This makes sense, and the August
article is the more interesting one. However, this one paragraph struck me as not fully understanding the phenomenon:
(emphasis mine)
The reason Trump has gained more traction than Huckabee and Santorum is not actually money--at least not directly. It is his pre-existing national notoriety. Is
that partially due to his wealth? Sure. But the real reason he's so famous is because he became a media star a long time ago precisely by acting like this. Plus, his antics during this campaign have driven news coverage, thus making sure he doesn't even need to spend much, if any, money on advertising. If he were just some generic billionaire, he would've had to spend money on advertising. He is beating Santorum and Huckabee, who are both in this year's race, mind you, because his antics earn him more free media and admiration from fans than the former two could ever hope to get. So while this article makes a good point, I do think Trump's antics have helped him to shoot up in the polls as much as he has.