Campaigns cost money. It’s a major drag, and fundraising is a huge barrier for candidates. Printing costs, postage costs, VoteBuilder costs, and that’s all before you start thinking about hiring paid staff. I’m really lucky in respect to the need for paid staff. Having worked on a lot of campaigns myself in the past few years, I have the requisite skills to target voters and cut turfs, design mailers, etc, myself, and what skills I lack, I have friends who can fill in. What I don’t have is an unlimited source of funds to pay my printer or the USPS. I’m running this campaign bare bones, but it will still cost a lot. And my opponent has held his seat 18 years, and has never really had to compete for it. I’m starting at a real disadvantage.
Small donations will add up to enough to win this election, because I am going to put every penny toward making a personal connection with a voter. A postcard stamp costs $0.35. Printed palm cards and postcards cost about $0.10 each. VoteBuilder, to target my door-knocks and mailings, costs $1250. Pitch in $4.50 and I can send 10 handwritten postcards. Pitch in $450 and I can send 1000. Whatever you can give will help.
