It is the biggest expense at the worst time. And a huge political incoherence. The big US parties, together with the citizens and pressure groups that support them, are throwing the house out the window in the mid-term legislative campaign on November 8: the elections of the second great crisis of the century; of fear for the war in Ukraine and the future of the world; of global insecurity in the face of the threat of new covid outbreaks and new pandemics. The great contradiction is that precisely the economic situation in general and inflation in particular have become the number one issue of the campaign, especially for Republicans, who are the ones who have increased spending the most in almost all states.
According to a cautious projection by Open Secrets, the organization that most controls the financing of American parties and their representatives, the total cost of the campaign will amount to 9,300 million dollars, 31% more than the 7,100 million spent on the previous midterms of 2018.
The organization AdImpact, specialized in the financial monitoring of advertising and propaganda in the US, raises the projection of total spending in the legislative elections to 9,700 million dollars: an amount very close to the 9,900 million spent in the presidential elections and legislative of 2020. As of yesterday, the disbursement in the current campaign already amounted to 6,683 million, according to AdImpact.
If in the mid-term elections four years ago it was the Democrats who spent the most on hype, now the opposite is happening; According to the latest count by Open Secrets, when spending was around $5 billion, Donald Trump's party and the conservative-affiliated Super Pacs (independent political action committees) were responsible for 55.83% of spending, compared to 42. .46% of the part corresponding to the formation of Biden and external sponsors.
This external financing, coming from individuals, corporations, NGOs and unions, is breaking all records, already exceeding 1,300 million dollars. It is a source of political financing on the rise since the Supreme Court, through its resolution of the case Citizens United against the Federal Electoral Commission (FEC), annulled in 2010 the restrictions that until then had stopped donations from individuals and groups. non-political: money whose origin is often not very transparent.
As is logical, the largest increases in spending correspond to the states that host the most disputed elections, the majority framed in the renewal of the 35 seats in contention in the Senate (out of a total of 100). In five of these territories, three quarters of the expenditures come from external Super PACs. These are Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada and Ohio, states where it will be decided whether the Democrats manage to retain control of the Upper House, which they now have by the minimum margin of 50 seats plus the quality vote of Vice President Kamala Harris.
The largest external expenses correspond to the group close to the Republican leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, who has spent 225 million of which 110 are concentrated in three races: those of Georgia, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Trump's participation in the campaign and the political tension he promotes are key factors in the increase in spending in these legislative elections, according to specialists. "We're seeing a lot more money, more candidates and more division than ever before," says Open Secrets CEO Sheila Krumholz.
More fuel to the fire.
