"tamales campaign" news and stories

Taking a cue from scout troops and high-school bands, a congressional candidate from El Paso is selling tamales to finance his campaign.

"The biggest problem for people who want to participate in political life is we don't have big bank accounts," explains Jaime O. Perez, who's challenging incumbent Silvestre Reyes in the upcoming Republican primary. "My sister said if I wanted, she could make tamales for me. I thought 'Oh, that's nice of her to offer,' but the more I thought about it, I decided it was a really good idea."

Now thoroughly sold on the grassroots fundraising strategy, he adds, "It will be the staple of the campaign."

Perez is selling red pork, vegetable, chicken and green chile tamales for $11.99 a dozen. While he concedes he can't possibly sell enough $1 tamales to underwrite the entire cost of a congressional campaign – winning House candidates in 2008 spent, on average, $1.1 million apiece – he figures 10,000 tamales could help buy the yard signs, leaflets and lapel stickers he needs.