According to the Center for Responsive Politics, outside interest groups have poured almost $260 million into political campaigns this election season. That's nearly four times the amount spent by similar groups in the last midterm election. And thanks to the Supreme Court decision that opened the floodgates to corporation and union spending, these groups are on track to outspend political parties for the first time ever.
This might be the year of the multi-million dollar agenda.
We're profiling some of the interest groups spending the most in political campaigns this year. We're finding out who is behind the groups and what exactly is on their agenda for the candidates who enter office.
But we're also asking you what's on your personal agenda for the candidates you're supporting in November: What's the first thing you want your elected representative to do after this election?
Here's a list of some of the top outside spenders (source: OpenSecrets.org).
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce ($33.9 million).
- American Action Network ($22.7 million).
- American Crossroads ($18 million).
- Service Employees International Union ($11.7 million).
- Crossroads GPS ($11.5 million).
- The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees ($10.5 million).
Get full information on each group at Public Citizen's "Stealth PACs" resource.