Politics is hungry work.

Campaign finance numbers released this week showed that 142 legislative candidates have spent nearly $100,000 on food for their races. Though starved candidates and their staff have feasted on consumables over the months from banquets to pizza, perhaps the sweetest is the $6,000 that Minnesota campaigns have spent on parade candy.

“It’s expected,” Ben DeNucci, who lost in August’s DFL primary for the District 6A seat, said of campaigns providing candy at parades. “It’s good parade etiquette. … When I was a kid, we went to the parade and got candy.”

DeNucci spent a little over $900 on candy, twice as much as any other candidate.

But he accidentally told Minnesota’s Campaign Finance Board he had spent much, much more.

DeNucci’s spending report filed this week showed nearly $40,000 spent on candy — a report he said was an error.

The biggest statewide spending on food was St. Paul Sen. Foung Hawj, a Democrat in a safe seat.

Hawj’s campaign spent just over $10,000 on food, much of it at King Thai, Destiny Cafe and the East Side Pizzeria.

Food spending can reflect the costs of feeding volunteers or mark a fundraiser or other campaign event held at a restaurant.

State Rep. Joe Hoppe, R-Chaska, spent $600 toward more adult ends than parade candy. Just over half his total food and beverage expenditures were spent at Total Wine.

Hoppe’s money could pair well with an expense by Sen. Jeremy Miller, R-Winona. All of Miller’s $800 in food money was spent at Winona’s Steak Shop for a single catering event.