{"id":2470437,"date":"2025-08-04T08:16:59","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T12:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/when-money-cant-buy-votes-three-times-the-underfunded-candidate-beat-the-odds-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-08-04T08:20:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T12:20:19","slug":"when-money-cant-buy-votes-three-times-the-underfunded-candidate-beat-the-odds-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/when-money-cant-buy-votes-three-times-the-underfunded-candidate-beat-the-odds-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"When money can\u2019t buy votes: Three times the underfunded candidate beat the odds &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhen-money-cant-buy-votes-three-times-the-underfunded-candidate-beat-the-odds-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2470437&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses notable instances where political candidates won elections despite being substantially outspent by their opponents, highlighting that while campaign funding usually predicts electoral success, it is indeed not the sole factor. Typically, candidates who spend the most have a high likelihood of victory-such as, over 90% of top spenders win House seats.Though, grassroots efforts, candidate appeal, key campaign issues, and voter turnout can overcome financial disadvantages.<\/p>\n<p>Three examples illustrate this phenomenon:<\/p>\n<p>1. **2025 New York Democratic Mayoral Primary:** Zohran Mamdani defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo despite being outspent more than three-too-one when including outside spending. Mamdani&#8217;s strong grassroots volunteer base and early campaign start helped bridge the funding gap.<\/p>\n<p>2.**2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court Race:** Susan Crawford, supported by Democrats, won against Brad Schimel despite Schimel&#8217;s campaign receiving over $54 million-much of it from high-profile PACs-compared to Crawford&#8217;s approximately $46 million. Turnout issues on the Republican side contributed to Schimel&#8217;s loss.<\/p>\n<p>3. **2022 Alaska house Race:** Mary Peltola flipped a Republican-held seat despite raising only about one-sixth as much campaign funding as major opponents like Sarah Palin.Ranked choice voting and broad voter appeal helped her secure a narrow victory.<\/p>\n<p>Experts cited in the article emphasize that while funding is crucial for voter outreach and advertising, ultimately winning requires earning the most votes, which can be influenced by various factors beyond money, including charisma, messaging, turnout, and electoral systems such as ranked choice voting.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">When money can&rsquo;t buy votes: Three times the underfunded candidate beat the odds<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2178831\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>While the better-funded candidate typically beats out their competitors each <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elections\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">election<\/a> cycle, the republic the founders crafted allows grassroots movements to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >fuel major political upsets<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s well known that the candidate who spends the most is usually the victor. <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">For example, more th<\/span>an&nbsp;90%&nbsp;of candidates who spend the most win when it comes to <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/house-of-representatives\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">House <\/a>seats.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3484099\/mace-announces-campaign-south-carolina-governor\/\">Mace announces campaign for South Carolina governor<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3488946\/lone-star-state-texas-bigger-role-2026\/\">Why the Lone Star State could have a &#8216;bigger than Texas-sized&#8217; role in 2026<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3489864\/abbott-threatens-texas-democrats-removal-if-they-dont-return\/\">Abbott threatens Texas Democrats with removal of office if they don&#8217;t return by Monday<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Campaign finance matters,&rdquo; Michael Kang, a law professor at Northwestern University specializing in campaign finance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/11\/01\/1205728664\/campaign-finance-donations-election-fec-fundraising-ad-spending\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"told\">told<\/a> NPR. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the way that candidates fund their outreach and messaging to voters.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>But it&rsquo;s not the only factor tied to a victorious campaign. The candidate, their charisma, and the issues they&rsquo;re running on all tie into performance. That played out on the national stage during the 2024 election cycle, which saw history&rsquo;s most expensive presidential campaigns. Former Vice President Kamala Harris lost her race against President Donald Trump, despite outspending him by hundreds of millions of dollars.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Spending money will always be one piece of the puzzle, of course,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifs.org\/research\/moneys-not-enough\/#:~:text=Conclusion%20That%20the%20higher%20spender%20usually%20wins,public%20support%20leading%20to%20higher%20success%20rates.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">according to<\/a> the Institute for Free Speech. &ldquo;Yard signs, mailers, advertisements, and other communication mediums cost money. If a candidate wants to inform and win voters, they will need to buy exposure. But spending more doesn&rsquo;t make a candidate win. In the end, only one thing wins elections, and that&rsquo;s earning the most votes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Aside from Harris versus Trump, there have been multiple other high-profile races in recent years where a candidate won despite the other side having a funding advantage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2025 New York Democratic mayoral primary<\/h2>\n<p>In this election, New York Assemblyman <a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/zohran-mamdani\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Zohran Mamdani<\/a> pulled off an upset win against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo despite being outspent by a more than 3-to-1 margin.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Mamdani ran an impressive grassroots campaign in which he matched Cuomo in funds raised directly by their campaigns, meeting the $8 million donations cap imposed by New York law.<\/p>\n<p>However, when accounting additionally for the outside groups and PACs supporting their candidacies, the former governor outspent Mamdani by millions.<\/p>\n<p>Cuomo&rsquo;s loss came after spending around $87 per vote compared to Mamdani&rsquo;s $19, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecity.nyc\/2025\/06\/26\/cuomo-fix-city-independent-expenditures-mayor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">according to<\/a> the <em>City<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Mamdani worked around the overall spending disadvantage partly due to his mighty army of volunteers, which he built by starting his campaign early in October 2024, compared to the following March, when Cuomo launched his bid for City Hall.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks in New York at his primary election party on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. (AP Photo\/Heather Khalifa)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court race<\/h2>\n<p>Trial judge Susan Crawford, who aligned with Democrats, was pitted against former Attorney General Brad Schimel ahead of the April election.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As Republican-affiliated groups sought to flip the seat and tilt the liberal balance of the court by electing Schimel, the race quickly became the most expensive judicial election in history, with total spending topping $100 million.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Elon Musk-affiliated PACs, including Building America&rsquo;s Future and America, funneled over $20 million into Schimel&rsquo;s campaign, which attracted over $54 million in total funding, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brennancenter.org\/our-work\/research-reports\/buying-time-2025-wisconsin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">according to<\/a> the Brennan Center for Justice.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But in the end, Crawford won despite drawing less funding, around $46 million. She defeated Schimel by a 10-point margin, meaning that liberals will continue to hold a 4-3 majority on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aclu-targets-loudoun-county-teachers-speech-wants-them-forced-to-use-gender-affirming-pronouns\/\" title=\"ACLU Targets Loudoun County Teachers\u2019 Speech, Wants Them Forced To Use \u2018Gender-Affirming\u2019 Pronouns\">state high court<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;From tip to tail, north to south, east to west, this was an absolute drubbing,&rdquo; Democratic political operative Joe Zepecki <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wpr.org\/news\/susan-crawford-supreme-court-win-democrats-2026-midterms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">told<\/a> <em>Wisconsin Public Radio<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Schimel&rsquo;s loss was blamed partly on turnout. While Democratic outrage against Musk and his work at Trump&rsquo;s Department of Government Efficiency helped drive momentum on the Left, Republicans also didn&rsquo;t turn in the numbers Schimel needed to win.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It was a turnout issue on the Republican side,&rdquo; longtime GOP consultant Bill McCoshen said. &ldquo;Not enough Donald Trump voters who voted in November.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel, center, warms up with his band &ldquo;4 on the Floor&rdquo; early at his election night party April 1, 2025, in Pewaukee, Wis. (AP Photo\/Andy Manis)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2022 Alaska House Race: Mary Peltola<\/h2>\n<p>Peltola faced heavy odds in this race as she sought to flip an Alaska seat that a Republican had held for 49 years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who held high name recognition and a powerful funding machine, was one of Peltola&rsquo;s opponents who challenged her during her campaign to fill Don Young&rsquo;s seat in a special election. Republican businessman Nick Begich III was also on the ticket.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, Peltola won the election despite raising only about one-sixth of what her two Republican opponents raised combined, flipping the seat blue in a critical win for Democrats, who hadn&rsquo;t won a statewide election since 2008.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Peltola&rsquo;s campaign raised just $379,088 and spent $254,299, compared to Palin, who raised more than $1 million and spent $996,291, <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Mary_Peltola\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">according to<\/a> <em>Ballotpedia<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>But after the ballots were counted, Peltola captured the win by a 51.5% to 48.5% margin.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Democratic congresswoman credited her victory partly to the effect of the<em> <\/em>state&rsquo;s then-brand-new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/adams-remains-frontrunner-in-wide-open-race-to-be-nycs-next-mayor-poll-shows\/\" title=\"Adams Remains Frontrunner In Wide-Open ... To Be NYC\u2019s Next Mayor, Poll Shows\">ranked choice voting system<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) poses in downtown Juneau, Alaska, during a visit to the city on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024. (AP Photo\/Becky Bohrer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3463089\/working-class-support-mamdani-trump-bogeyman\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">WORKING-CLASS SUPPORT ELUDES MAMDANI IN NYC MAYORAL RACE <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This race showed that Alaskans have an appetite for someone who isn&rsquo;t partisan, and for campaigns that are positive,&rdquo; Peltola<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/the-political-scene\/how-mary-peltola-beat-sarah-palin-in-alaskas-special-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> told<\/a> the <em>New Yorker<\/em>. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m optimistic about ranked choice voting &mdash; it certainly made this possible.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the initial round of results, 40% of voters chose Peltola as their first choice, 31% chose Palin, and 29% Begich. In subsequent rounds, Peltola was able to pick up votes and secure the win after Begich&rsquo;s votes were reallocated under ranked choice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2178831\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2178831\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When money can&#8217;t buy votes: 3 underdogs beat odds<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2470438,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/brad-schimel-scaled-1024x682.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[33926,6571,35288,60563,44713],"class_list":["post-2470437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-campaign-finance","tag-elections","tag-political-campaigns","tag-underdog-candidates","tag-voting-behavior"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/brad-schimel-scaled-1024x682.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2470437","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2470437"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2470437\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2470441,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2470437\/revisions\/2470441"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2470438"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2470437"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2470437"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2470437"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}