several

factors that determine who wins, and it’s not always the most

important.

Election winners will always say it was their message that

resonated with voters, and to some extent, the message matters.

Petracca said Tran, DeVore and Campbell convinced people they were

the most conservative candidate, and that was what area voters were

looking for.

Still, candidates must always beware an Achilles’ heel, because

sometimes no amount of money can keep it from being pierced.

Maddox was hurt because his opponent tied him to unions, Petracca

said, and Probolsky thought Cristich’s former support for Bill

Clinton kept her campaign from ever getting off the ground.

Regardless of other factors, political observers said, victory on

the ballot usually correlates with the bank account.

“I would say that normally, the one who spends the most money

wins,” Fuentes said.

That was true in two of three state primary races in Newport-Mesa,

and it will probably hold through November because the Democrats and

third-party candidates running for those offices aren’t considered a

serious threat.

So, at what price democracy? About 10 years ago, an Assembly

campaign would run close to $300,000, Petracca said, and Probolsky

put the figure today at around $500,000 for a race against other

candidates with personal resources or name recognition.

Fuentes and Petracca agree that the price of elections is too

high.

“Frankly, I think the cost of campaigning has become vulgar and

obscene and threatens the very existence of democracy, because in

order to fund campaigns at such high levels, many special interests

come in to play and candidates are forced to make concessions where

they should not,” Fuentes said.

If mailers and other campaign literature are supposed give voters

information about where candidates stand on issues and what they’ll

do if elected, Petracca said, they most often miss the mark.

“Part of me says we don’t ever get our money’s worth,” he said.