Omar Bennett
When a candidate suspends their campaign, they are effectively putting it on hold. This means that they are not actively campaigning, but they are also not ending their campaign entirely. Suspending a campaign allows candidates to retain their delegates and continue to raise money to pay off campaign debts. It also leaves the door open for a potential return to the race if the political landscape changes. Candidates may choose to suspend their campaigns instead of ending them to avoid forfeiting delegates and to maintain flexibility in their operations.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Legal status | Candidates who suspend their campaigns do not legally end them and can continue to raise money and make campaign expenditures. |
| Flexibility | Suspending a campaign allows candidates to retain flexibility, such as the ability to revive the campaign in the future or pivot to a different political office. |
| Public perception | Saying "suspend" instead of "end" may sound better to voters and leave open the possibility of a return to campaigning. |
| Delegates | Candidates who suspend their campaigns can retain their delegates, which gives them more influence at their party's convention. |
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What You'll Learn
Candidates can still raise money
When a candidate suspends their campaign, it means they still have the flexibility to continue campaigning legally, hire consultants, pay staff, and most importantly, raise money. This is in contrast to ending a campaign, which would result in forfeiting delegates and stricter limitations on fundraising to settle campaign debts.
University of Cincinnati political science professor David Niven explains that candidates who suspend their campaigns can "continue to raise money, continue to hire consultants, or pay staff." This is because suspending a campaign is not legally defined or officially recognized by federal law, so candidates can retain their delegates and continue fundraising beyond what is needed to retire their campaign debts.
Candidates can raise money from donors and through political action committees (PACs) during their campaigns. This money can be used to pay for travel, administration, salaries, and any other campaign-related expenses. However, it is important to note that there are rules in place for how this money can be spent, and personal use is prohibited. For example, candidates cannot use campaign funds for personal expenses like mortgage payments, groceries, clothing purchases, or vacations.
After a campaign ends, candidates must find ways to disperse any leftover funds. This can include donating to charitable causes, other candidates, or saving it for a future campaign. Additionally, a former candidate can use excess funds to create a "leadership PAC," a political committee that backs a political agenda or other candidates the former candidate supports.
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They can continue to hire consultants
When a candidate "suspends" their campaign, it means they are legally still campaigning and can continue to raise money to pay off campaign debts and hire or pay staff and consultants. This gives the candidate a great deal of flexibility.
Political consultants are hired to help candidates with the knowledge and strategies they need to win their race. They are sometimes referred to as political strategists, and their primary goal is to help the candidate be aware of the various factors that could influence the election and subsequently develop a strategy to address them. Consultants are all about the bigger picture—their role is to help the candidate see the forest for the trees so that they don't get sidetracked by the daily twists and turns. They can help keep the campaign up to date with new trends in the race, such as Facebook fundraising and the changing digital landscape of grassroots mobilization. Consultants can be particularly invaluable if the campaign manager is inexperienced.
Consultants can be hired from big firms, small firms, prestigious firms, or new-but-attentive firms. It is important to ensure that the consultant is affordable and that the candidate knows who they will be working with directly and how the pricing structure works. Some firms may be too expensive, but others may be a perfect fit. A consultant can be hired to play a very specific role. For example, a candidate running for state representative in a rural district may want to hire a consultant to help implement a paid communications strategy.
There are many types of consultants, including general consultants, mail consultants, digital strategists, communications directors, and more.
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They can pay staff
When a candidate suspends their campaign, they can continue to pay their staff. This is because, in the eyes of the law, they are still campaigning, and so can continue to raise money to pay their staff and cover other costs.
University of Cincinnati political science professor David Niven said that most candidates suspend, rather than end, their campaigns. He explained that:
> "If you actually said, 'I'm dropping out. You won't have me to kick around anymore' — which no one does — you would forfeit delegates so you would have less of a role at the party's convention and in terms of raising money, you would be much more strictly limited from raising money to retire any debt that your campaign accumulated. Whereas, in suspending, you really are still campaigning legally so you can continue to raise money, continue to hire consultants, or pay staff. It's really a great deal of flexibility because suspend does not mean end."
Niven's comments highlight the fact that, by suspending a campaign, candidates can continue to pay their staff, as well as consultants and other professional staff, to help them plot out their future. This could include using money from their campaign to pay for consultants that can advise on future political efforts, or for polling to determine the viability of the candidate for other offices later.
In addition to paying staff, suspending a campaign also allows candidates to retain any delegates they have won and continue to raise money beyond what is needed to retire their campaign debts. This means that a suspended campaign could spring back to life if the political landscape changes dramatically.
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They can keep any delegates they've won
When a candidate suspends their campaign, it means they have the intention of putting it on hold, as opposed to ending it. This is usually done to retain the ability to raise funds and pay off campaign debt, as well as to keep any delegates they've won.
University of Cincinnati political science professor David Niven explains that:
> "If you actually said, 'I'm dropping out. You won't have me to kick around anymore' — which no one does — you would forfeit delegates so you would have less of a role at the party's convention and in terms of raising money, you would be much more strictly limited from raising money to retire any debt that your campaign accumulated. Whereas, in suspending, you really are still campaigning legally so you can continue to raise money, continue to hire consultants, or pay staff. It's really a great deal of flexibility because suspend does not mean end."
In the United States, when a candidate drops out of the presidential race, they usually have to forfeit certain delegates. However, the delegates are not always awarded to the remaining candidates. Some states may allow their delegates to vote freely at national conventions, while others may force them to defer to the endorsement of the candidate who dropped out.
There are a few reasons why a candidate may choose to suspend their campaign instead of ending it. Firstly, it allows them to keep their delegates, which can be advantageous if they decide to re-enter the race at a later stage. Additionally, suspending a campaign allows candidates to continue raising money to pay off campaign debts. Finally, a suspended campaign can be a softer way for a candidate to bow out of a race, leaving the door open for a potential re-entry if the political landscape changes in their favor.
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Candidates rarely bring back suspended campaigns
The phrase "suspended campaign" is often used as a softer way for candidates to bow out of a race while keeping their options open for a potential re-entry should the political landscape change. It is a way for candidates to end their primary bids without officially closing down their campaign committees. However, it is important to note that while suspending a campaign allows candidates to retain delegates and continue raising money, it does not necessarily mean they will re-enter the race.
Running for public office, especially for president, is expensive, and many candidates end up in debt. By suspending their campaigns instead of ending them, candidates can continue to raise money beyond what is needed to retire their campaign debts. This flexibility allows them to pay staff and consultants, as well as explore other political opportunities.
While suspending a campaign provides candidates with options, it is not always a guarantee of future success. Candidates who suspend their campaigns may face challenges in regaining momentum and support if they decide to re-enter the race at a later date. The decision to suspend a campaign is often seen as a way for candidates to save face and gracefully exit the political arena while retaining some degree of flexibility and the ability to raise funds.
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Frequently asked questions
To suspend a political campaign means to put it on hold, rather than ending it. This allows candidates to retain delegates and continue to raise money beyond what's needed to retire campaign debts.
Candidates who suspend their campaigns can keep their options open for a potential re-entry in the future. It also allows them to continue certain campaign operations, such as hiring consultants or paying staff.
Yes, a suspended campaign can be revived, especially if there are changes in the political landscape that favour the candidate. However, it is rare for candidates to bring back suspended campaigns unless they indicate this beforehand.
Leftover campaign funds can be used for various purposes, such as charitable donations, donations to other candidates, or saved for future campaigns. Personal use of these funds is prohibited.
Two Republican presidential candidates, including Ohio's Vivek Ramaswamy, suspended their campaigns following the Iowa caucuses. John McCain also temporarily suspended his 2008 campaign to address the financial crisis while serving in Congress.
