Thread: IOWA: $200 spent by campaigns for each vote

HAWKEYES TO BUCK-EYES
POLS ARE SPENDING $200 FOR EACH VOTE
By CHARLES HURT in Des Moines, Iowa and MAGGIE HABERMAN in NY

January 2, 2008 -- An unprecedented swell of money is flooding into Iowa for tomorrow's caucuses, with campaigns on track to spend roughly $50 million - a record-setting figure that doubles the staggering per-vote amount billionaire Mayor Bloomberg shelled out in 2005.

The shocking expenditures: about $200 per vote for each of the roughly 250,000 caucus-goers expected to turn out.

When all is said and done, the per-vote cost for caucus-goers of all stripes will easily double the $103 apiece that Bloomberg - who's mulling a presidential race of his own - spent from his own fortune for every vote he got in 2005. The mayor's $78 million campaign was considered the best that money could buy.

The spending numbers are significant given the outsized importance Iowa plays in the nomination process - especially in a year where both parties are considered a toss-up, and in which there's a truncated primary calendar.

The $50 million figure includes more than $30 million for TV ads, more than $1 million for radio ads, and more than $10 million for direct mail.

Then there are "robocalls," automated calls directly into people's homes, which can cost between 8 cents and 10 cents apiece and which will total at least $500,000 combined for all the campaigns. After that, there are incidentals such as staff costs, offices and car rentals that will total more than $8 million.

And there are indications the Iowa estimate may be low by the time every last dollar is counted.

In mid-October, the Des Moines Register reported that the Democrats had 573 paid staffers on their various campaigns, while the Republicans had 126. The numbers have only grown since then.

The biggest expense in Iowa, as in all states, is TV ads.

Hawkeye State residents looking to relax with their favorite programs have been hit with more than 50,000 campaign ads that have saturated the airwaves through Dec. 29, according to a new CNN estimate.

Through that time period, some $30 million was spent by the campaigns on TV ads, according to the network's analysis by TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG. That doesn't include the final four days before voting starts.

The top Democratic ad spender has been Sen. Barack Obama, with more than $9 million. Next up is Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who's spent a reported $7.2 million, and then John Edwards, with $3.2 million.

Among Republicans, no one comes close to former Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, whose personal fortune has helped fuel a $7 million ad blitz. Then comes front-runner Mike Huckabee, who spent $1.4 million, and Fred Thompson at $1.1 million.

While Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain are not running TV ads, their campaigns have been sending out plenty of glossy mailings.

One veteran campaign consultant said mail pieces could cost roughly 60 cents each. Voters have been deluged with mail, in some cases with 15 pieces from one campaign alone.

The cost for direct mail by the campaigns could hit $10 million.

And then there's the staff costs.

Iowa veterans of all the campaigns say the staffs this year have nearly doubled over the numbers from 2004.

"Hillary Clinton's got everybody but the Third Marine Division out here," said David "Mudcat" Saunders, who is working for Edwards. "They're like mice."

By this time during the 2004 caucuses, the top campaigns had about 100 paid staffers. This year, Clinton and Obama are each believed to have more than 200 apiece.

Some estimates put the Clinton and Obama numbers at above 300, but the campaigns guard those figures like state secrets.

John Norris, who was John Kerry's state field director in 2004 and is now volunteering for Obama, said Iowa voters have seen enough of the candidates and their campaigns.

"People are tired now and they're ready for Thursday," he said.

churt@nypost.com
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01022008/ne ... htm?page=0

This amount of money is sick. Now does everyone see why most of the top candidates are pro amnesty? Most of that money is coming from elite financial sources.

W

Not that we have targeted every voter in this universe of 250,000 but using their numbers ALIPAC has spent about 3.2 cent per voter!

We have spent around 8 grand on our efforts.

W

quite a difference!

Therein lies the difference between the elite's campaign and a grassroots campaign.

Originally Posted by zeezil

Therein lies the dirrerence between the elite's campaign and a grassroots campaign.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$

But we have spirit!!