All You Need Are Looks and a Whole Lot of Money

Born to raise funds.
(AP photo)

You’d better have money, honey, if you want to make it through the high-priced gauntlet known as the 2016 presidential primaries:

Right to Rise, the super PAC supporting Jeb Bush , estimates it will cost nearly $60 million just to run 10 days’ worth of advertising in the first 30 primary states. That doesn’t include turning on the lights of campaign offices and filling them with full-time staff dedicated to identifying supporters and getting them to vote.

The expanding roles of super PACs and a condensed nominating calendar are fundamentally transforming the way the 2016 primary campaign will be conducted. Gone are the days when campaigns could just scrape together enough money to advertise in Iowa and New Hampshire, counting on an early victory to spur an infusion of fresh contributions.

With 16 Republicans running and the polls muddled, this year more than ever, a premium is attached to building up enough money for a mad dash through big states. Roughly 62% of the delegates will be allotted in the first 52 days of voting, from Feb. 1 to March 22. Eleven states hold nominating contests on March 1, including Texas with its 20 media markets.

Why is it every time Washington tries to “help the little guy” by “taking the money out of politics,” it always seems to benefit the best-connected candidates?