
What did their campaigns pay to rent rally halls?
For those of you that have ever planned a wedding or fundraiser, you already know a large portion of the budget will be spent on the hall or convention center in which your event will take place. I would think if you were running for President of the great United States, however, you might get a discount or maybe even land the venue for free. Apparently, I’m wrong.
During the final weeks of election 2012, both Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney rented facilities to hold a political rally. The Obama for America campaign held their event at the Delta Center in downtown Milwaukee, while the Romney camp gathered at Products Pavilion in Wisconsin. Both locales are available for rent to the public, and can accommodate a variety of events, both small and large.
Presumably, there were many attendees at both, but I was still a bit shocked to read on jsonline.com that Mr. Obama’s campaign forked over $24,500, and Mr. Romney’s, a whopping $30,193 for their night of rallying. I’m not certain what services or amenities were included in that price, but I’m gonna guess they didn’t offer the standard chicken or pasta options, and guests didn’t have to pay for their drinks.