Jamelle Bouie says a willingness to spend money isn’t enough to seal the deal for would-be officeholders.
For Americans used to rich candidates and expensive elections, this seems very strange. The reality, though, is that self-financed candidates have long struggled in their electoral bids. In 2006, of the 13 candidates who invested more than $1 million of their wealth into general-election campaigns for the House and Senate, only three made it to Congress. By contrast, of the top-spending candidates who ran in competitive districts and raised most of their cash through fundraising, the majority won.