Politics | 10/22/2008 8:05 am

The Cost of Looking Good on the Campaign Trail for Palin? $150K

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Clothes at Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York: $49,425.74.

Maybe a pair of stylish red pumps to match a red leather jacket, among other items, at Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis: $75,062.63.

Top-notch baby accessories at Steiniauf & Stroller Inc.: $295.

Looking good on the campaign trail for Sarah Palin: Priceless.

Love her or hate her, the Alaska governor’s got style. But we now know she’s had quite a bit of help picking up the shopping tab.

The Republican National Committee has spent $150,000 on clothing and accessories for the vice-presidential candidate and her family since early September, according to Politico.com. The RNC also spent $4,716.49 on hair and makeup through September after reporting no such costs in August.

According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September around the time of the Republican convention. Other bills included $9,447.71 at Macy’s in Minneapolis, where the Palin family stayed during the conventions, and $5,102.71 at Bloomingdale’s in New York.
Campaign finance experts are wondering about the expenditures’ legality under the Federal Election Commission’s opinions on using campaign cash to purchase items for personal use. But a Republican strategist told The New York Daily News the expenditure by the party committee was legal.

Remember Democrat John Edwards’s $400 hair cuts in 2007?

McCain-Palin campaign spokeswoman Maria Comella declined to answer specific questions about the expenditures, including whether Palin ran up the RNC tab just during one period of time, or whether it’s ongoing.

“The campaign does not comment on strategic decisions regarding how financial resources available to the campaign are spent," Comella told Politico.com.

But later Tuesday night, spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt said the clothes will be given to charity after the November 4 general election.

"With all of the important issues facing the country right now, it’s remarkable that we’re spending time talking about pantsuits and blouses," Schmitt said in a statement. "It was always the intent that the clothing go to a charitable purpose after the campaign.”

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that Palin charged the state of Alaska more than $21,000 for her children to travel with her since she has been governor, including to events where they were not invited, and later said on expense reports they were on official business.

The charges included:

-Hotel and commercial flights for three daughters to join Palin to watch their father in a snowmobile race.

-A trip to New York, where the governor attended a five-hour conference and stayed with 17-year-old Bristol for five days and four nights in a luxury hotel.

-64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights for the three daughters since December 2006.

Alaska law does not specifically address expenses for a governor’s children, but it allows for payment of expenses for anyone conducting official state business.

Click here for wOw’s Palin-tology photo essay, "Sarah Palin’s Fashion Progress From Pink to Power Suits."

Click here to see more photos of Palin’s fashions on the campaign trail.

66 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

I don’t care where the clothes for Governor Palin and money for them came from. That’s like worrying about a hangnail when the diagnosis is terminal illness. BUT, I do take issue with outfitting her family. She is the nominee, not her husband and children. They need to pay their own way. Just imagine the fallout if the Obama campaign bought clothes for Michelle or the daughters. As for her charging children’s travel and accommodations to the state of Alaska, I’m appalled and disgusted. How hypocritical can one be? I hope that the people of Alaska will demand that she reimburse the state for those frivolous expenses. Apparently many of the event coordinators have said that the children were NOT invited and not expected until they just showed up. Real nice, Sarah! Didn’t you learn that only those whose names are on the invitation are actually invited? The skeptic in me will believe the clothes will go to charity after it happens.

By Vivvy Stewart on 10/22/2008 8:22 am

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Wonder how many of those “Joe and Jane Sixpacks” out there in “Her America” can afford to dress like that. Nobody’s buying anything for them, not even at Walmart.

By Sherrie Crews on 10/22/2008 8:23 am

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People who make more than $250,000. a year don’t often spend that kind of money on clothing to be used a short time. Her clothes could be rented or borrowed or brought from a second hand designer shop and would not cost the public that kind of money, it’s outrageous.

By Alessan O on 10/22/2008 11:46 am

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She looks great and BTW….Who cares what she spends on her clothing. WoWoWow, why don’t you post an equal balance article on what the male candidates spend on clothing, i.e. ties, belts, shirts, suits, cufflinks, cologne, hair cuts,(remember the $400 hair cuts of John Edwards) and anything else they may decide to pamper themselves with, during the campaign. This article seems so superficial and just leads folks to pander to the ideology, that a woman on the campaign trail, who spends money to look professional, is rather looked upon, as frivilous.

By HA BIBI on 10/22/2008 8:27 am

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Elaine I think you’re missing the bigger part of this issue. You are absolutely right that Palin’s male counterparts who are running alongside her probably do spend far more than she does. McCain, although he doesn’t look it while in them, I am sure wears only expensive and designer suits. That is not the point. It is Palin who put herself out there as removed from the Washington herd, just a blue collar, average, small town gal…a hockey mom. This is the platform the McCain camp chose to promote her on and for two weeks it worked. Unlike others who say they are not blaming Palin and are exclusively laying the blame on McCain’s campaign staff, I disagree, they are both culpable. Sarah Palin doesn’t strike me as a wilting flower or weak woman. She knows how to speak up for herself. When they first introduced the idea of spending the amount of money on the clothes they brought for her, it was SHE that should have said “hold on gang, we need to make sure we buy my clothes from a more affordable venue to avoid any accusations of impropriety down the road.” But she didn’t do that, and that speaks (yet again) to hers and McCain’s lack of judgment.

By Belinda Joy on 10/22/2008 8:41 am

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Elaine I think you’re missing the bigger part of this issue. You are absolutely right that Palin’s male counterparts who are running alongside her probably do spend far more than she does. Gee Belinda, Guess I made my point after all! Having read my post I stated that WowoWow felt the need to point out Mrs. Palins wardrobe expenses and not the male counterparts expenditures. That and that alone was my point. The thread however has evolved to ridiculous nit-picking about her and her clothing costs and wether her spending is ethical. I have found Belinda, that when my income elevated, so did the value of my material possessions. As I started out, I was not able to afford higher end items and made do with the lesser expensive items. However, when my income rose, well, so then, did those things I purchased. Do you truly expect people to remain in Wal-mart wear when their station in life rises due to their hard work? I certainly hope not. As if you believe otherwise, then that is the very mind set that keeps people locked into a frame of mind that says, why aspire to more. I have absolutely nothing against Wal-Mart or any other shopping venue, but if I can now afford designer wear, then by God, I’ve earned it and it is not a reflection of me being better than, It is simply a reflection of my hard earned income alongside my tastes, pure and simple.

By HA BIBI on 10/22/2008 12:31 pm

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my second ex was a past ‘high$$$’ pro model, who ‘aged’ into pro-screen-writing—-perfect size7, 125 lbs—-and boy did she know clothes—-she always said, ‘i deserve to be a snob’—-but i loved garage sales—-so she started going w/me—-and was ‘blown-away’ by bargains—-i can’t forget how she would use a calculator to ‘rack-up’ her finds—-once she looked at me (-zero clothes savvy)—-and simply said. ‘I spent $50 and have $3K of clothing.’—-i’m a notorious ‘night-owl’—-hard to get me going a 6:00 AM—-after that she always had ‘espresso’ ready—-and a glass of cold water to toss on me—-can’t blame her—-she did it over and over—-

By gulliver fourmyle on 10/22/2008 10:17 pm

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Hi Gully, See a good bargain can be found, and she sounds like a smart gal! I don’t agree with the being snobbish part but I do believe in a bargain. too love garage sales there are amazing finds at them. :)

By HA BIBI on 10/23/2008 12:31 am

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Hello, Belinda, Maureen Dowd really nailed it in her commentary in NYTimes today. It is the underlying message in spending that much for clothes. Besides, a woman can spend 1/3 of that at any Macy or Dillard’s and look terrific…. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/opinion/26dowd.html?th&emc=th

By Diana T on 10/26/2008 11:00 am

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Elaine, Mentioning Gov. Palin’s wardrobe is just another encouragement to throw stones at her. If the Republicans want to spend money to dress her for campaiging in the lower 48 states for climates quite different from Alaska, so be it. The Democrats have certainly thrown tons of money at Obama for outrageously expensive venues and Lord knows what all else. It’s part of campaigning. This is what is behind all this (taken from Fox News, Ohio 10-21): Standing in front of five former Hillary Clinton supporters who are now throwing their support behind the McCain campaign, Sarah Palin told the crowd of thousands of screaming supporters in Henderson, Nevada that it was “presumptuous” for the Obama campaign to think they “have the women’s vote all locked up.” The five former Hillary Clinton supporters are Linda Rothschild and various members of NOW as well a former editor-in-chief of Ms. magazine. The Dems want everyone to stand up and hate Gov. Palin, well it’s not happening and it’s not going to happen.

By Marjorie C. on 10/22/2008 10:04 am

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Yes Marjorie as you will see below, the wolves are bellowing. I say that if one spends less to look good and then complains because another woman spends more………Then that just denotes jealousy, as they obviously CAN’T afford to spend on higher dollar apparel, LOL

By HA BIBI on 10/22/2008 10:17 am

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If Palin spent her own money, it wouldn’t be in the news. It’s news because it public funding being used carelessly. Showing the hypocrisy of the party and the people running for public office.. I am glad it’s being reported how the values candidates, who preach to people, to live within their means, have all the babies you can whether you can afford them or not, do not believe in the morning after b birth control, and of course villified Bill Clinton and John Edwards now for cheating, when they are doing the same thing, and being allowed to run for office, and stay in office as Larry Craig, and John McCain.

By Alessan O on 10/22/2008 12:01 pm

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I agree with Elaine — how much have the men spent? and how about Hillary? and did she pick up her own wardrobe/stylist tab? and how about all the wasted dollars on her mismanaged campaign that she now wants others to pay for? And, if they hadn’t spruced her up would you all be saying that she looked like white trash?

By Lucinda Herbert on 10/22/2008 11:28 pm

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By Alessan O on 10/22/2008 12:01 pm

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Hate, should not be part of the feelings some people have for Palin, it’s disliking her stance on important issues to women, it’s her racist remarks and the fact that she is dumb and loud mouthed. I don’t care what she wears, but she should not be spending campaign money for designer clothes, spend her own money and it wouldn’t appear on the campaign expenses. She’s slim, she’s good looking and a cheap outfit would look just as good. Afterall she’s not the beer heiress, she’s mrs. Joe, who makes less than $250,000. a year. Oh what a phony this women is.

By Alessan O on 10/22/2008 11:54 am