Before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, Howard Dean spent over $32 million.
That may sound pretty bad, especially considering he lost both, but here’s a tidbit that’s even worse: George W. Bush’s campaign spent almost $34 million — and, as Ezra mentioned, he doesn’t have any GOP opponents.
I can understand how Dean spent so much money. He’s in a tough five-way race for a presidential nomination, he has a huge staff, has had to travel repeatedly with a lot of that staff, and has been broadcasting expensive advertisements non-stop for months. Moreover, since he withdrew from the public financing system altogether, Dean could ignore the spending caps most of the other candidates had to abide by.
But really, how did Bush spend nearly $34 million in a primary-phase of the campaign when he doesn’t even face a primary challenge? I saw report explaining that the money was basically spent on infrastructure — setting up offices, printing up campaign materials, sending out direct mail, etc. But $34 million worth?
I know conservatives think the Bush administration spends too much in the federal budget, but it sounds like Bush’s real problem is spending too much of his campaign budget. I hope he can keep this burn rate up for a few more months; the Dems will benefit if Bush’s record war chest has dwindled a bit by the summer.