With the mid-term elections just a halfway point to the 2016 Presidential Election, the topic of donations to candidates once again has us in disbelief in the obvious padding of campaign war chests from Goliath donors.

Foster’s Daily Democrat  are among those telling MHProNews  that it’s no secret that poorly funded candidates tend to lose and well-funded candidates often win. $100 million dollars spent in a Senate race in North Carolina can buy a victory with an avalanche of TV, radio, internet and social media ads, glossy resumes and promises in your mailbox while volunteers knock at your door.

A CNN  investigation reported that since lobbyists can no longer give elected officials junkets to exotic lands, the candidates are inviting the lobbyists to lavish parties. Come for free, CNN reported, but the suggested donation to the Senator or Congressperson is $2500.

In the most expensive gubernatorial race this cycle, Florida heads the list, with an estimated $77 million spent to air over 137,000 ads. Florida is followed by Illinois, Pennsylvania, Texas and Michigan.

According to the reporting of OpenSecrets, an organization tracking political donations and spending, overall ad spending has broken $1 billion in federal elections and state governors’ races, with the total number of ads exceeding 2.2 million.

Top outside groups

According to OpenSecrets, Team Blue (Democrat) managed to force its way into the top echelon of big-spending outside groups – but Republican-leaning groups still occupy the majority of the slots at the top of the list of big spenders.

The outside group with the highest outlays this cycle is Senate Majority PAC, a super PAC closely affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.); it has spent $42.6 million. But Senate Majority falls to second on the list when super PAC American Crossroads and politically active nonprofit Crossroads GPS — the tandem of outside groups associated with Karl Rove — are considered together. These two – legally separate organizations, each of which have reported less spending than Senate Majority PAC — work closely; when their efforts are combined, their total spending comes to $46.8 million, giving them the title of top-spending outside organization this cycle. In 2010, this same pair was the top-spending organization, reporting a total of $38.2 million.

The remaining six members of the top 10 outside spending groups are conservative (including American Crossroads/Crossroads GPS). The Chamber of Commerce has disclosed spending $33.5 million this cycle and the National Rifle Association has spent $27.2 million, according to reports filed with the FEC.

Freedom Partners Action Fund, a super PAC that emerged from a network of dark money groups connected to the libertarian political financiers David and Charles Koch, received its first donation just four months ago, but rocketed to eighth on the list of top-spending outside groups, with $18.9 million. David and Charles Koch each gave $2 million to the group.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, he number one donor of disclosed outside money is hedge fund manager Tom Steyer, followed by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has given $20 million to super PACs, of which 98 percent went to liberal or Democratic recipients.

But despite those top two donors, conservative donors dominate the top 20 — 15 of them are conservative. The three other liberal donors are: Fred Eychaner ($7.9 million), George Soros ($3.5 million) and hedge-funder James Simons (and his wife Marilyn), who have given $3 million.

The top conservative donor to outside groups is Paul Singer, of hedge fund Elliott Management, who has given $9.3 million. Last cycle’s top donor — both to outside groups and overall — was Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Venetian casino in Las Vegas, who with his physician wife Miriam gave $92 million. This cycle, the Adelsons have given $5 million.

Other prominent conservative donors include Linda and Vince McMahon, who have given $2.6 million, and Robert McNair, the owner of the Houston Texans football team who together have given $3 million.

Topping the list of organizations contributing money to outside groups is the National Education Association, which has given a whopping $22.4 million to outside groups. Following the NEA are a slew of other labor unions — the Carpenters & Joiners Union ($11.2 million), the AFL-CIO ($7.6 million) and AFSCME ($6 million). These unions gave almost exclusively to liberal outside groups.

Whether we break it down by Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal, a SuperPAC, a labor organization, a Special Interest Group, or just a person with a net worth more than some countries, they all want the same thing. Unfettered access to elected officials at the highest levels: The Senate, The House of Representatives, and most of all, the White House.

You decide if that donation can sway a decision on a crucial piece legislation that hurts the American public but helps those with the keys to the vault. ##

(Photo credits: Shutterstock)

(Submitted by Michael Francis to Daily Business News – MHProNews.)

(Editor’s Note: MH related election commentary at this link.)