Money Not the Only Factor in the Election

One thing is becoming clear at the beginning of the '08 election campaigns, nothing is concrete and absolute. The belief that the person with the most money in the bank at the end of the first-quarter fund raising will lead their party and get the nomination is out the window this year.

Many believed that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) would earn her party nomination just on fundraising totals alone, but this does not seem to be the case. Clinton reported that over $31 million had been raised but had failed to really pull ahead of the other front-runners in her party. Some analyst believe that the fundraising machine created by President Clinton and his wife has split into separate factions and has began campaign for the Obama campaign. Some say this has created a sense of "Clinton fatigue" and may affect her fundraising abilities during the primaries and the election.

This same pattern has emerged on the Republican side of the race with the fundraising machine created eight years ago by the Bush campaign split amongst the three GOP frontrunners, Ken Mehlman, former RNC chairman said. "In the past, early numbers have often anointed a front-runner. This time, the early numbers indicate a very dynamic race that could change a lot."

One of the other vital factors going into the '08 campaign is understanding the rate at which each candidate will use up their funds or the "burn rate" of the campaign. This also factor in the rate of large contributions to small ones over the course of the primaries and campaigns and the geographical location of the contributors. For example, most of the funds raised by GOP candidate and Gov. Mitt Romney have come from the state of Utah with its strong ties to the Church of Mormon, of which Romney is a member.

Democratic strategist Tad Devine notes however that the issue of money is not the only factor in gaining, maintaining and sealing a win in the '08 election. "This isn't just a question of someone being so dominant that their political and financial dominance will lead to victory," Devine said.

Experts are predicting this to be the most expense U.S. election in history. The Campaign Finance Institute reported over $157 million raised in the first quarter alone, five times the amount raised in the last campaign by the first quarter. Some believe that this is a sign that this election will be hard fought with more use of television, radio and internet ads used more than even and might be a close race to the very end.

Sources: http://www.washingtonpost.com