Money... And Midterm Elections

      Donations to House and Senate races across the country have hit near record numbers, much of this coming from anonymous individuals.  Spending on television advertisements made by interest groups has more than doubled what was spent at this point in the 2006 midterm races.  Unlike two years ago, the Republican side has become the biggest players in aiding campaigns financially this year.  As mentioned, These interest groups have become such powerful players this year because of the Supreme Court's ruling in the Citizens United case that struck down restrictions on corporate spending, along with loosened restrictions governing campaign financing.

      Prior to the decision, third party donors had considerable room regarding sponsorship of political advertisements, as long as they were interpreted as "issue" ads.  Currently, they can simply be more direct with the issues and candidates they're supporting.  As stated by Steven Law, "The principal impact of the Citizens United decision was to give prospective donors a general sense that it was within their constitutional rights to support independent political activity." Others have ruled the court ruling as giving donors a "psychological green light".  The ruling also lifted restrictions on corporations, including labor unions, when it comes to financing radio and television commercials focusing on voters and identifying a political candidate. nytimes.com

      It appears to me that people are contributing more this election season, but i don't believe they're contributing just based on the Citizens United ruling.  I believe these people are contributing because they are concerned about the policies and direction of Congress and our country.  Also, I've noticed that many of these third party donors are still putting out the "issue ads" which were allowable prior to the court ruling, which makes me wonder how much this court case has actually changed.  In contrast, a few nonprofit Republican supporting groups have begun a more aggressive approach asking voters to cast their ballots for or against candidates.  Whether its new laws or just a current trend, it appears that elections in all years are becoming more and more pricey and perhaps increasingly competitive.