‘No dough, no go’ for presidential hopefuls

Money still talks in US presidential elections, as political kingmakers think nothing of writing multimillion-dollar cheques to back their favourite candidates, writes Bette Browne.

REPUBLICAN candidate Jeb Bush would already be on course to win the US presidency by a landslide if securing the White House was based solely on fundraising prowess.

Official figures for the first six months of 2015 show Bush trouncing the fundraising machine of Democrat Hillary Clinton and leading the Republican field in what is set to be the most costly election in US history as millionaires and billionaires battle for power and tycoons pull the campaign strings behind the scenes.