NATCHEZ — The Adams County economy has been injected with more than $50,000 in the last few months, and the spending isn’t over yet.

Political elections are a business, and the bigger the race the better things are for print shops, T-shirt stores and the folks who sell advertising.

“You can’t help but notice (the things) candidates spend money on,” Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce Chairman Pat Biglane said. “It draws anticipation. People want to get involved. It helps the economy and creates excitement, which can’t do anything but help the overall economy.”

Vidalia-based Rhino Graphics prints many of the political signs in the area, and owner Lawrence Chauvin said his business sees a surge of orders during election season.

“Everybody comes in and orders when they qualify,” he said. “If there are any run-offs, we get another surge.”

Candidates are willing to spend thousands of dollars on signs because name recognition is key in an election, Chauvin said.

“Signs don’t necessarily spell out a candidate’s message, but in a small town, people go by name recognition, and once people know a candidate is out there they key into their platform,” he said.

Buying more signs doesn’t necessarily mean more votes for a candidate, but it certainly doesn’t hurt, Chauvin said.

“If you have a name that’s easy to remember and a graphic that relates back to your name, it’s more effective,” he said.

The cost of visibility can be high.

In Adams County one of the more expensive races so far has been that of sheriff. Incumbent Sheriff Ronny Brown, a Democrat, said he has spent roughly $9,000 so far and handed out nearly 2,500 signs.

But it’s worth spending the money to get his name out there, Brown said.

“We have people call and ask us for signs,” Brown said. “When they need more, we’ll bring them more.”

His opponent, Charles Woods, also a Democrat, said he, too, has people asking him for signs and other campaign souvenirs.

“We do cards, signs, T-shirts, caps, advertising — we’re doing the whole nine yards,” Woods said. “I think it affects the local economy a great deal,” Woods said. “Everything I’ve spent has been right here in Adams County.”

So far, Woods said he has spent roughly $7,500 on his campaign, not including advertising.

Election season lags about a month behind in Concordia Parish, but the candidates don’t waste time with their dollars.

During the last election for Concordia Parish Sheriff, Monterey resident Glenn Lipsey, who is currently the only declared candidate in the upcoming race for the position, spent $25,968.68 on his campaign four years ago.

And that was in only six weeks.

Sheriff Randy Maxwell, who has not officially declared he is running but said he intends to, spent $68,534.15 during that same campaign.

For both of those candidates, most of that money was spent on advertising — be it through yard signs, T-shirts, baseball caps, hand fans, cards, specialized pencils, event sponsorships, door-knocking or radio and newspaper ads.

Some items claimed in the candidates’ lists of expenditures, provided by the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office, the average person might not think to include in the cost of campaigning including “bread for cooking,” “soft drinks” and “donation to Ducks Unlimited.”

Maxwell, who has been in office since 1991, said the cost of campaigning has tripled since he first started.

The cost of gasoline alone would have driven up the cost of a campaign, but inflation is evident, even in the small items, he said.

“Then, I could buy a T-shirt for $1,” Maxwell said. “Now I have to pay $5.”

Both Lipsey and Maxwell agreed how much money is spent on a campaign isn’t the ultimate deciding factor in who gets the most votes.

“It takes money for a campaign, but it doesn’t matter how many people you have helping you or how much money you’ve raised,” Lipsey said. “People want to see you — you have to get out and meet them.”

Maxwell said its the handshakes, the discussion and the listening ear that matters.

“An election just boils down to hard work and addressing the issues,” Maxwell said. “No matter what I spend, I plan to knock on every door in the parish.”

Not everyone is enthusiastic about using signs and T-shirts to promote their campaign. Ronald Albritton, a candidate for District 5 supervisor, said he refused to buy signs.

“It’s good for the advertising and sign companies,” Albritton said. “I’ve got no complaint with them making money. But in order to be a different type of politician than we’ve ever had in America, I decided not to waste my money on something that was going to be thrown away after the election.”