The people working to elect the next president are investing more than just their experience and time in these campaigns. Some are also sending money to their candidates.
Presidential candidates, mostly Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton, raised roughly $130,000 from about 100 people working on their campaigns, according to a National Journal analysis of itemized donations made public in second-quarter filings with the Federal Election Commission.
The donations cover people who listed presidential campaigns as their employers or appeared on campaign payrolls. They range from $900 in computers handed over to former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee's campaign, to maximum contributions from staffers and their spouses, as was the case with Frank Sadler, Carly Fiorina's campaign manager, and his wife Kelly, a reporter for the Washington Times, who gave $5,400 to Fiorina's campaign. Employees in every level of the hierarchy — from campaign manager to intern — chipped in at least $200 to various campaigns.
Clinton's campaign staff — led by campaign chairman John Podesta and campaign manager Robby Mook — gave the most back to their campaign in the spring, putting $50,000 into her run for president. (That works out to about one-tenth of one percent of Clinton's total fundraising in the second quarter.) People working for Martin O'Malley's presidential bid gave less than $7,000 in the same time. If any staff for Bernie Sanders donated to their boss last quarter, it was in small, unitemized amounts — under $200.
