Salary expenses for Cory Booker’s presidential campaign were among the highest in the Democratic primary field, but his fundraising haul fell short of his top competitors, raising questions about the New Jersey senator’s lasting power in the race.
Booker’s second quarter campaign disclosure shows he disbursed nearly $1.6 million in salary payments to his staff of more than 150 individuals. The payments topped those of some of his chief rivals for the nomination, such as South Bend mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), each of whom spent about $1.4 million on salary, according to an analysis by the Washington Free Beacon.
The Booker campaign’s total fundraising haul of $4.5 million, however, was well below Buttigieg, who raised $24.9 million, and Harris, who raised $11.8 million.
The only candidates that outspent Booker on campaign staff were former Vice President Joe Biden, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, and Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, who are all outpacing Booker both in fundraising and the polls. Booker has failed to register above 2 percent in any major pollconducted in July.
Booker’s spending has outpaced his ability to raise money in a crowded Democratic primary field. The campaign spent a total of $5.3 million last quarter, about $800,000 more than he raised, with 30 percent of his spending allocated to staff salaries. He entered July with nearly $5.4 million in cash on hand, which puts him far behind current frontrunners. – READ MORE