DES MOINES, Iowa — An unprecedented swell of money is flooding into Iowa for tomorrow’s caucuses, with campaigns on track to spend roughly $50 million – a record-setting figure that doubles the staggering per-vote amount billionaire Mayor Bloomberg shelled out in 2005. The shocking expenditures: about $200 per vote for each of the roughly 250,000 caucus-goers expected to turn out. When all is said and done, the per-vote cost for caucus-goers of all stripes will easily double the $103 apiece that Bloomberg – who’s mulling a presidential race of his own – spent from his own fortune for every vote he got in 2005. The mayor’s $78 million campaign was considered the best that money could buy. The spending numbers are significant given the outsized importance Iowa plays in the nomination process – especially in a year where both parties are considered a toss-up, and in which there’s a truncated primary calendar. The $50 million figure includes more than $30 million for TV ads, more than $1 million for radio ads, and more than $10 million for direct mail. Then there are ‘robocalls,’ automated calls directly into people’s homes, which can cost between 8 cents […]

Read the Full Article