Candidate For Governor Spent Just $35 And Got 22 Percent Of The Vote

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Rhode Island gubernatorial candidate Bob Healey waged a one-man war against money in politics this election season, spending only $35 on his campaign.

More surprisingly: He took away 22 percent of the vote.

“It’s amazing what $35 can do,” he told local station WPRI on Wednesday. “As I’ve been saying, if we only spent $75, $80, we might’ve won the race.”

The Providence station described Healey’s takeaway as “a big surprise” as results rolled in Tuesday night. When asked, he told WPRI that no one from the two major parties contacted him and asked him to bow out.

Healey is a lawyer and businessman who has been involved in state politics since his first run for governor in 1986. He went on to found the Cool Moose Party in 1994. This year, however, he ran on the Moderate Party ticket.

“One out of every five voters is saying: We’re tired of negative campaigning, we’re tired of campaign spending, we’re tired of the way people just negatively go at each other,” he said. “And we had a positive message all the way through.”

Haley said he believes his administration would’ve been better than any alternative.

“But, the people choose and that’s their choice,” Healey said. “And as my grandmother used to say, if you burn your butt, you sit on blisters.”

h/t Mediaite

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