The money numbers are starting to trickle in: Thompson in the $8M range and Romney around $10 plus $6-7M of his own. The tsunami of support never materialized for Thompson and he lacked the burst of $15-25M which Romney and Rudy got to start their runs. The real issues: 1) How much cash on hand will he have to buy media and run ground games in multiple states where he needs to do well (Iowa, South Carolina, Michigan, Florida); and 2) Will any of the others — McCain or Huckabee — get close to fuel their argument that they are the real “‘it” candidate. To give an example as to just how expensive it is — a decent week of paid TV in Florida costs “north of a million” according to one campaign aide. That is one state and one week. Some detail on the lay of the land and on the demands on each campaign is here.
