Meg Whitman... (via smartvstupid.com)
It's official: Meg Whitman has become the biggest-spending candidate on a single campaign in U.S. history...
According to the Los Angeles Times, "Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman gave her campaign another $15 million Tuesday. The latest contribution brings Whitman's personal spending in the race to $119 million, shattering the record for most money ever spent by one political candidate on a single election in American history. Whitman's latest cash infusion comes just one month after writing a $13-million check to her campaign last month. Whitman has now surpassed New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as the most prolific spender on any one campaign. Bloomberg spent $109 million on his 2009 reelection as mayor of New York.”
Ms. Whitman should pay attention. History - and recent events - have not been kind to big self-funders...
From Taegan Goddard's Political Wire - "How Did the Wealthy Candidates Fare? With the primary season nearly complete, the Wall Street Journal notes that 'of the 10 top self-funders who competed for the House, only three made it through the primaries, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit research group. It's the same story in the race for the Senate: Of the 10 biggest self-donors, only three are still running.'"
Whitman has a slight lead in most polls over former governor and current Attorney General Jerry Brown (D), but for $119 million most people (especially CEOs) would expect the dial to move a bit more than it has...
