Money Matters

Opensecrets.org (aka the Center for Responsible Politics, or CRP) runs down the dollar figures in the latest election cycle. While voters put ethics at the top of their list of concerns this time around, money (and its corrupting influence) is still the name of the game in Washington. According to CRP,

The average cost of winning a 2006 House race was about $966,000, based on pre-election finance reports, and $7.8 million for a Senate seat. In all, seven Republican congressional candidates and 33 Democrats managed to win their seats despite being outspent.

Among the biggest spenders in every campaign cycle are the oil and energy interests. In California, Big Oil spent nearly $100 million to successfully defeat prop 87, a provision that would have taxed oil companies in the state and directed the revenues to spending on alternative energy. Both Democrats and Republicans get money from the oil and gas sector, of course, but the industry heavily favors the latter. According to CRP, 83 percent of oil and gas dollars this cycle went to GOP candidates.