John Corzine’s $131 million campaign expenditure

How much would you pay to be a U.S. Senator or Governor? For John Corzine, the answer is $131 million. That includes the amount of money spent on his Senate race and two gubernoatorial campaigns. As you might recall, Corzine lost a reelection bid to Republican Chris Christie.

If you take a close look at the 2009 New Jersey Governor’s race, one interesting fact stands out. Chris Christie spent $11.4 million, while John Corzine spent $27 million. Of that $27 million, $25.3 million was his own. Not only did he lose despite out-spending his opponent by nearly 3 to 1, but nearly 94% of his campaign was self-financed. This tells me that he would have likely lost in a landslide if he were a man of modest means. Actually, if he were a man of modest means, he probably wouldn’t even be looked at as a legitimate candidate. If you don’t think so, just look at his lack of fundraising. Most people would agree that a strong candidate also needs to be strong fundraiser.

In a way, John Corzine’s loss is a win for those sickened by multimillionaires who try to buy elections. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was able to purchase his recent win, but Corzine’s loss gives me hope that voters will begin to look past the glitz and money.