A poor politician: an oxymoron in today’s world. Wealth has repeatedly proved key to winning a seat in Congress or succeeding in the presidential election campaign. The United States’ wealthy control its political sphere and therefore the legislation put into place. The benefits they reap from this are too abundant to be named. In 2020, this trend will continue in the Presidency; However, in 2024 this country should elect a President that doesn’t hold the title “millionaire” or “billionaire.”
According to Forbes, the last candidate that remained with a net worth of under $1 million was Pete Buttigeg. He won the Iowa caucus and came in a strong second place in the New Hampshire primary before getting demolished in South Carolina because of his inability to reach a wide range of voters.
Buttigeg’s net worth of $100,000 was gained as a result of his job as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and his salary as a military reserve member. He forfeited his earnings as mayor for part of 2014 as he was deployed in Afghanistan. Suffice to say, he understands the financial plights of the average American.
Buttigeg had encountered success in Iowa despite not spending hundreds of millions of dollars on ads like Tom Steyer or Michael Bloomberg have. These two billionaire candidates had spent a combined $320 million on ads out of the $409.8 million spent by all candidates as of the beginning of February. This approach to the election allows them to shine a spotlight on their good side, and precludes the uneducated voters they are targeting from truly learning about their political ideologies. While not illegal, winning solely on net worth is not how the democratic process was meant to carry out.
Mass ad spending without the true human interaction employed by higher-net worth candidates presents other issues as well. When these multi-billionaires attempt this strategy, their persistence through pressure of talking directly to the people they might lead one day through town halls and other contact is never tested. And if they don’t win, they are further dividing their party and lowering the chance for the candidate selected over them to succeed.
The political winners of recent times have tried to make it clear that money is key. The 2012 election saw the Democratic and Republican nominee spend over $1 billion each, and this upcoming election will see another president that has a net worth of millions or billions; But, a serious contender for the nomination was a true middle class candidate for the Presidency. Buttigeg will surely be back in 2024 and there is no doubt that others will follow in his footsteps.
