Mitt Romney: Don’t Run For Office If You Need The Salary: TPM

[The Doctor.]

17. So I'm gonna get flamed now...

But his actual words don't sound so unreasonable. If you're running for office because you 'have to pay a mortgage', then you're not running for the right reasons to begin with. I also agree that running for office while your kids are very young will take away from time with them, but probably no more than any entrepreneurial venture.

I also wouldn't want my kids going to school with "My Mom/Dad is the _______", on their lips. I'd especially hate for them to be treated differently just because of my position. We see that all the time.

This really isn't that big of a deal. He didn't say you have to be 'rich'. I would never seek office, but if I did, I'd be sure to not have to worry about money.
Think 'Christine O'Donnel' who had to use campaign funds to pay personal debts.

If someone doesn't have much, but really wants to effect change and that's their reason for running, then fine. So long as they realize the higher levels of sacrifice they're committed to.