The Presidential Nominating Process, Campaign Money, and Popular Love”

Could it be that money doesn’t matter in American elections? A fixation on campaign finance reduces the influence of money on politics as purely transactional. But what if you are self-financed or don’t spend very much money on campaigns, yet still draw enormous media attention? Donald Trump’s candidacy forces us to reexamine the roots of success in American politics. What Trump lacks in campaign money, he more than makes up for with claims to great personal wealth and the exhortation of capitalism and favorable markets as a panacea for America’s ills, especially the ills defined by Trump. Over the years, Trump cultivated an aspiration to consume as he did, despite failed businesses and failed marriages. These events lead us to reexamine traditional views about the relevance of campaign cash in American campaigns.