It costs an average of $358 million to make a presidential bid in the United States, according to WalletHub’s analysis of financial disclosures and campaign spending data from candidates in 2016 and 2020.

Winning is even more expensive, too. Former president Obama’s campaign and his affiliates invested $1.14 billion in his 2012 reelection, for example. President Trump and his affiliates spent approximately $439 million en route to victory in 2016. And candidates for the Democratic nomination in 2020 shelled out more than $726 million so far.

With 14 states (plus American Samoa) and roughly 40% of U.S. voters up for grabs in the March 3 Super Tuesday primaries, WalletHub on Monday released its 2020 Presidential Candidate Personal Finance Report in order to help better inform (and entertain) the electorate.

This report includes a breakdown of seven leading candidates’ financial disclosures. It also features interesting insights such as how the average candidate’s savings compare to the average American’s and which candidates made a small fortune from speaking fees.

See the infographic below.

Highlights

  • $208.5M: The average candidate’s assets (vs. $29,410 for the median American).
  • $16M: The average candidate’s cash savings (vs. less than $1,000 for most Americans).
  • 169M: Donald Trump leads the cash game, with $50 million to $169 million.
  • $127,760: Joe Biden’s average speaking fee since 2018, with his biggest paydays coming from Drew University ($190,000) and Lake Michigan College ($182,679).
  • $5.2M: Biden’s overall income from speeches, nearly $1 million of which came from events held by post-secondary educational institutions.
  • 5: Donald Trump owns five personal real estate properties worth in total more than $122 million.
  • $0: Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren have no liabilities listed on their financial disclosures. That means they don’t have any debt declared.For the full report, please click here: 

 

Source: WalletHub

Image Sources

  • Super Tuesday: Shutterstock