EXPERIMENT 002
If I were a defeated candidate,how much money would I have spent?
How much cash does a primary and general election require, and what remains after defeat? Follow one candidacy through direct spending and opportunity costs.
You decide to run
You are going torun for office.
You resign from a good job. You withdraw your severance and savings, break a long-held deposit account, and still need a bank loan. Now follow what leaves your account through the primary and general election.
Local activity & organizing
$0Essential travel, small meetings, local content and limited organizing during a two-to-six-month run-up. The four-month central case excludes a permanent district office and broad meal provision.
- Reimbursement
- Mostly not reimbursed
Nomination screening & primary deposits
$0The central value is the midpoint of the two verified 2024 major-party screening and primary charges.
- Reimbursement
- No state reimbursement
Primary office & equipment
$0About four intensive months of rent, upkeep, signs, furniture, communications, setup and removal. A refundable lease deposit is excluded, and the central case assumes a temporary campaign space rather than an expensive permanent office.
- Reimbursement
- No state reimbursement
Primary-camp staff pay
$0Limited lawful pay, activity allowances and stipends for only a very small core team, reflecting the heavy reliance on volunteers and unpaid participation.
- Reimbursement
- No state reimbursement
Primary meals, vehicles & travel
$0Essential meals, candidate and core-staff transport, vehicle and fuel costs, and small event operations. Broad organizational meals and informal spending are excluded from the central case.
- Reimbursement
- No state reimbursement
Primary publicity & research
$0Messages, calls, social media, video, print and candidate-funded polling, excluding polls paid by the party.
- Reimbursement
- No state reimbursement
Official general-election spending
$0The full reported 2024 district-candidate average is counted as actual outflow. Expected later reimbursement is shown separately from the total.
- Reimbursement
- Eligible, within-cap costs reimbursed later
Accounting, legal, settlement & interest
$0Campaign accounting, legal review, settlement and the financing cost of election loans or funds.
- Reimbursement
- Generally not reimbursed
Direct spending so far
First, add up the moneyspent on the candidacy.
This central case covers actual outlays paid before and during the race. Even when reimbursement arrives later, the model treats the candidacy as requiring at least ₩250 million in upfront direct spending before reimbursement.
| 01Local activity & organizing | $20,000 |
|---|---|
| 02Nomination screening & primary deposits | $12,833 |
| 03Primary office & equipment | $26,667 |
| 04Primary-camp staff pay | $10,000 |
| 05Primary meals, vehicles & travel | $10,000 |
| 06Primary publicity & research | $23,333 |
| 07Official general-election spending | $106,687 |
| 08Accounting, legal, settlement & interest | $6,667 |
| Direct spending total | $216,187 |
But election day has passed
Unfortunately, you lost the election.But is that really the end?
Cash spent on the election is not the only loss. There is the salary that stopped, lost employment benefits, a post-election job gap, and pressure on the household. What was the opportunity cost of a bid that ended here?
Lost income during candidacy
$0Four months of average pay, matching the 120-day pre-candidate window. The scenario range is two to six months.
- Reimbursement
- Not reimbursed
Lost severance, pension & benefits
$0A limited central estimate for benefits lost when regular work is left or reduced.
- Reimbursement
- Not reimbursed
Re-employment & salary loss
$0One year of average pay for a job-search gap and lower restarting salary; the true result varies sharply by career.
- Reimbursement
- Not reimbursed
Secondary family loss
$0Only a limited allowance for changes to a partner’s work, care, moving and education is included.
- Reimbursement
- Highly household-specific
One defeat
Your total loss is
$279,520Even after election reimbursement, you spent $182,833.
How wide is the range?
About $185k if frugal;about $702k at the high end.
The frugal case uses two months and minimum staff, the central case a competitive four-month run, and the high-cost case a larger six-month camp. These are totals before reimbursement, and pre-election activity and opportunity loss have no literal ceiling.
How many defeats?
With every defeat,the burden grows.
The $279,520 central total is added linearly. Official general-election spending is paid first and reimbursed later if eligible, so the model also shows the $182,833 burden after estimated reimbursement.
Burden after reimbursement$182,833
A larger primary, longer gap and family loss can add +α
When money becomes the threshold
Without money,politics moves farther away.
The law opens candidacy to everyone, but the assets needed to absorb its cost are not equally distributed. If savings and severance are not enough and a loan is still required, the same defeat follows a person with fewer assets for much longer. Political entry is shaped not only by ability and resolve, but by the wealth available to survive failure.
After election day
The debt remains.The résumé looks unfamiliar.
Candidates may fill the gap with savings, family money, and loans. After defeat, campaign experience can be difficult to use as professional experience in an ordinary corporate role, and visible work for a party may itself be read as a hiring risk. Reimbursement repays eligible election spending; it does not restore lost salary, career progression, or living costs.
How much attention do we give to building a political environment in which money is not a prerequisite?
Sources & method
Published values are used for law, income statistics, reported 2024 spending and verified major-party primary charges. Organizing, primary-office, staff, meal and re-employment costs are modeled from a two-to-six-month campaign preparation window and public election-spending records. At the fixed display rate, the central case combines $216,187 in direct outlays with $63,333 in opportunity and household costs; the burden after estimated reimbursement is $182,833.
Fixed display rates: US$1=₩1,500 · ¥100=₩950- 01Experiment 002 frugal, central and high-cost model (CSV)↗
- 02Original uploaded economic-loss model (XLSX)↗
- 03Public Official Election Act §122-2 — reimbursement↗
- 04Public Official Election Act §56 — candidate deposit↗
- 05Political Funds Act §12 — fundraising limit↗
- 06National Data Office: 2024 employee income↗
- 07Average reported candidate spending in the 2024 election↗
- 08Verified 2024 major-party screening and primary charges↗
- 09NEC rules: 90–120-day candidacy and resignation window↗
- 102024 primary and general-election cost items and market prices↗
- 112024 general-election reimbursement results↗
- 122024 parliamentary compensation↗
- 13Issues and policy options for supporting young politicians↗
- 142026 KRW/USD and KRW/JPY reference rates↗