Candidates seeking federal or statewide office were the most likely to report they devoted large portions of their time to fundraising activities. Federal and statewide candidates also were the most likely to hire paid staff and consultants to raise money for their campaigns. The high costs of running for office at the congressional and statewide level has forced 55 percent of statewide and more than 43 percent of U.S. House candidates to devote at least one-quarter of their time to fundraising.
Candidates running for the state legislature also face increased demands to raise money.
State legislative races have become very expensive in several large states. Almost one-third of all state legislative candidates report that they devote at least one in four hours on the campaign trail collecting campaign contributions. By comparison, most local and judicial candidates do not need to raise huge sums of money to campaign and report devoting only a small fraction of their time to fundraising. Candidates in statewide and congressional races also are more likely to rely on professional fundraisers. Statewide and U.S. House candidates also spend significantly more money on fundraising than do those running for the state legislature, local, or judicial office.