US Presidential election 2020 expected to cost USD 14 billion; to be most expensive in history

Team Udayavani, Oct 29, 2020, 10:20 AM IST

New York: The 2020 Presidential election is turning out to be the most expensive election in history and twice as expensive as the previous presidential election cycle, with the total cost of the election expected to reach an unprecedented USD 14 billion, a research group said.

The Center for Responsive Politics said that an ‘extraordinary influx’ of political donations in the final months — driven by a Supreme Court battle and closely watched races for the White House and Senate — pushed total spending in the election past the previously estimated 11 billion dollars figure.

The Center said that the 2020 election will cost USD 14 billion, shattering spending records.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will be the first candidate in history to raise USD 1 billion from donors.    His campaign brought in a record-breaking USD 938 million through October 14, riding Democrats’ enthusiasm to defeat Trump. President Donald Trump raised USD 596 million, which would be a strong fundraising effort if not for Biden’s immense haul.

“Even amid a pandemic, everyone is giving more in 2020, from ordinary individuals making small donations to billionaires cutting eight-figure checks to super PACs. Women are smashing donation records, and Americans are increasingly donating to candidates who aren’t running for office in their state,” it said in a statement.

The 2020 election is more than twice as expensive as the runner up, the 2016 election.

The group said that the massive numbers are headlined by unprecedented spending in the presidential contest, which is expected to see USD 6.6 billion in total spending alone, up from around USD 2.4 billion in the 2016 race.

Spending by deep-pocketed national groups is also driving the total cost of election higher. In the month of October alone, outside spending by super PACs and other big-money groups totalled nearly USD 1.2 billion. These groups are spending far more to boost Biden than help Trump, further aiding the Democrats cash-flush campaign.

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