Some say you have to spend money to make money. Not Gov. Charlie Crist. The eagerly awaited fundraising report for his Senate campaign is finally on the Federal Elections Commission web site, and it shows he spent only $191,804 to haul in a record-setting $4.3 million in donations between April and June.
That leaves the Republican governor sitting on nearly $4.18 million in cash.
Compare Crist's spending to the leading Democratic candidate, Kendrick Meek. He spent more than twice as much – $448,302 — and raised less than $1.2 million. Add Meek's donations and subtract his expenses from the first three months of the year and that leaves him with about $2.33 million in cash.
How did Crist do it? He spent a lot less money on airline tickets, hotels, office equipment and consultants. Meek, on the other hand, doled out $50,000 to a single firm — Bendixen & Associates — for "focus groups."
At this point in the campaign, Crist doesn't appear to need much more than his cell phone and a handshake.
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