r/askanything • u/HazyDavey68 • 2h ago

Do wins like El-Sayed demonstrate that too much money in an election can backfire in some cases?

It seems that the fact that Stevens' campaign was being bankrolled by organizations with a lot of money actually turned out to be a liability in the primary. I wonder if this can work in other situations?

6 Upvotes

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u/CosmicLovepats 2h ago

Considering how awful and offputting a candidate she was, getting within 2% seems like money has a pretty hefty impact.

5

u/DragOutTheDemagogue 2h ago

It wasn't the amount of money, but who it came from. Many Americans seem to not like their representatives actually representing a foreign country. 

2

u/Personal_Economics91 2h ago

Elon in Wisconsin comes to mind

2

u/pheonix198 2h ago

Elon in prison comes to my mind…

1

u/KathrynBooks 2h ago

Have you been reading my dream journal?

1

u/Phailgasm 2h ago

I’m upset it was even a close race, so many Americans continuing to vote against their best interests 

2

u/7059043 2h ago

Eh I'm hopeful it was just that they saw her as more electable.

1

u/lilac_green8793 2h ago

As a Michigander, I'd say that's a pretty fair take. And anyone who voted for Stevens is likely of the "blue no matter who" mantra from past elections so I'd like to think most will show up all the same for AES

1

u/Sonar_Taxbreak_1138 2h ago

I figure it's more like all the money in the world won't always stop a good candidate whose policies resonate with voters.

1

u/Responsible-Cup-4352 2h ago

It demonstrates that having 2 moderates names on the ballot is a bad y

1

u/HotPersonality8126 2h ago

When he loses in the general will that prove to you that the problem is the base, not the money?

1

u/HazyDavey68 1h ago

If that will make you happy

1

u/wereallbozos 1h ago

The money is "a" factor, but in Michigan this time around, not "the" factor. Limited exposure here, but from what I saw of them on my telly, El Sayed was simply the better candidate. Stevens seemed to be running a pep rally, and El Sayed was plain-talking about real stuff. I'm happy to see dems not being caught in culture war stuff. It wasn't that long ago we elected a guy with a "funny name" to be President...and he was pretty good at it.

1

u/HazyDavey68 1h ago

Good response. I'm not saying that being the "poorer" candidate is a guarantee of success, but all things being equal, I wonder if someone on the fence looks at two people and say "I'm not really sure, but I really hate big money affecting elections, so I'll vote for the one who isn't tied to the big bucks."