Donations of several hundred million dollars: The US presidential election campaign is extremely expensive. Where the money comes from, where it goes and why these sums could endanger US democracy.
The most important things in brief
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In the fight for the White House It is all about money, only in this way can the extensive Election campaign operate.
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Sea OpenSecrets Spending on the 2020 election was around 14.4 billion dollarsBy comparison, in the 2016 presidential election it was less than half.
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The campaign committee of former candidate Joe Biden and current candidate Kamala Harris collected a total of 516.8 million dollarswhile Trump’s campaign committee will run between January 2023 and July 31, 2024 268.5 million dollarsr took.
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So much money is invested in the US election campaign
- Who else gets high Donate? This is an important question in the duel between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
- According to experts, a presidential candidate must one billion US dollars in order to be able to keep up with the election campaign until the end.
- In the 2018 midterm elections alone, about 5.73 billion US dollars issued.
- The 2016 US presidential election campaign cost about 6.5 billion US dollars: 4.1 billion US dollars went into the congressional elections, 2.4 billion US dollars into the fight for the White House.
- The high expenses arise from the almost two years ongoing election campaign – including primaries. On the other hand, it costs a lot of money to run in such a big country like the USA with so many inhabitants.
- For comparison: For the 2017 federal election, the CDU 20 million euros issued.
Graphic: Spending in the US election campaign vs. federal elections
© Galileo
US election: The rules of campaign financing
- The money flowing into the US election campaign has increased enormously since 2010. The reason was a Decision of the Supreme Court.
- According to the decision, a donation limit and an exclusion of companies and banks as donors are a clipping the right to freedom of expression.
- Although companies are still not allowed to donate directly to candidates, they can donate to organizations close to the campaigns. Super-Pacs.
- The following applies to private donations: Maximal 3.300 US-Dollar may go directly to the candidates. Anything beyond that must go through the Super Pacs.
Super-Pacs: The fundraisers of the US election
💸 Trump and Harris receive money for the election campaign from the Super Pacs. These are political action platforms with the aim of raising money – there is no limit on donations.
🗳 They are formally independent of the presidential candidates, but can vote in favor of a candidate great influence on the election campaign.
💰 A large portion of the donations that Super Pacs collect come from very wealthy individuals.
In the video: How the candidates finance their election campaign
US election campaign: Where does the money go?
🎬 The largest part of all election campaign spending goes to media campaigns such as TV-Spots. Separate clips are produced for different target groups.
📺 In contrast to Germany, the parties in the USA receive support from the TV channels the time for the TV spots is not for freebut must be as for Advertising pay.
🥂 Spending money to get money: Part of the budget is used for, among other things, Fundraising galas to organize.
🎙 Also important: Election campaign helpers and Election campaign events must be paid for with donations.
Large sums of money in the US election: The disadvantages
- Since a large part of the money comes from extremely wealthy donors and companies, critics warn of an enormous Influence of the privileged on politics.
- This creates the risk that the economic inequality transformed into political inequality – according to the motto: whoever pays, decides.
- According to experts, the high donations and the often associated lack of transparency also lead to a Loss of trust of the population in the electoral process.
- The candidates are also repeatedly accused of spending too much time in their election campaigns trying to woo potential wealthy donors. And thus spending more time on Fundraising than investing in the election campaign.
In the video: US President – these are the requirements the candidates must fulfill
The most frequently asked questions about the US election campaign
Who funds the Republicans?
Historically, many Republican party donations have come from defense, tobacco and oil companies.
What are the names of the two parties in the USA?
The two main parties in the United States are the Republican Party and the Democratic Party.
What is a Republican in simple terms?
A Republican is someone who belongs to the Republican Party in the United States. This party generally favors limited government intervention, individual freedom, and traditional values.
When does the election campaign start in the USA?
The provisions of the Presidential Election Day Act of January 23, 1845, always set Election Day as the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Therefore, Election Day in 2024 will be November 5.
