SACRAMENTO — Relying on the same sources of cash that long have funded California campaigns, rivals in the recall fight -- a battle portrayed as a revolt against politics as usual -- raised $80 million.
The 77-day sprint, involving Gov. Gray Davis and three major candidates to replace him, cost roughly the same as the last general election, a seven-month marathon involving two candidates.
Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger led the pack this time by bringing in $21.9 million. Davis raised nearly $17 million.
"This is business as usual, as far as I can tell," said Democratic campaign consultant Bill Carrick.
To wage their campaigns, Schwarzenegger, Davis, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and state Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) tapped individuals, corporations and other entities. Most of the donors have a stake in the outcome of legislation in the state Capitol.
"You can have a popular revolt -- if you can find tens of millions of dollars," said political science professor Gary Jacobson, a campaign finance expert at UC San Diego.
The campaign's price tag "reflects the reality of communications," Jacobson said. "There is no cheap way to do it."
California has 15.4 million registered voters. Each piece of campaign mail costs about 40 cents to deliver. The price of sending a single piece of literature to each would have exceeded $6 million.
But the biggest factor in the cost of the campaign was television.
The campaign climaxed during a week when television series were premiering and television stations were charging premium rates.
"Prices are through the roof," said Richie Ross, chief consultant to Bustamante.
The Democratic lieutenant governor was spending $3.5 million a week on television during the final stretch of the campaign. Ross estimated that the price of that air time was 50% higher than it was during the summer.
"By one measure, that is extraordinary," Ross said of the costs. "But by another measure, it's not really. What are they spending on Clarinex ads? All these candidates were competing in a hugely important election."
Although Schwarzenegger gave his own campaign $10 million in bank loans and contributions, he raised more than $11.9 million from an array of donors after vowing not to raise money from special interests.
"I take money from [the] little grocery store, or the little shoe store or the guy that owns the real estate company or something like that," Schwarzenegger said. "But most of my contributions, 90% of them, are just from regular people."
