[올어바웃 중간선거] 9. Election is a money war

This is the ninth time of the special “All About Midterm Election” midterm election program. This was reported by journalist Hyunsuk Kim.

It is time for the “All About Midterm Election” to find out all about the November 8 midterm election. Electoral funds are what you need for elections. Depending on how many donations are collected and how much money is spent on the election, the outcome of the election may be different. How much do the US elections really cost?

Before the elections, candidates from each party organized election camps. Many volunteers participate, but making flyers, etc., and meeting and campaigning with voters costs. In particular, exporting media advertisements such as TV costs a lot of money. Therefore, candidates often run sponsorship sites to receive donations from voters who support them. It is also supported by the Political Action Committee (CAP), a political support group.

Even between elections, presidential elections cost astronomical costs. The 2020 presidential election was the most expensive election of all time.

The Corresponding Politics Center (CRP), a non-profit organization, estimates that a total of $ 14 billion was spent in the 2020 presidential elections and federal and federal elections. This was more than double the amount of the 2016 presidential election four years ago and more than the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections combined.

Notably, Joe Biden, the then Democratic candidate, raised about $ 1 billion from voters, far ahead of former President Trump, and became the president with the most money raised in history.

So what about these mid-term elections? OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks political funds, estimates the midterm elections will cost more than $ 9 billion. It’s the highest mid-term election cost ever and more than it was during the 2016 presidential election.

The enormous cost of these mid-term elections can be seen by looking at the cost of political advertising.

According to last month’s “Wall Street Journal” report, citing ad analysis firm “Ad Impact,” the advertising spending of Democratic and Republican parties in these mid-term elections amounted to $ 7.5 billion. That’s almost double the amount of the 2018 midterm election. It’s close to the $ 9 billion ad spend in the 2020 presidential election.

Advertising costs skyrocketed on September 5, Labor Day, two months before the midterm elections. In Las Vegas, one of the most competitive places, television advertising has increased overwhelmingly. Philadelphia, Boston and Phoenix followed.

With the Democratic Party maintaining a narrow majority in the Senate and the House, you can tell just by looking at the cost of the election how fiercely the two parties are fighting to secure a majority seat.

Until now, she was Kim Hyun-sook from “All About Midterm Election”.