A recent article in the Toledo Blade began its analysis of political
spending with this historical anecdote:

In the battle to win the hearts of voters, George Washington knew what it
would take to get him elected:

46 gallons of beer.

40 gallons of rum.

35 gallons of wine.

2 gallons of cider.

31/2 pints of brandy.

With the future president's money, a friend bought the drinks for voters at
five taverns in Winchester, Va. Washington himself didn't show up - he was
away in the Army.

But it didn't matter; his liquor did the talking. And Washington, then a
colonel, won.

The 26-year-old was elected to a seat in the House of Burgesses in colonial
Virginia in 1758. Three years earlier, he had come in last in a bid for the
same seat - a race in which he didn't spend a shilling.