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Democratic Candidates’ Campaign Spending

Greg Abbott tallies the Democratic contender’s approximate vote totals following the Tennessee and Virginia primaries:

  Votes Percentage
Kerry 1,066,590 42%
Edwards 604,991 24%
Dean 246,754 10%
Sharpton 79,862 3%
Kucinich 36,383 1%
LaRouche 3,494 0%

According to Open Secrets.org, the candidates’ campaigns have spent roughly the following amounts through the January 31st report:

Dean $31,414,497
Kerry $23,255,627
Edwards $15,960,243
LaRouche $9,400,413
Kucinich $3,709,946
Sharpton $414,895

Combining the two tables, the candidates have spent the following $ per vote:

LaRouche $2,690
Dean $127
Kucinich $101
Edwards $26
Kerry $22
Sharpton $5

I have no idea who is giving the money to Lyndon LaRouche, or what it is all being spent on. But his figures aren’t on the same scale as the other candidates. It’s widely known that Dean has blown a lot of money, with little to show for it. Kucinich’s figures are surprisingly high; then again it takes quite a bit of money just to set up a national campaign. Edwards and Kerry’s spending per vote is fairly close; Kerry, as frontrunner, has benefitted from an enormous amount of free publicity. As far as I can tell, Sharpton’s “campaign” has been limited to speaking engagements and debate appearances, so he’s spent very little.