Midterm Spending Tops $80 Million Thanks to Our Supreme Court

[Washington Post] Four weeks before the midterm elections a total of $80 million has been spent by groups outside the Democratic and Republican parties which dwarfs the $16 million spent at this point for the 2006 midterms. In the 2006 election, the vast majority of money - more than 90 percent - was disclosed along with donors' identities. This year, because court rulings have allowed for anonymous donations, less than half of the donations can be traced. 

The bulk of the money is being spent by conservatives, who have swamped their Democratic-aligned competition by a 7 to 1 ratio in recent weeks. The tsunami of spending is made possible in large part by a series of Supreme Court rulings unleashing the ability of corporations and interest groups to spend money on politics.

One of the biggest spenders nationwide is a little-known Iowa group called the American Future Fund, which has spent $7 million on behalf of Republicans in more than two dozen House and Senate races. Donors for the group's ad campaign have not been disclosed in records the group has filed with the Federal Election Commission.

"Folks across America should be worried about these anonymous groups that go into an election and try to buy a favorable result," said Braley spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki. "People have no idea where the money came from. It's difficult to take recourse."