How is my donation used?

People who have never gotten into the nitty gritty of a political campaign are always surprised when they find out exactly how much it costs to run for office — even at the local level. In the spirit of transparency, I want to give you an idea of how your money is spent when I ask for your support.

As a first-time candidate in 2015 I spent just over $50,000 to win a seat. There we no “open” seats in 2015 (all 9 incumbents were running for re-election), and I was the only new candidate elected. In 2017 I again spent about $50,000 and was re-elected in a field of 26 candidates (3 incumbents chose not to seek re-election, so this attracted more new candidates to the field, 3 of whom won).

The money I raised went toward:

Payroll (full-time campaign manager and part-time help during the summer/fall of the election year)

Printing campaign literature (brochures and mailings)

Software to create voter canvassing lists (essential for an efficient field operation)

Web & email hosting fees (note: these expenses continue in the “off-year”)

Office space (co-working desk for my campaign manager during the 6-mo. election season)

Yard signs

Advertising (social media ads primarily)

Stationary & office supplies

Credit card processing (please donate by check, if possible)

Postage (to mail brochures and thank you letters)

Events (for fundraising and volunteer recruitment)

* A full list of expenditures and donations can be found on the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance website.