There is a noticeable correlation between a candidate’s chances of winning and the amount of money spent on their campaign this election cycle.
For example, State Auditor-elect Tim Keller and Attorney General-elect Hector Balderas each spent more during this election than their Republican opponents, according to the 2014 finance forms.
Keller spent $424,262.95 more than Robert J. Aragon, with a total of $440,400.43 put into his campaign. Balderas spent $593,049.31 more than Susan Riedel, putting a total of $892,102.44 into his campaign.
Also, Reelected Gov. Susana Martinez spent $5,913,845.51 more than her Democratic opponent, Gary King, putting a total of $7,927,860.01 into her campaign.
Typically, the candidate who spends the most money wins the election, barring a scandal, according to political science professor Lonna Atkeson. Voters are more likely to vote against a candidate if that candidate is legitimately defamed, but otherwise it’s all about the dollars, she said.
“Money leads to more information for voters,” Atkeson said.
This may be the case in this year’s general election. Of the six statewide elections, four of them had higher contributions from the Democratic candidates. Of those four, two candidates have won by press time. Of the two that had received greater contributions from Republicans, one of the candidates has won by press time.
Not only does it matter how much candidates spend — campaigns also rely on where the money is spent.
Political consultant Juan Carlos Holmes said advertising is the most important expenditure for a candidate, but it’s not all they need. The more money a candidate has for resources such as consultants, the better chance that candidate has.
“(Consultants) can make all the difference, especially with a first-time candidate. With first-time candidates, even ones who have been in politics one way or another, (they are) not going to foresee a lot of the strange problems that come up,” Holmes said. “A consultant’s job is to be ready to handle what the other guy throws at you, to handle the unexpected ... to make sure you’re in the right places.”
Keller’s 2014 finance forms show that his campaign paid $2,684 for political consultants in the last quarter, while Aragon’s campaign’s only expenditures were payments to three media outlets for political ads.
Balderas’ 2014 finance forms show that his campaign paid $3,210 for political consultants in the last quarter, while Riedel’s show that none of her 12 expenditures were used for consultants.
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In Martinez’s and King’s forms, it is shown that neither one listed any kind of consultant as an expenditure, but there are multiple expenditures in Martinez’s budget listed as “professional services.” It might have been this investment that won her the election.
Holmes said money plays a big part in campaigns because voters allow it to.
“We have basically decided that money is a form of speech, and ergo we are going to allow people with more money to have a greater right to speech,” he said. “People who already are putting money into politics are putting enough money (in) to make sure that they can continue putting money into politics. The return on the investment is incredibly high.”
Skylar Griego is a freelance writer for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @DailyLobo.
