Political Awareness

Note: Political Awareness’s published communication is never authorized by any candidate or their committees.

Have you ever thought about running for office someday?  Well, you might want to start saving now. Behind every campaign poster, commercial, or debate is a hefty price tag, and regardless of whether you’re running for school board or Senate, the price of getting on the ballot is a serious factor.  

Let’s break it down 

At the local level, a city council race for a small town might run you a few thousand dollars, but that number grows in larger districts. As local politics draw more attention, mayoral and even school board campaigns can cost between $50,000 and $100,000.  

If you thought that was a lot, state-level races are an even bigger beast. The true price of a state-level campaign will depend on competitiveness and size. A campaign for the state legislature can cost between $50,000 and $1 million. Planning to run for governor? That will likely require at least $10 million, even more in bigger states.  

Congress is an even bigger fish to fry. In 2024, the average cost of winning a U.S House seat was $2 million. The Senate? Try 10x that. Some higher-profile races even reach $100 million when you include PAC and SuperPAC spending.  

So, what are all these dollars funding? 

The money contributed to a campaign or running for office is used for many things. One of the biggest items on the receipt is advertising. Whether it be TV ads, mailers, or social media, getting the word around about your campaign is worth a pretty penny. Other costs come from paying for campaign staff and consultants, fundraising events, travel and logistics, and legal and compliance costs. Filing fees and simple ballot access can also come with a price.  

Now, this is no attempt to scare anyone from public service; it’s to show how impactful fundraising is to shaping paths to leadership. And as voters, understanding the money behind a campaign is key to understanding how that campaign operates.  

If you’re interested in seeing how much your local or federal candidates raised (and spent?) Tools like opensecrets.org and fec.gov let you follow the money on your own.  

In politics, money doesn’t just talk; it writes checks that shape our elections.