Costs of the upcoming US presidential campaign

These costs obviously provide a screening process that assures the rich that their interests will be recognised. Only if you are rich or have their support could you possibly run for president.


CBC Newsworld's Washington correspondent takes a peek behind the scenes on life in the American capital.

The billion dollar presidency
Friday, February 2, 2007 | 04:16 PM ET
By Henry Champ
Pop quiz: What do you get when you have 17 (so far) presidential candidates, no incumbent running and television ad salespeople on your speed dial?

The first $1 billion-plus presidential campaign.

To break that figure down, experts believe the two candidates who surviving their parties' primaries will each need a further $400 million to fight the next presidential election in 2008.

Each will already have spent an estimated $100 million to get through the primary trail with most of the money going on Iowa and New Hampshire, the two early contests that separate the leaders from the also-rans.

There's your billion right there, and that's not even counting the — take your best guess — couple of hundred million dollars the assembled also-rans will need to stay in the race as long as they can.

The spending has already started. Staff is being hired.

Writers and researchers to show how smart you are, and how dumb and/or crooked your opponent is. Travel specialists, make-up artists, television producers with their own crews and assistants. Drivers. Offices in the early primary states. A main office in your home state. Pollsters, phone banks, the list goes on.

At this writing, each candidate needs to raise slightly more than $6 million dollars a week, or if you are God-fearing and celebrate the Sabbath, then a million dollars a day from now until November 2008.