For an interactive look at the candidates' campaign finances, click here. |
Sophomore Duncan Pickard went beyond chalkings and T-shirts during last month's Tufts Community Union (TCU) presidential campaign.
Pickard, who won the election, significantly outspent his rivals, devoting money to a wide variety of tactics while scraping against the campaign-spending cap.
The victor more than doubled the spending of opponent Elton Sykes, a junior who came in third and last place in the election.
Pickard raised $999.99 - one cent short of the $1,000 maximum - to Sykes' $449.21. TCU Parliamentarian C.J. Mourning, a sophomore who came in second place, accrued $675.92.
While Sykes spent his campaign money exclusively on chalk, posters and T-shirts, Pickard devoted his abundant funds to a number of more creative tactics. On one occasion, Pickard's campaign bought donuts and coffee from Dunkin' Donuts, then painted "Duncan" over the word "Dunkin'" on each box. The campaign sold its "Duncan Donuts" at the campus center. On the eve of the election, Pickard's squad put up campaign door hangers on students' doorknobs across campus.
Pickard, who won 42 percent of first-choice ballots in the April 23 election, was also the only one of the three candidates to have placed an advertisement in a university student publication. He took out full-page ads in the Tufts Observer and the Daily.
Pickard said his campaign drew on support from a wide variety of donors - some within the Tufts community and some outside. "I had a bunch of family friends, personal friends and family members all donating money," he said.
Sykes said he believes Pickard's wide donor base gave the sophomore an unfair advantage. "I definitely do think that was an advantage to him compared to me," Sykes said. "To be honest, I didn't have that amount of money, nor could I ask my friends to raise that amount of money. So to that extent it definitely was an advantage."
The TCU Elections Commission (ECOM) allots $250 to each presidential candidate and allows each campaign to raise up to $750 in additional funds.
Sykes suggested a revision to the ECOM's rule. "We definitely, I think, in the future, need to change that, because [Pickard] talked a lot about how this campus is changing, and that's definitely one of the ways: It's going to be way more socioeconomically diverse. And it's going to be hard for people who don't have $1,000 of their own or $1,000 among their friends to raise."
But ECOM Chair Anjali Nirmalan said it is crucial to allow candidates to fundraise. "It would be unrealistic for students who plan to go into politics to run in a very important election and not be expected to fundraise," she said.
Nirmalan, a junior, said that ECOM tries to keep TCU presidential campaigning methods up-to-date with trends in national politics. "That's why, you know, a couple years ago we did not allow any type of online campaigning and we revised that ... because even though it's easier for us to keep track of campaigning without [online] campaigning ... it's unrealistic for students who are going into politics not to use the Internet."
Pickard and Mourning each bought campaign Web sites, but Sykes did not. Pickard reported having paid $9.99 for his domain name, www.duncanfortufts.com, while Mourning documented spending $9.95 for hers, www.votecj.com.
Pickard lauded the hard work of his campaign team, headed by junior Adam Weldai. "The whole marketing side and PR side - that was all people who were just so excited to get behind [the campaign's] message," he said. "I think [the victory is] a testament to the campaign team and how many people were invested in the message that I was trying to put forward."
Weldai, who ran last year for a seat on the Malden, Mass. city council, brought personal experience to Pickard's presidential effort. For instance, Weldai knew of a company that sold custom door hangers at affordable prices.
"Adam, when he ran for city council in Malden last year, he had done a lot of posting of materials," Pickard said. "So he had a lot of really good contacts in Malden."
