Presidential candidates always seem to be fundraising. On what do they spend their millions?  Nicholas Confessore, a political reporter, considers the question:  A lot of campaign coverage focuses on how much money presidential candidates raise. And it’s easy to see why. Like polls, fund-raising numbers provide a firm basis by which to compare candidates. And in the post-Citizens United world, the numbers are genuinely eye-popping, with candidates or “super PACs” bringing in huge sums, sometimes from only a few wealthy donors.  But often you can learn more about a presidential candidate by looking at how he or she spends money, rather than how he or she raises it. Every time the candidates file their periodic disclosures with the Federal Election Commission, reporters like me get an X-ray into the guts of a campaign.  Let’s look at the most recent filings by the leading candidates in each party: Hillary Rodham Clinton, who raised $29.9 million during the three months ending in June, and Donald J. Trump, who raised $3.9 million. How do they spend it?  Financially, Mrs. Clinton has the balance sheet of a well-funded presidential candidate who expects to win the nomination and is making large early investments in field organizing. Aside from television advertising, almost always a big expense for candidates, one of Mrs. Clinton’s biggest line items is for payroll. A total of 35 percent of her spending went to payroll, consultants and a support staff that totals about 500, the largest of any candidate in either party. (The Clinton campaign’s payroll spending includes $5.5 million in salaries, $3 million in payroll taxes and another $51,000 in tax processing — getting new employees set up with W-2 forms, for example.) Because campaigns are a business, they also need insurance, which in the case of the Clinton campaign cost $862,662.  All those “Hillary” bumper stickers and signs? That was $62,873. Stamps? Another $45,167. Campaign workers need somewhere to work (rent: $640,000), along with desks and chairs (furniture: $33,894). Donors and other supporters want photos, and you need them for campaign materials, and that means money for an on-site photographer ($7,750).  Travel is also expensive. Mrs. Clinton’s campaign spent about $1 million on travel: hotels, gas, airplane tickets (about $30,000 on American Airlines alone), aircraft charters and more. Her campaign paid $3,240 to a California valet parking service over the summer, presumably in connection with fund-raisers, and $1,920 to a company called Professional Valet Services of St. Claire Shores, Mich.  Mr. Trump’s campaign looks very different. During the three months of summer, it sometimes less resembled a political campaign than an elaborate promotional tour (if indeed there’s a difference). Mr. Trump’s payroll expenses totaled just $705,444 of his spending, or roughly 18 percent. He spent a little more, $723,426, for the use of his own private aircraft, which sum he paid to his own company.  Mr. Trump spent more on hats and T-shirts — about $678,000 — than he did on field staff and offices in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, where his expenses totaled just $353,363. He spent only slightly more than that on advertising, voter list rentals and related items than he did in those early primary states. Total rent for offices came to $169,838. This sum does not include the $45,000 in rent recorded as an in-kind contribution. The cost? Mr. Trump’s own contribution of his corporate office space to his campaign.  Ask The Times, a Times Insider feature, draws on Times staffers’ expertise to answer questions about current events, science, sports, culture and whatever else is making headlines. Send your questions to timesinsider@nytimes.com with ‘Ask The Times’ in the subject line.  Read more Ask The Times:  Where Do Butterflies Go When It Rains?  Is it True Donald Trump Cannot Win the Presidency?
Nicholas Confessore looks at the difference in the way Donald Trump and Hillary Rodham Clinton spend on their campaigns.