“You dont use that money during this polling period, you save it for right in front of each primary. Thats why Perry is still sitting on 15 million...hes going to flood markets, especially SC and Florida.”
I suspect that the Tea Party candidates in 2010 averaged about 10% of what their “establishment” opponents had in the bank. Sometimes money simply DOES NOT BUY VOTES.
State-wide races are a different animal than nation-wide. It takes a lot of cash and presence in far-flung states, if, of course, you really intend to compete. If not, you can run a low-budget campaign, try to deliver a message, and vie for a VP slot.