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Daniela Berson
WMAL.com
ROCKVILLE, MD — (WMAL) Valerie Ervin dropped out of the primary race for Maryland Representative Chris Van Hollen’s 8th District seat yesterday, citing monetary concerns.
Ervin committed to campaigning full-time and left her paid job for an extended period of time.
Despite a strong grassroots push, she failed to secure funding for her run and had to drop out.
Middle-class candidates around the country are suffering similar woes, as spending millions of dollars on a campaign for a $165,000 a year job isn’t financially feasible.
Todd Eberly, Chair of the Political Science Department at St. Mary’s College, says it’s just too expensive for the average American to run a campaign.
Eberly said that people “Who may already be independently wealthy and can afford to take the time away from work” have a better shot at being elected.
“So out of 535 members of Congress, 250 of them are millionaires,” Eberly said.
Aside from the legal fees involved in establishing a campaign, candidates also face challenges in recognition.
People who have previous experience in government office are more likely to be elected.
Reaching that point in the first place is often the biggest challenge.
Television advertisements and public appearances can cost thousands of dollars each, and middle-class candidates can’t shell out that kind of cash.
Eberly said that he doesn’t see the race opening up to middle-class candidates anytime soon.
“That is not the average American. I think part of that comes down to average working class and middle class folks cannot afford to run for Congress,” he said.
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