Each case is separate.
LaRouche was crazy so he probably thought he would be president—ditto for Marianne Williamson. :-)
I think Pat Buchanan thought he could win.
Ron Paul is probably the best argument for your view—but he was running to expose issues not for future employment.
The “stepping stone” argument is the one I have an issue with—serious campaigns are way too much blood sweat and tears to not care if you win.
Nikki was in it to win it imho.
Let us travel back in our time machine:
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/archive/2024/01/nikki-haley-could-surprise-us/677091/
https://www.limaohio.com/columns/2023/02/16/s-e-cupp-dont-count-nikki-haley-out-she-could-win-it/
https://twitter.com/NikkiHaley/status/1660992748827074560
“We’re in it to win it.”
The candidates say this because their staff is in it to win it—and they better be as well.
If any of the candidates I worked for said anything different I and most of the staff would walk—immediately.
There are 100s of these people, go back over the years and look at how many benefitted, big timers might get TV slots and the rest of their lives as go-to talking heads, the small timers enhance their lecture fees and newsletter sales, and everything in-between.
Some of the big names like Haley are running for the veep position, but if that fails they still benefit.
For Duncan Hunter it was to get his son into the family seat.
“””“We’re in it to win it.” The candidates say this because their staff is in it to win it—and they better be as well.
If any of the candidates I worked for said anything different I and most of the staff would walk—immediately.””””
Why do you bother even posting something so obvious, do you think that even your gardener running for president is going to tell his supporters and the media that he is just goofing off to see if he can make some money off of it?