How Many Votes Can Campaign Money Buy?

Flickr: Images_of_Money

There's dark money, grassroots and retail politicking. But at the end of the day, nothing gets the job done like good, old, cold, hard cash.

A Civil Beat analysis of campaign spending and primary election results shows a vote last month cost most major candidates in major races between $10 and $20 apiece, though the range was from $3 to $90. Those who spent more in total were more likely — though not guaranteed — to win.

The findings are incomplete because expenditures for the final weeks of the campaign are not yet available for federal races — U.S. Senate and House. The pre-primary filings cover everything through July 22, and 48-hour notices filed after that show only incoming and not outgoing money.

The picture is clearer for county level races — Honolulu mayor and City Council. Here's a look at the major candidates from those races, with the federal races below.

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