An expert explains the pros and cons of self-funding for elections, and explains why some candidates choose to go the self-funded route.

Jennifer Steen is an associate professor of Political Science at ASU. She says self-financing is a huge gamble to take, but everyone who chooses to use his or her own money to campaign believes they’re different and will see a big payoff in the form of votes.

Steen says self-financed campaigns are a way for people with little to no political experience to get into public office. She says these candidates are often confident because they’re successful in the business world, but they fail to appreciate that the private and public sectors are very different.