Is this a sign of things to come? 2014 midterm most expensive on record

Well underway, the 2014 midterms are set to be the most expensive midterms ever, according to projections that the Center for Responsive Politics released on October 22.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - While heavily overshadowed by global affairs like the ongoing West African Ebola outbreak, Islamic State offensives in Syria and Iraq, the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and homegrown Islamic terrorism, this midterm will cost about $4 billion, and may even set the stage for an incredibly costly 2016 presidential election which could reach into the double-digits in billions.

Get a Catholic email address for yourself, or give one as a gift. Safe, secure, and encrypted.

"So far, at least $663.3 million has been spent by outside groups like super PACs and 527s (a figure that is current within the last 48 hours), but CRP's projections based on the pattern in the 2012 cycle indicate that at least another $233.5 million remains to be spent in the 12 days before Nov. 4,"the Center revealed. "That's a rate of $19.4 million a day."

The Center's projection shows that liberal groups will actually outspend their conservative rivals-though narrowly-something unexpected as the left often derides the right for having the favor of affluent backers.

Figures from the center show that $433 million is spent by liberal groups to $424 million spent by conservatives.

However, they add that the figures do not include money spent by nonprofits, such as the right leaning Americans for Prosperity, which has been very active in this election cycle.

"Overall, it's likely that at least $100 million in spending is not being counted, and that money leans distinctly to the right, records filed with the Federal Communications Commission indicate. If that's an accurate estimate, any advantage the liberal outside spending groups have over conservative ones will be washed away by Election Day," the Center reported.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'