Elections - Campaign Finance

Running for political office has become expensive. In the 2012 presidential election, the two major political parties spent a combined total of over $2.6 billion to run and manage the campaign. This $2.6 billion represents over a 500% increase in campaign finance costs since 1984, where the national total was between $400-500 million. To cover these costs, candidates spend a lot of time fundraising and accept monetary donations from individuals, interest groups, and political action committees (PACs).