The signs jutting out of lawns, the smiling portraits on Web sites, the campaign flyers in your mailbox - they don't come cheap.
But to politicians, such as the commission hopefuls of today's Gainesville city elections, they can be crucial.
According to public records filed by the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office Web site, the eight candidates have raised about $88,000.
Of that total, about $12,500 was given by the candidates themselves, their families or personal campaign loans.
In the At-Large District 2 race, attorney Thomas Hawkins Jr. has raised nearly twice as much money as opposing candidate Robert Agrusa.
Though Hawkins said he was unsure of what impact the money would have, he said he was glad to put it to use to remind voters of his beliefs.
"I'd like to think it makes a difference," he said, "because I worked hard for it."
However, Agrusa, who served as the UF Senate President before running for the seat, has found his own supportive following in the university's Greek community. He has raised $975 from seven different fraternities and sororities, according to the Web site.
The District 2 race has been the source of most of the money. Out of the three races, the candidates for this seat have raised more than half of the election's total contributions - about $45,000.
Candidate Bryan Harman, who worked in marketing before taking a break to campaign, said he's happy with the $9,000 he has raised.
He also said his opponent Bonnie Mott, a real estate company owner, was "absolutely immoral" for taking so much money from her own finances and from those with similar business interests.
"I'm happy there's such a diversity of people in my contributor list, unlike a certain opponent, whose list is made up of strictly real estate and self-financing," he said. "Let me tell you this: the City Commission can be bought."
Mott, who has raised about $6,500 from family and personal loans and at least $7,000 from employees in real estate, rental and construction businesses, said she thought differently.
"I am a Realtor," she said. "I have been selling real estate for 31 years. I've been in Gainesville for 45 years. I am fortunate to have made friends - and kept them."
Harman and Mott's opponent, SFCC professor Lauren Poe, raised about $15,000 in total contributions. Still, he specified no connections between the support he has received and the support he hopes to receive at the polls.
"Money," he said, "doesn't buy votes."
The District 3 race has not been so close. Incumbent Jack Donovan has raised about $17,000, while opponent Armando Grundy has raised $140 and added a personal loan of $1,500. Candidate Christopher Salazar has yet to raise any money.
Grundy, however, said the finance gap has not caused any problems in his campaign.
"I don't think it [raising less money] has been a hindrance at all," he said. "Not at all. It actually makes it more enjoyable because then people think you don't have a chance of winning."
