It's easy to get caught up in the rat race of the election and forget the things that matter strategically for a political candidate. In this year's race there has been a great deal of controversy and sex appeal for media outlets to salivate over. However a look at the numbers tells a compelling story about how each party and their nominee will fare in the coming general election. News coverage may get the say for the day but nothing turns out actual votes like an organized campaign apparatus on the ground shaking hands and making phone calls every day. This costs money. A lot of money. So a great way to see the organization that each candidate is building is by checking where and how they spend their money. Luckily this is all disclosed. The visuals below take into account disclosed spending outlays excluding travel(because we're more interested in the organizations candidates are building when they aren't there)
The spending map above paints a picture of two parties with about equivalent resources spending very differently. The Democrats show a tendency to smaller more spread out spending while the GOP concentrates and blasts big spending at crucial times. The GOP concentrations seem to be a reflection of the 17 candidates in the field all spending big when they felt it was their 'all or nothing' moment before they inevitably dropped out. The Democrats were able to show a bit more reservation in their spending because the two candidates with the most resources were more comfortable in their position, less desperate for the next primary to save their campaign. When we take a look though at our nominees now, the picture of their spending becomes even more strikingly divergent.
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton's spending patterns show a beautiful portrait of their campaigns and their respective psychologies. Hillary has built a vast deep network that penetrates most states pretty completely. The coverage her campaign has made is impressive and smacks of a long thought out calculated plan to take the Whitehouse. Donald Trump on the other hand, has spending in sporadically placed areas, punctuated by massive spending bombs that compliment his bombastic personality and campaign style. This likely falls in line with his adroit manipulation of the media to cover his bluster as a form of free advertising. But it speaks to the weakness of his ground organization as well. Hillary has been building a deep web for over a year to compete in the general election. Trump's political inexperience shows here in a big way. While spending where it's visible is fun and shows the most immediate returns, the election is a long game and the country is big and spread out. In order to compete realistically in November, Trump will need a miracle of organization that I think we're unlikely to see. His one man show can drive headlines and outrage but votes are another matter. Hillary has the widespread machinery in place to put people in the voting booth. Trump, without an organization to turn out the vote may have a real problem with Supporters In Name Only.