Most candidates detest asking for money. In fact, some dislike it so much they simply do not do it. But if you do not raise money, you are forced to do one of two things: either fund your campaign out of your own pocket or run without money.
The former is fine if you are wealthy and can afford to write a big check, as Jon Corzine did when he spent $60 million of his own money to win a Senate seat in New Jersey or when Michael Bloomberg wrote a $74 million check to run for and win the mayor's race in New York. The latter is OK if you are a safe incumbent or a prohibitive front-runner running against an unknown long shot, who has no capacity to fund a serious campaign against you.
But if you are in any other situation, it is not OK.
Candidates in most elections bear the brunt of fund raising. Unless you are running for a highly competitive U.S. Senate seat or in one of 25 or 30 congressional districts that have been targeted by national party committees and interest groups for wide-open combat, it is unlikely that other forces will assume all or most of the burden for you.
Most contributors want to be personally asked by candidates. They want incumbent--and future--public officials to know who they are.
After you have created a campaign budget, you have to turn your attention to identifying and reaching potential contributors.
There are four ways for candidates to raise money: …
