Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney may be portraying himself as a man willing to work for the people and bring a business sense to Washington, but spending a lot of his own money on the campaign for the Republican nomination may be seen as an attempt to buy his way into national politics. It is no secret that a presidential campaign bid is expensive and depends on supporters for their financial help. A candidate who has to spend a lot of their own cash on the trail may be seen as lacking in the support department.
According to USA Election Polls (USAElectionPolls.com), Mitt Romney is running his strongest race in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Utah. He is coming in 4th at this time within the Republican candidates in the national race.
On the flip side, there are those who believe that Romney’s lack of funding from many groups that could be considered as having special interests is a plus for Romney. By not raising a lot of political contributions early in the process, just over $14 million, he is seen as not being bought by any group, except his own pocket. By putting over $6 million of his own money into his campaign could be viewed as a willingness to make a personal sacrifice to attain the national attention needed during the campaign.
What many voters see in Mitt Romney is a man of great financial means with very little in common with the people he wants to convince he is the best candidate. Showing up dressed in clothing that costs more than most of the voter’s vehicles, he may be presenting an image of being out of touch with the reality of the middle class. His personal wealth can hurt him or help him, depending on how his net worth is perceived by voters.
