Perhaps the biggest loser of this year's Primary season was Dan Kohl, the nephew of U.S. Senator Herb Kohl.
In the Democratic Primary to succeed Sheldon Wasserman (who is running for State Senate against Alberta Darling), Kohl finished third out of four candidates. The winner, Sandy Pasch received 2909 votes. Andy Feldman finished a close second with 2839 votes. Kohl finished a relatively distant third with 1786 votes while Guy Johnson finished fourth with slightly over 300 votes.
I don't know Dan Kohl personally and didn't vote in this particular race. I also believe that there's no dishonor in running third in a four candidate field.
What is interesting though is the way Kohl managed to come in third.
According to campaign finance reports, as of August 25, 2008, Kohl had raised $171,000 and spent over $134,000. The final numbers will undoubtedly be a lot larger. Still, even spending "only" $134,000 translates into $75 per vote. In contrast, again looking at spending as of August 25, Pasch had spent $19.50 per vote while Feldman spent only $9.86 per vote.
I doubt that anybody is going to have to have a garage sale for Mr. Kohl any time soon. Still, it wasn't a very good return on investment.
I guess it's true that money definitely can't buy you love - and occasionally can't buy you an election.
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.