Trump Spends the Least and Wins the Most Votes

Donald Trump expressed clear happiness when he stated, "We gained the votes of evangelical Christians, the votes of young people, the votes of older individuals, the votes of educated people, and the votes of less educated people (not to mention that I love these less educated people)..." This statement came after his decisive victory in Nevada. However, what truly delighted Trump was not the diversity of votes but the margin by which he outperformed his rivals. In Nevada, where a large number of Latino citizens reside, Trump managed to secure 46% of the votes. This is crucial for Trump's campaign for two reasons: first, his anti-immigrant rhetoric has primarily targeted Latinos, particularly Mexicans, with some describing his comments as 'racist.' Second, in the Republican primary competition, his main rivals, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, both have Latino roots; Rubio's parents are Cuban immigrants, and Cruz's father is also a Cuban immigrant. Despite these factors, Trump was not discouraged in Nevada. He won decisively, exceeding expectations and polling predictions, and approached 'Super Tuesday' with renewed vigor. Many Republicans, who were hoping to halt Trump's winning streak in Nevada, quickly became disheartened. Trump's campaign now resembles a snowball rolling down a mountain, growing larger by the moment, and it is unlikely to stop crushing his competitors. So far, Jeb Bush's withdrawal has not miraculously boosted Rubio's votes, nor has Ted Cruz's continuous presence among the people turned him into a frontrunner overnight. The next round of the Republican primary is 'Super Tuesday,' taking place next Tuesday, when primaries will be held simultaneously in 12 states. Democrats are also just one step away from 'Super Tuesday.' Their primary will first take place in South Carolina next Saturday, followed by Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders heading into 'Super Tuesday.' In the past week, all candidates submitted detailed accounts of their campaign finances to the Election Commission, which released the financial details of the campaigns for January. As many had predicted, based on these figures, Hillary Clinton currently has the wealthiest campaign, having raised $188 million. Nearly $60 million of this amount was collected by 'super PACs,' over which Clinton and her campaign will have no access or control. However, the remaining funds are under their control, and they spent nearly $100 million in January. The second wealthiest candidate still in the race is Ted Cruz, who has raised over $104 million, but about half of this money is in the hands of super PACs. Cruz spent about $40 million of his own funds in January, while his super PACs spent nearly $20 million. The third candidate on this list is someone many—especially his supporters—did not expect to be in such a good financial position: Bernie Sanders, who has not accepted support from any super PAC and raises and spends all his campaign funds himself. He has raised $96 million and spent $81 million in January, which is double what Cruz spent! Marco Rubio follows with $84 million raised (having spent $34 million), and Ben Carson with $68 million (having spent $58 million). The surprising aspect of this list is Donald Trump, the leading Republican candidate. He raised about $27 million in January and spent $25 million. Trump, who generally does not rely on others, finances most of his campaign out of his own pocket. He has spent significantly less than others and has achieved considerably better results. The small amount of money Trump spent in January becomes more apparent when looking at the financial situation of the faltering Jeb Bush campaign. Before his withdrawal, Bush had the wealthiest Republican campaign, raising $157 million in January—about six times what Trump raised. Bush, who was not faring well in the polls, spent $130 million in January (with $100 million from super PACs and $30 million from his campaign) to save himself. However, this expenditure, which was significantly higher than other candidates—especially Trump—did not save Bush at all. In other words, the common perception that whoever has more money will ultimately win the election in the U.S. has proven to be incorrect so far; in the Republican camp, the candidate with the most money has been eliminated from the race, while the candidate who has spent the least is celebrating victory state by state.