The money was never huge, never anywhere near what Mike Bloomberg is flooding the Democratic primary with. But its chance of making a difference was more of a wayward daydream than a thought with footing in 2020 reality.

A top staffer from Mitt Romney’s 2012 run found a home with former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld’s operation. A longtime Bush family fundraiser tried to work her magic on a former Tea Party Republican’s redemption tour. And a former GOP state party chairman struggled to help elevate a universally unknown challenger, whose campaign paid him more than $94,000 only to get less than 300 votes in disgruntled Republican’s best chance at embarrassing the president.

“I’ve been around politics for awhile and there’s always somebody ready, willing and able to take your money and spend it,” said Mark Sanford, the former South Carolina governor who ended his GOP presidential primary bid last November. “I don’t think you’ll ever be in a shortage of consultant types that will suggest or promise the moon, but that just sort of goes with the territory.”