Davy Crockett, it is said, once gave a speech while a congressman in the 1830s in which  he admitted his error in voting for a redistribution of wealth at the taxpayers’ expense. Few congressmen are willing to doubt such policies today if congressional campaign spending is any indication. 

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, in the current election cycle 1,289 candidates have been running for the 527 congressional seats up for grabs in 2008. They cumulatively have raised more than $666.4 million and spent $420.2 million, through July 30. 

It is a cliché that “all politics is local.” Who gets elected to Congress from a particular district can make all the difference in the world about who in that area of the country gets “the pork” and how much, with the American taxpayer picking up the tab. 

In the 2008 federal budget there are more than 11,000 earmarks--budgeted expenditures directed for the benefit of specific friends of members of Congress--that are worth $15 billion. For example, the House Appropriations Committee, alone, earmarked $176 million in federal spending in the 2008 budget.

In total, so far, the Congressional Democratic Party candidates have raised $360 million and spent $215.3 million. The Republicans have collected $305 million in contributions, and spent $204 million. 

Over on the Senate side, 164 candidates have been in the running for the 35 seats that are to be filled. Total donations for all of these races through the end of July have been $288.6 million. The Democratic candidates have received $153 million and spent $97.7 million so far. The Republican candidates have raised $135.4 million and used up $69.5 million. 

In all of these races the incumbents have, in general, the fundraising advantage. In the Senate races,  incumbent candidates have raised five times the amount collected by the challengers. In the House, incumbents have received more than three times the donations raised by their challengers. 

So far, the most expensive Senate race has been in Minnesota, where incumbent Republican Norm Coleman is running against comedian Al Franken. Through the end of July candidates for this seat have raised $27.8 million and spent $16.5 million.

The House’s most expensive race so far is between Democratic incumbent Bill Foster and Republican challenger James Oberweis, who are in contention in Illinois’ 14th District. The candidates raised $8.5 million and spent $5.4 million. 

Political Action Committees (PACs)--coalitions of special interest groups attempting to influence elections without directly contributing to specifc candidates--have been spending a bundle in the current political cycle.

In Table A, below, the total dollar amounts contributed by PACs through June 30 are shown by the general categories, business, labor, ideological, and others. 

In the Senate the biggest amount of PAC money has gone to Max Baucus (D-MT), $2.8 million; Mitch McConnell (R-KY) $2.79 million; Norm Coleman (R-MN) $2.2 million; Susan Collins (R-ME) $2.19 million; and John Cornyn (R-TX), $2.1 million.
 
Table B, below, lists the sources of money for these races. Contributions are broken down by industry, professional association, or interest group, and how much have been given to Democrats and Republicans, respectively.
 

Another major source of financing for this year’s Congressional races comes from 527 Committees, named after the section in the U.S tax code under which they are covered. There are virtually no limits on 527 Committee spending, since they do not directly donate to a candidate or their election. Rather these expenditures are geared toward issue advocacy (that obviously will end up paralleling the positions of some candidates but not others) and voter registration drives. 

Table C,  below, lists the major groups contributing under the 527 Committee heading. 

It is said that House members in particular never have a time horizon longer than two years, when they will be running for reelection after having just taken office in the most recent race. For senators, their frame-of-reference is no more than six years, with one-third of them facing reelection every two years along with their House colleagues. 

Very few congressmen,if they want to stay in office, will have the willingness to “just say, no” when special interest groups coming knocking at their door demanding the financial goodies that government can hand out with taxpayers’ dollars.

There are always challengers in the wings who will be happy to replace them, by being more sensitive to the needs of those who would like to live at taxpayers’ expense. And interested groups--regardless of whether they are left, right, center, or just after the money--will always be on the outlook for the best candidates their contribution dollars can buy.

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