The 2014 midterm elections are right around the corner, and big money is already gearing up for the race.
More than $1.1 billion has been raised for both House and Senate candidates to date, as the general midterm elections are fast approaching in less than three months. Washington D.C. takes the lead again this year, followed by California, New York and Texas, according to new data by Center of Responsive Politics. Almost $800 million of campaign donations has already been spent by both parties, while Republicans have poured in $121 million more than Democrats in total.
The country’s capital consolidates its top spot once again with $217 million of total campaign donations, about $40 million more than California, the second highest state with $177 million. The state of New York ranks third again this year, with 85% of its contribution from the New York metropolitan area. Illinois trails Texas, Virginia, and Florida to rank No.7 in terms of total contributions, but Chicago has the third largest donations among all the U.S. major urban areas.
Five states, including Georgia, Hawaii, Nebraska, Maine and Montana, have increased their campaign contributions while the rest of the country saw the total campaign contributions drop this year. With $33.7 million in total donations, Georgia jumps 7 spots to rank No.10 in this election cycle. The sharp increase comes from the stiff competition in the Georgia Senate race, the third most expensive race with $23 million spending so far.
A look at per capita campaign contributions tells a different tale. The campaign contribution coming from D.C. totals an astounding $336.23 per person, more than 33 times higher than Virginia, the state with the second highest per capita campaign contribution ($10.67). New York, which ranks third in terms of total lobbying money, has only $6.78 per person. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Wyoming, and Arkansas, which rank below top 10 in terms of total contributions, have more than $5 per capita contribution. By factoring in the population, these states rank higher than California, which has the second largest total amount of lobbying money.
Republicans have gained ground in the campaign donation battlefield this year. Eleven states that contributed less than 50% to the Republicans in 2010 have now turned more than half of their donations towards the party. In Nevada, for example, 64% of campaign donations went to Republicans this year, a 19% jump from four years ago. On the contrary, political donations to Democrats decreased in 38 states in terms of total percentage, including some of the more competitive states like Colorado and North Carolina. Only New Hampshire has flipped for Democrats with 55% of total contributions, up from 46% in 2010.
According to New York Time Upshot’s election forecast, the Republicans now have a slight advantage with about 58% chance of winning a majority. Will the Republicans’ money machine succeed in reinforcing their lead in the general elections? We won’t know for sure until November, but the resources they poured in definitely have given the party a strong edge in campaign financing.
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