The High Cost of Running for Office: Put Up or . . . You Won't Be Heard!

"The high cost of running an effective media campaign has made it easier for incumbents to win re-election. In 1976, the cost of winning a U.S. Senate seat was $600,000; by 1988, that figure had risen to $3.7 million. Incumbents can usually raise more money than challengers because voters and special-interest groups are familiar with their platforms and may not wish to take a chance on a newcomer. Incumbents also have easier access to the media, because their statements and actions as officeholders make news." KS

"The Constitution should just add to the qualification of being President that you must have an annual salary of one million dollars or more. It is definitely necessary if you plan to provide any competition at all in an election for a national office." OH

"The richer candidate has much more access to media advertisement than does the poorer candidate. Even though the latter candidate may be the better individual to hold the office, the former candidate may claim victory simply because he can monetarily afford to use the media to campaign and make the voters much more familiar with himself, while the poorer, yet better candidate remains virtually unknown." MO

"The amount of money a candidate has plays a major role on how the media portrays a candidate to the public. This should not be so. The voters should be able to choose their candidate based on the candidate's performance, remarks, and the ability to do the job. But if you have more money, you get more airplay. Thus, the candidate with less . . . resources gets less . . . publicity." IL

"(Candidates) buy television time to put ads on, they buy billboard space and space in the newspaper. This shows that the richer candidates are, the more they can use the media to their advantage." MN

". . . some people don't have a chance. Just because their bank account doesn't have eight number in it, their words don't mean anything." OH

". . . it is evident that in order to run for national office, it is necessary to be backed by money." CA

"I don't think there should be regulations on how much money is spent on a campaign as long as it doesn't end up coming from the taxpayers' pockets." MN

"Congress passed a law in 1974 that limited the amount of money that could be spent during a presidential campaign (by candidates talking govt $$). . . The limit . . . did not apply to Perot because he spent his own money." WI

"The politicians that have money can buy exposure. Exposure equals votes." CA

"The availability of finances a candidate has to spend towards advertising may greatly influence the outcome of his campaign. The more money a candidate possesses, the more voters he will be able to reach and influence. How a candidate chooses to advertise proves to be just as important as how much he advertises." OH

". . . each (candidate) should be given equal time to speak to the people. Too often our society has chosen a President on the basis of who has the most money to buy the most air time." TN

"The media should be free for the politicians to use. By charging the politicians for air time, it just gives them more of an excuse to spend money that could be used on something more productive." FL