Political newcomers face high costs and difficult odds
“The cost of seeking office whether it’s for state legislature or a governorship or a member of the U.S. House or Senate, these costs have been going up for decades,” said Thomas Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who studies elections and campaign finance issues. “It’s kind of amusing to look back say to the 1970s, and you’ll find many members of Congress then were spending, oh, $75,000, $100,000, $200,000 — now that would almost be a rounding error.”
In 2010, the average winning House candidate spent about $1.4 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That’s 70% more than a decade ago. The average price for winning a Senate seat reached nearly $10 million in that cycle. The high cost of running for federal office often puts newcomers facing well-known incumbents — who often have more financial backing from supporters and political parties — at a substantial disadvantage.
The big expenses will come a few months from now, when much of the money the candidates raise will go to advertising. A Wesleyan Media Project analysis of data provided by Kantar Media/CMAG found that television ads for candidates running for Congress in 2010 racked up nearly 1.6 million airings at an estimated cost of $735 million, an amount that represents 61% increase over 2008. Read More