why do incumbants and challangers fund raise?

Question

I am not sure why they even fund raise... and is it necessary for challengers to raise more money than incumbents in elections in Texas?

Answer 1

Roughly, a challenger has to outspend an incumbent 2-1 to have a shot at winning.

Roughly 85% of the races are won by the person spending the most money.

IN fact, people who run every two years (such as your House Reps from Texas in the US Congress) spend as much time fund raising as they do in Congress.

Answer 2

Campaigning is the most expensive part of politics. Usually, politicians try to raise funds from PACs, businesses, individuals and use their own finances. Presidential caompaigns require millionsof dollars and sometimes everyone doesn't have that kind of money.
For the second part of your question, incumbents, in any race, have the upper hand, therefore, challengers need their name out their more. Plus, when companies and PACs have donated money to the incumbant already, they are most likely to do it again.

Answer 3

Think of it as a wargame. In most times of war the aggressor has to bring more troops than the defender has available. This is for two military Military 1) Overwhemlming force results in a quicker win 2) On the defender's field, the defender will fight harder than the aggressor (usually true).
Same thing is true in the instance of the political field. The incumbent having home field advantage just has to set up the walls to defend his place versus break them down.

Answer 4

To raise money to campaign to have buy banners and posters and mailings but mostly for TV ads which are very expensive. To run a effective campaign requires you to get your face and issues as much exposure as possible. The more money you raise the better chance you have more exposure. I don't know about the Texas issue but it's usual everywhere you go.

Answer 5

Well first off, Texas is not one of the states that offers the option to accept only public funding yet... only a hand full of states are offering that atm.

Secondly, if they don't campaign for funds and can't afford from their own funds to pay for advertisement, they are pretty much doomed from the start. They need funds for television and other forms of media ads.

Answer 6

To buy our votes. Its politics, now its a well paying job no experiance needed. Political Millionaires? all of them. If I could get elected I would dang surte sit in air conditioned comfort and tell everyone, I am working on that also!
$350,00 a yr tax free at the state level, yeah I will raise a million to get that job.

Answer 7

Because money is the milk of politics. You cannot win an election without some money, so you can put your name out there. You need money to raise more money to raise more money so you can put your name out there. You need money for commercials. You need money to put on events and to publicize events where you will give speeches. You need money to put out pamphlets and those signs you see all over. And you need money to pay your core group of advisers and campaign people to put on these events to raise money and get your name out there. And you would be surprised how much all of these things cost. A 30 second ad on TV costs in the tens of thousands depending on where it airs.

The reason you need to put your name out there is because no one knows you unless you get your name out there. And the more name recognition you have, the more likely you are to get elected. Oh, and you also need to get your message out, but name recognition is more important (unless your ideas are really, really crazy). I mean, some people will only vote for democrats and some only for republicans and there is no way to change their mind. So spending money on these folks who will vote no matter what is probably money down a rat hole (although you have to get your "base" out to vote). But you have to make ads (mainly attack ads) to get the folks who haven't made up their minds to know who you are so they'll recognize your name when they vote.

Answer 8

To pay for advertisements, banners, flags, etc. Campaigning for office is a very expensive task.

Answer 9

So that they can continue to be, or to become incumbents

Answer 10

Travel. Buy ads. Hire staff.