{"id":13360,"date":"2024-10-16T09:06:38","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T09:06:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360"},"modified":"2024-10-16T09:06:38","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T09:06:38","slug":"staggering-16-billion-in-donations-spent-on-the-2024-election-smashes-records-and-its-still-too-close-to-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360","title":{"rendered":"Staggering $16 BILLION in donations spent on the 2024 election smashes records – and it’s still too close to call"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the 2024\u00a0election<\/span>\u00a0cycle is proving one thing, it’s that nothing sells like uncertainty – except maybe chaos.<\/p>\n

The election, which in the last three months alone has seen two assassination attempts and an incumbent president forced out by his own party, is polling ‘too close to call’ in every battleground state.<\/p>\n

And that has added up to a record $15.9 billion-plus in total campaign donations, the non-profit OpenSecrets.org reported.<\/p>\n

\u2018Whoever runs against\u00a0Donald Trump<\/span>\u00a0will have endless money,\u2019 said Louis Perron, a political consultant based in Switzerland.\u00a0He said for many campaign donors, \u2018the driver is emotional.\u2019<\/p>\n

With both campaigns hauling in cash, and well-funded groups eager to try to sway the outcome, there are plenty of incentives to spend big.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s because the stakes are so high and because it is close,\u2019 the author of Beat the Incumbent told DailyMail.com.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Campaign<\/p>\n
+<\/span>4<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Campaign data compiled for 2024 by nonprofit OpenSecrets reveals the election is on track to be the most expensive ever. The 2020 race may still hold the edge when adjusted for inflation<\/p>\n

For context, that near $16 billion could buy three of the four teams vying for the World Series – the Yankees ($7.55B), Dodgers ($5.45B) and Mets ($3B), based on Forbes’ 2024 valuations.<\/p>\n

It could also buy 36,000 rides into space on Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic at about $450,000 a ride, or five Big Macs with fries and a Coke for every American.<\/p>\n

Even the eye-popping $1 billion that Vice President\u00a0Kamala Harris<\/span>\u00a0raised since her party forced President Joe Biden to bow out in July – itself believed to be a record –\u00a0is just a fraction of the staggering total that Republicans and\u00a0Democrats<\/span>\u00a0are expected to rake in and spend before Nov. 5.<\/p>\n

Most of that haul will be spent on a top-of-ticket race that is still being called a toss-up with less than three weeks to go before Election Day.<\/p>\n

The combined spending includes tons of cash from deep-pocketed Super PACs and other outside groups pouring funds into both the Trump versus Harris race and down-ballot\u00a0congressional<\/span>\u00a0contests \u2013 with control of the\u00a0White House<\/span>, the House and the\u00a0Senate<\/span>\u00a0all up for grabs.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/p>\n
+<\/span>4<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Harris’ fundraising has shown her ability to fire up grassroots support after replacing a sinking President\u00a0Joe Biden<\/span>\u00a0in July.<\/p>\n

The Democrat’s war chest swelled after senior party figures, including former House Speaker\u00a0Nancy Pelosi<\/span>, forced Biden to\u00a0end his run<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Trump, meanwhile, has seen his small individual donation take – less than $200 a piece – drop, forcing him to go to wealthy donors to try to make up the difference.<\/p>\n

Small donors now make up less than a third of his haul, compared to nearly half in 2020.<\/p>\n

But a crush of online fundraising from small donors and a series of big-money hauls from top campaign donors to candidates is only part of what’s paying for the spending binge anyway.<\/p>\n

It is outside groups who are ‘spending more and more, and we’ve seen that cycle over cycle,’ OpenSecrets’ Brendan Glavin told DailyMail.com.<\/p>\n

‘The rate of increase this cycle for the outside groups is really going through\u00a0the roof,’ said Glavin, the group’s deputy research director.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Vice<\/p>\n
+<\/span>4<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Vice President Kamala Harris crossed the $1 billion threshold in campaign fundraising. But outside groups and megadonors are pushing total spending up to $15.9 billion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Spending by outside groups not connected to the candidates’ campaigns, including on TV advertisements, is already blowing away records.<\/p>\n

That spend has topped $2.6 billion as of October 7, according to\u00a0OpenSecrets<\/span>\u00a0data.<\/p>\n

Conservative-leaning groups hold the edge there, led by the Make America Great Again PAC, which is separate from Trump’s campaign. It has plowed $239 million into the race.<\/p>\n

The pro-Harris Future Forward PAC has spent $212 million.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Donald\u00a0Trump<\/p>\n
+<\/span>4<\/div>\n
View gallery<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Donald\u00a0Trump and Republicans raised $430 million for the last reporting period. But the top five megadonors are all backing Republicans in their own spending<\/p>\n

So-called ‘dark money’ nonprofits who spend to influence elections do not have to disclose their donors under the 2010 Supreme Court’s\u00a0Citizens United\u00a0<\/span>decision.<\/p>\n

Spending is also pouring into congressional races, with both the House and Senate seen as up for grabs.<\/p>\n

This year there are already three marquee Senate races that have topped $100 million, in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Montana. The Montana race, where Democratic Sen. Jon Tester is battling for survival, could cost up to $250 million \u2013 or $250 for each of the state’s 1 million residents, according to Bloomberg News.<\/p>\n

A series of megadonors are also on a campaign spending spree, donating 7 percent of all money raised, or $599 million, according to OpenSecrets data.<\/p>\n

The top five megadonors are all backing Republicans in 2024.<\/p>\n

Trump recently appeared on stage with Elon Musk\u00a0in Butler, Pennsylvania. The world’s richest man has said he’s kicking in $45 million per month to a pro-Trump America PAC, which was formed in June.<\/p>\n

Although campaigns prefer to highlight their small-dollar donors, those account for just 16 percent of all contributions for the cycle, according to OpenSecrets.<\/p>\n

That is a drop from 22 percent in 2020.<\/p>\n

But although 2024 spending is set to shatter the dollar record, 2020 could still reign supreme, in part because the inflation that is proving to be a top campaign issue is also playing out in campaign spending.<\/p>\n

The record-shattering 2020 fundraising totals were $15.1 billion. But when adjusted for inflation just four years later, that amounts to $18.3 billion in current dollars.<\/p>\n

The 2020 race featured battling billionaires Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer seeing part of their fortunes go up in smoke with a combined $1.4 billion in campaign spending in their losing bids.<\/p>\n

The 2016 election that got Trump into office saw a comparatively paltry total of $8.5 billion in campaign spending,\u00a0adjusted for inflation<\/span>\u00a0in 2024 dollars.<\/p>\n

For the last reporting period, Harris and Democrats were expected to have raised $1 billion, while Trump and Republicans\u00a0raised $430 million<\/span>. Harris and the Democrats had $404 million in the bank, with Trump and the Republicans having $283 million.<\/p>\n

Public disclosures reveal where the campaigns are spending their hauls. The Harris campaign is cutting most of the big checks on media buys,\u00a0Federal Elections Commission\u00a0data reveal.<\/p>\n

Most of it is funding brutal TV air wars in the battleground states. The Trump camp is pouring funds into its own media purchases, plus direct mail to contact voters at home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If the 2024\u00a0election\u00a0cycle is proving one thing, it’s that nothing sells like uncertainty – except maybe chaos. The election, which in the last three months alone has… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":13364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animal-world"],"yoast_head":"\nStaggering $16 BILLION in donations spent on the 2024 election smashes records - and it's still too close to call - Sport News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Staggering $16 BILLION in donations spent on the 2024 election smashes records - and it's still too close to call - Sport News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If the 2024\u00a0election\u00a0cycle is proving one thing, it’s that nothing sells like uncertainty – except maybe chaos. The election, which in the last three months alone has...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sport News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-10-16T09:06:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/u.s-2-1024x576.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"576\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"huong nv huong nv\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"huong nv huong nv\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360\",\"name\":\"Staggering $16 BILLION in donations spent on the 2024 election smashes records - and it's still too close to call - Sport News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/u.s-2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-16T09:06:38+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-10-16T09:06:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/#\/schema\/person\/3463df31db230d9e6c4598291360e28a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/u.s-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/u.s-2.png\",\"width\":8000,\"height\":4500},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Staggering $16 BILLION in donations spent on the 2024 election smashes records – and it’s still too close to call\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/\",\"name\":\"Sport News\",\"description\":\"Explore top US sports stories\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/#\/schema\/person\/3463df31db230d9e6c4598291360e28a\",\"name\":\"huong nv huong nv\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/94edb664d54a8d5821dfaf385af9e36a51c05e386af825467869258e2ec5d25e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/94edb664d54a8d5821dfaf385af9e36a51c05e386af825467869258e2ec5d25e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"huong nv huong nv\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/huong%20nv\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?author=8\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Staggering $16 BILLION in donations spent on the 2024 election smashes records - and it's still too close to call - Sport News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Staggering $16 BILLION in donations spent on the 2024 election smashes records - and it's still too close to call - Sport News","og_description":"If the 2024\u00a0election\u00a0cycle is proving one thing, it’s that nothing sells like uncertainty – except maybe chaos. The election, which in the last three months alone has...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360","og_site_name":"Sport News","article_published_time":"2024-10-16T09:06:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":576,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/u.s-2-1024x576.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"huong nv huong nv","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"huong nv huong nv","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360","name":"Staggering $16 BILLION in donations spent on the 2024 election smashes records - and it's still too close to call - Sport News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/u.s-2.png","datePublished":"2024-10-16T09:06:38+00:00","dateModified":"2024-10-16T09:06:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/#\/schema\/person\/3463df31db230d9e6c4598291360e28a"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/u.s-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/u.s-2.png","width":8000,"height":4500},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?p=13360#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Staggering $16 BILLION in donations spent on the 2024 election smashes records – and it’s still too close to call"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/","name":"Sport News","description":"Explore top US sports stories","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/#\/schema\/person\/3463df31db230d9e6c4598291360e28a","name":"huong nv huong nv","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/94edb664d54a8d5821dfaf385af9e36a51c05e386af825467869258e2ec5d25e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/94edb664d54a8d5821dfaf385af9e36a51c05e386af825467869258e2ec5d25e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"huong nv huong nv"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/huong%20nv"],"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/?author=8"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13360"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13367,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13360\/revisions\/13367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.drinkfood.info\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}