Campaign Finance Numbers
In 2008—the last presidential election year—candidates for office, political parties, and independent groups spent a total of $5.3 billion on federal elections. The amount spent on the presidential race alone was $2.4 billion, and over $1 billion of that was spent by the campaigns of the two major candidates: Barack Obama spent $730 million in his election campaign, and John McCain spent $333 million.
In the 2010 midterm election cycle, candidates for office, political parties, and independent groups spent a total of $3.6 billion on federal elections. The average winner of a seat in the House of Representatives spent $1.4 million on his or her campaign. The average winner of a Senate seat spent $9.8 million.
The money for campaigns for federal office comes from four broad categories of sources: (1) small individual contributors (individuals who contribute $200 or less), (2) large individual contributors (individuals who contribute more than $200), (3) political action committees, and (4) self-financing (the candidate's own money). In the 2010 Congressional races, the sources of campaign contributions broke down as follows:
| Small Individual Contributors | Large Individual Contributors | Political Action Committees | Self-Financing | Other | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Democrats | 9% | 47% | 38% | 3% | 3% |
| House Republicans | 14% | 48% | 24% | 12% | 3% |
| Senate Democrats | 12% | 53% | 15% | 12% | 8% |
| Senate Republicans | 18% | 42% | 12% | 20% | 8% |
Read more about this topic: Campaign Finance In The United States
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