Campaign spending in the 23rd Congressional District of Texas

Following the loss of my congressional race this spring, I sent the following email to supporters explaining why, in my opinion, I lost: 

1. I was running as a moderate/pragmatic against a strong anti-government feeling among Republicans.  The other candidates argued continually against taxes and for the 10th amendment.  How do you argue against that?  I don’t know if that is viable long-term for the Republican party, but it may be good enough this year.
2. I was not polished and effective as a communicator for moderation/pragmatism.  My oral-communication skills were easily the worst of the candidates.
3. I did not raise or spend a lot of money.  Hurd and Canseco both raised and spent over $200,000; Lowry was @ $40,000; whereas I spent a little less than $15,000.
4. My campaign strategy was misguided.  I spent all my money to distribute a comprehensive, informative brochure and to buy some newspaper adds.  The other guys spent most of their money on TV/radio and signs, and their brochures were more high-level, focused on mood instead of issues and qualifications.

In hindsight, I could have communicated better and spent my money better, but I am a pragmatic and want to reduce the role of money in campaigns, so I was operating under a couple of significant “gravity” issues.  (At USAA, we used the term “gravity” to describe factors that can’t be changed and must be accepted.) 

As the general election approaches in the 23^rd Congressional District (early voting is already underway), I am getting more and more discouraged about the role that money plays in campaigns.  Quico Canseco, who won the Republican primary, and Ciro Rodriguez, the Democratic incumbent, are filling the airwaves with negative ads.  Their TV ads have very little positive to say and nothing remotely substantive.  Most of the ads are devoted to attacking the opponent by characterizing him as incompetent at best or sleazy at worst.  About half the ads are paid for by independent groups, and those ads are usually indistinguishable from the candidates’ ads except for their disclaimer.

If the ads aren’t bad enough to make you want to wash your hands, then just think of the candidates having to raise the money to pay for the ads.  These people must spend half their time asking fat-cat donors to donate.  Although some of these donors are donating because of civic virtue, I suspect that most expect some sort of quid-pro-quo.  If you disagree, ask yourself how much money would be donated if the money had to be donated anonymously. 

I previously wrote in favor of public financing, and I continue to think that is the answer.        https://mkueber001.wordpress.com/?s=campaign+finance.   If I run again, my campaign will not revolve around money, and I will again ask the voters, as I did in my first campaign brochure, to stop rewarding the person who raises the most money and uses the nasties ads.

Information about the financing of the 23^rd Congressional race is available on the FEC website.  In the most recent quarter (July-August), Canseco took in $350k from individuals and $100k from PACs, while Rodriguez took in $135k from individuals and $180k from PACs.  These numbers suggest that Canseco is doing exceptionally well in connecting with the well-to-do activists/partisans while Rodriguez is using the power of his position to obtain money from lobbyists.  

For the entire election cycle, Canseco has taken in $865k from individual contributors, $120k from PACs, and $859k from personal loans, while Rodriguez has taken in $690 from individual contributors and $1.268M from PACs.  In addition to showing how well Canseco is doing with activists/partisans, these numbers reflect the vast personal wealth of Canseco and the vast amount of money that Rodriguez has been able to obtain from lobbyists throughout his two-year term.

A more detailed summary of receipts and expenditures is as follows for Quico Canseco: 

• In the most recent quarter (July – August):
  • Canseco received $287k in itemized individual contributions (over $200), $65k from unitized individual contributions (less than $200), and $103 from PACs and political-party committees for total receipts of $455k.
  • Canseco spent $290k and repaid loans for $345k, for total disbursements of $635k.

 

• For the entire election cycle:
  • Canseco received $745k in individual contributions, $120k from PACs and political-party committees, and he loaned his campaign $598k for total receipts of $1.471M.
  • Canseco spent $859k and repaid loans for $345k, for total disbursements of $1.2M.
  • Cash on hand is $281k.

 

A detailed summary of receipts and expenditures is as follows for Ciro Rodriguez:

• In the most recent quarter (July – August):
  • Rodriguez received $127k in itemized individual contributions (over $200), $8k from unitized individual contributions (less than $200), and $182k from PACs and political-party committees for total receipts of $322k.
  • Rodriguez spent $911k.

 

• For the entire election cycle:
  • Rodriguez received $690k in individual contributions, $1.268M from PACs and political-party committees for total receipts of $1.980M.
  • Rodriguez spent $1.538M.
  • Cash on hand is $108k.