Just how much cash does it take to run for governor? A lot.

Running a race for Kansas governor takes a lot of cash.

In the last gubernatorial campaign in 2014, just two candidates – Gov. Sam Brownback and Democrat Paul Davis – raked in a combined $10.2 million in contributions.

With more than 10 candidates in the 2018 race so far, a fundraising frenzy could mean that you won’t be able to escape politics next year even if you want to. More money buys more ads – on TV, in print and on social media – in the effort to win your vote.

An Eagle analysis of campaign finance data sheds light on how much cash a winning campaign needs. Let’s just say it’s not small.

In preparation for his re-election campaign, Brownback collected $5.6 million from 2011 to the end of 2014. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius took in more than $5.9 million in the run-up to her re-election in 2006.

To put the amounts in perspective: Someone earning $35,000 a year would have to work more than 168 years to make $5.9 million.

Scramble for cash

The amount of money donated and spent in the 2018 campaign could surge, given that both parties expect competitive primaries. And that’s even more likely to happen if a self-financing candidate, such as independent Greg Orman, enters the race.

Orman, who in 2014 had a net worth somewhere between $21 million and $86 million, raised $5.7 million in his failed bid to oust Republican Sen. Pat Roberts. He self-financed $3.8 million of the total, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign spending.

Orman hasn’t said whether he will run for governor, but speculation has mounted that he will enter the race and would be willing to spend millions of his own money.

It’s not clear yet how much the current candidates have raised so far. Campaigns don’t have to file their first finance reports until next year.

The scramble for cash is one factor driving entries into the race. There are only so many major donors willing to give.

Some candidates could drop out early next year if they can’t raise enough, said Rep. Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita. He predicted those who haven’t raised $1 million will probably exit the race.

"I think by January, I think you’ll see some of that maybe pare back down simply because they won’t have been able to raise the money they think they can," Hawkins said.

"And let’s face it: The amount of money that you have to spend in a campaign has a direct effect on whether you can win or not."

Campaign costs rising

Kansas isn’t even close to the top of the spending list.

The state ranked 36^th in gubernatorial campaign spending, with about $7.1 million, according to a 2015 report by Thad Beyle, a political scientist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Jennifer Jensen, a political scientist at Lehigh University. The study used each state’s last gubernatorial election.

Other states close to Kansas’s total included Alabama, Maine, West Virginia and Idaho.

New Jersey and Missouri had the highest spending levels, with campaigns spending more than $27 million in both states. Vermont was the smallest with about $1.2 million.

Each vote in Kansas cost $8.19, according to the report. That was the 22^nd least costly among the states.

States with comparable cost per vote included Indiana, Washington, Louisiana and Iowa. At the high end, each vote cost $41.62 in Rhode Island. The lowest was Utah, with $2.74.

The cost of gubernatorial campaigns has been increasing, but who spends the money is shifting, Beyle and Jensen wrote. The 2010 Supreme Court decision known as Citizens United allowed for a proliferation of super PACs that can accept unlimited contributions.

"This has funneled campaign funding to groups such as the Democratic Governors Association, the Republican Governors Association and other groups that spend heavily on gubernatorial campaigns, and away from the gubernatorial campaigns themselves," Beyle and Jensen wrote.

Outside groups spent more than $200 million on TV ads in state-level races in 2014, compared with $537 million by candidates, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity.

In Kansas, outside groups spent $9.5 million on ads targeted at state-level offices in 2014, while candidates spent $4.4 million, the analysis said. The analysis didn’t break out spending by individual races, but it did not include U.S. Senate races.

‘Unchecked, obscene amounts of money’

Davis – who collected $4.5 million in his failed bid against Brownback – launched a congressional campaign this month decrying the amount of money flowing into races.

"Our political system is fundamentally broken. And it wasn’t broken by Republicans and it wasn’t broken by Democrats. It was broken by money – unchecked, obscene amounts of money in our government and our elections," he said at his campaign kickoff.

Polling has shown that Americans – Republicans, Democrats and independents – think there is too much money in politics.

A 2015 New York Times/CBS News poll found that 80 percent of Republicans, 90 percent of Democrats and 84 percent of independents think money has too much influence over political campaigns. A 2016 Rasmussen Reports poll found that 80 percent of voters believe wealthy special interest groups have too much power over elections, but also found that 66 percent of voters believe the news media has too much influence over elections.

Davis was a "fabulous" fundraiser, said Bob Beatty, a political scientist at Washburn University. But candidates nowadays not only have to raise enough to fight opposing campaigns but also hostile outside groups.

During the 2014 campaign, a TV ad attacking Davis over his presence at a strip club in 1998 came not from Brownback’s campaign but from the Republican Governors Association.

"In the new era you have to probably have millions with an S for the general election because you have to be ready for those third-party groups as well," Beatty said.

The Citizens United decision was one of the "worst things" for democracy, said Sen. Tom Hawk, D-Manhattan.

"I don’t think we founded our democracy on the notion that you should be able to buy your way into office," Hawk said.

In a brief interview, Brownback said candidates need resources to counter the news media. If they can’t fundraise effectively they can’t offset the media’s effects.

"Particularly if you’re Republican or conservative, what they have to do is they have to put out a vision because media has its angle," Brownback said, adding: "But you’ve got to overcome it because you’re a player."

This story was originally published August 26, 2017 at 1:25 PM with the headline "Just how much cash does it take to run for governor? A lot.."