Another thought occurred to me as I was thinking about fundraising. Everyone wants to get a “name” to come to their fundraiser. On the Democratic side, that would include Governor Tim Kaine, former governor Mark Warner, and Senator Jim Webb. Kaine and Warner have been to Hampton Roads a lot.
Is there such a thing as overexposure, a point of diminishing returns, when the opportunity to see these folks is so numerous? Or are they, because of who they are, always a draw?
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
I think it’s a combination of seeing the same people over and over again and ending up targeting the same donors over and over again. Having James Webb come headline an event in a district is great, and Mark Warner coming through town two weeks later is good too, but if all those people spent $150 on the Webb event fewer are likely to do it again at the Warner one. Beyond fundraising, the more names/endorsements the better and if they draw cheering crowds just the same, cool.
Jason’s right on. If 50 people are invited to one fundraiser with Governor Kaine, and 50 different people are invited to another fundraiser with Governor Kaine, and 50 more people are invited to a third fundraiser with Governor Kaine, then 150 people each had one opportunity to make a donation and break bread with Governor Kaine.
If the same 50 people received an invitation to each fundraiser, by contrast, those 50 people might be wondering why the heck they keep having to pay $500 to hang out for an hour with that guy they see every other week. And for a Federal race you will DEFINITELY see diminished returns even with multiple personalities, due to the very fact that there are invidual contribution limits during federal races.
That being said: c’mon. Of course people are going to keep paying money to go to a fundraiser with the Governor. I mean, it’s Timothy Mother****ing Kaine for pete’s sake! …Or at least I *think* that’s what the M stands for. 😉
It’s a different story in a rural area such as mine. We would feel honored and lucky to get one of the big names to come to this county, or even this area.
When it comes to major campaigns, a lot of rural areas are written off by far too many campaigns (for state-wide office, or GA).
So, the problems described in the story and comments are not likely to be a problem in a lot of rural areas. We mostly have to fend for ourselves.