Candidates' Dollars and Cents

Oct. 17, 2007 — -- Since announcing their respective White House bids, 17 presidential hopefuls have crisscrossed the country spreading their message and raising millions to contend in what's turning into one of the most expensive elections in history.

But on what exactly are the candidates spending their supporters' hard-earned cash?

Among the millions in traditional expenses — flights, hotels, maybe a radio or television ad and a little something for their hardworking staff — there are quirkier items, no doubt necessary, but eyebrow-raising nonetheless.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., who leads the fundraising pack with $35 million on hand, dished out $11.88 to iTunes. (That's one way to get a copy of Celine Dion's "You and I," which won out as the former first lady's campaign theme song earlier this year).

Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, the feisty defender of the Constitution who raked in more than $5 million in summertime donations, spent $7.60 at the International House of Pancakes.

And, ever blazing a new age path, Sen. Barack Obama's, D-Ill., campaign paid out $20 to Blue Turtle Yoga in Charleston, S.C.

All told, campaign spending estimates already total more than $230 million — and the election is still a year away.

To journalists, the receipts to those expenditures can sometimes tell the story of a campaign well managed or collapsing; provide a sneak peek into spending habits; and perhaps reveal campaign personalities. For opposition researchers, they can be political gold.

What's Camp Obama Doing in Arkansas?

Within hours of the Federal Election Commission's release of the third quarter fundraising files, the Republican National Committee circulated numbers from Obama's finance report suggesting his campaign had sent opposition researchers to dig up dirt at the Clinton Library in Arkansas.

Indeed, financial reports show the Obama campaign spent $9.30 on printing at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Ark., an additional $27 on printing at the Arkansas State Archives in Little Rock, and $207.75 on Travel/Lodging at the La Quinta Inn & Suites in Little Rock.

In another twist, the Clinton campaign paid out $15,000 in what it described as "office rent" to the William J. Clinton Foundation.

Expenses: It's What's for Dinner

Not to be outdone, the Democratic National Committee quickly pointed out apparent Republican foibles, including the expensive tastes of former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson's campaign.

Thompson, according to the financial documents released by the FEC, amassed $120,000 in catering expenses, $14,000 of which was spent at Dallas' tony Crescent Club.

In a separate expense, Thompson's camp paid $5,500 to a Cape Cod eatery Chillingsworth, which bills itself as four-star French fine dining.

And on a third occasion, team Thompson billed $7,500 in catering costs to the Young Republicans 2007 National Convention.

Thompson's campaign also showed an affinity for Flemings Prime Steakhouse in Nashville, Tenn., the state where he has spent most of his time campaigning this summer.

Romney's bills ran the gamut: Sept. 26 the former Massachusetts governor signed a $35,000 bill at Hickory Park Restaurant in Ames, Iowa, where he won the straw poll in August.

In a separate expense, the Romney team "crossed the border" to dine at a Taco Bell in Kentucky for $50.16.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's campaign looks to be the most frugal — it listed home state favorite Sam's Club twice for catering, spending $610.

On the Democratic side, Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd's campaign showed equally impressive (or simply necessary) fiscal responsibility.

Dodd's campaign spent the bulk of his money not on food but the modern way to voters' hearts, spending $115,429 on television advertisements and close to $349,100 in fundraising, political and media consultation fees.

A Bird, a Plane, a Campaign

The Democratic National Committee says former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani spent more than $1.4 million on travel, pointing to the line items that detail $200,000 on TAG Aviation, an air charter service owned by a Luxembourg-based firm founded by Saudi arms dealer Akram Ojjeh.

Thompson, who officially declared his presidential candidacy Sept. 5, 2007, paid almost $120,000 in charter airline costs from Aug. 20 to Sept. 20.

The Democratic front-runners also preferred the comfort of private jets.

Obama spent more than $500,000 during the third quarter on private jets from a charter based in Kansas City, Mo.

The Clinton campaign spent more than $700,000 this summer, favoring private planes from Aircraft Services Group, a New Jersey-based company.

On ground, camp Clinton stayed at the St. Regis Hotel in Aspen, Colo., spending more than $4,400 there. It also stayed at the Millennium Biltmore hotel in Los Angeles, the Bellagio and the Mirage in Las Vegas, the W Hotel in New York, and made a trip to Disney's Contemporary resort and Disney's Polynesian Resort.

Romney, a former Marriott board member, signed off on a $55,000 bill at the Marriott Hotels for the quarter.

The Giuliani campaign spent $2,010 at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia, $4,034 at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., and $5,370 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.

Who Gets the Points?

According to the FEC documents released Monday, the Clinton campaign pays mostly with American Express, while the Obama campaign pays with Bank of America credit cards as well as AMEX.

The Obama campaign also spends a great deal on computer service from Dell and appears to favor Papa John's pizza. While on the road, the Clinton campaign, meanwhile, favors Avis Rent a Car.

Thompson's campaign spent $13,785 in subscriptions to Google AdWords advertising designed to link Google search terms with advertising on the right-hand of the page when search results are displayed; in comparison, Clinton spent only $2,300 on the service while Obama paid more than $6,800.

A-List Support

And just who pays this bill? It can be anyone from the girl next door to the actor or actress at a big screen near you.

On the Republican side of the aisle, or lane, Giuliani won donations from NASCAR drivers Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Casey Mears, who all maxed out at $2,300 each.

Obama's pull with big-name Hollywood types appears to have waned, despite the vocal backing of Oprah Winfrey.

But Clinton attracted a number of A-list celebrities to her tent this round including actress Renee Zellweger, musician Jon Bon Jovi and designers Calvin Klein and Diane von Furstenberg, who all maxed out, each giving a total of $4,600 to Clinton's campaign.

Perhaps it was their donations — not yours — that paid for the iTunes.

With contributions by ABC News' Eloise Harper, Donna Hunter and Christine Byun.