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Premier Clark's leadership bid focussed spending on research and polling

In the British Columbia Liberal leadership race, spending money on research and polling appears to have been more effective than spending it on the candidate's personal expenses and salaries for campaign workers.

Premier Christy Clark's top expense during the leadership contest was $211,240 for research and polling, according to documents filed with Elections B.C. and made public today. That was roughly 40 percent of the total her campaign spent, not including a $175,000 transfer to the Liberal party.

Her closest competitor, Kevin Falcon, spent a third as much on research and polls, $77,246. His top expenses were "personal expenses of contestant" at $137,054, newsletter and promotional material at $108,858, telecommunications at $73,107, postage and courier at $69,961 and salaries and benefits at $55,747.

The Clark campaign spent relatively little in those areas, with just $1,500 for salaries and benefits, $42,893 for the candidate's personal expenses, $39,914 for newsletters and promotional materials, $2,478 for telecommunications, $1,500 for salaries and benefits, and nothing for postage and courier.

George Abbott, who came third in the contest, spent $276,289 on research and polling, $128,570 on newsletters and promotional materials, $41,000 on salaries and benefits and $39,548 on the contestant's personal expenses.

The records also include official reporting of financial contributions to the campaigns. During the campaign the front runners, spurred by fourth-place finisher Mike de Jong, released unofficial lists of donors ahead of the vote.

Update, 4:45 p.m.: Falcon said the personal expenses included the cost of a chartered plane, which he acknowledged was a lot of money.

Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.

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