Candidates have run for office for less than the noble motive of serving the public, which could include getting a better-paying job, pension benefits, achieving a position of perceived importance, boredom, or no reason at all.

Maricopa County, Ariz., Judge Edward O. Burke, who found no wrongdoing by a naturalized American citizen from Mexico who ran against the leader of Arizona’s legislative crackdown on illegal immigration with the help of her opponent's allies.