Congressional Campaign Expenditures Total $772 Million

Candidates in special elections spent an additional $18.7 million in 2001 and 2002, and candidates who lost in primaries reported $107 million in spending through September 30, 2002. All campaigns will file year-end reports covering the remainder of 2002 at the end of January.

The decline in financial activity was limited to Senate campaigns, where receipts totaled $282.3 million and disbursements were $272.6 million. These represent declines of 23% in receipts and 25% in disbursements when compared with the 2000 campaign. Senate races are inherently difficult to compare, however, because the states holding elections vary from year to year, and because individual races or candidates can have significant impact on the overall totals. For example, the open seat campaigns in New York and New Jersey in 2000 generated large spending totals that were not matched in the most expensive races in 2002.

House candidates raised $539.5 million, nearly unchanged from 2000 totals, and spent $499.7 million, up 1% from the previous cycle. This follows increases of about 30% in House financial activity from 1998 to 2000.

The general pattern of financial activity in 2002 campaigns can also be seen in the overall totals for general election winners:

Contributions from individuals continued to represent the largest source of funds for congressional candidates, providing $451.5 million or 54% of all receipts. PACs contributed $258 million through November 25, representing about 31% of all fundraising. Candidates themselves contributed and loaned a total of $70.3 million to their campaigns which was nearly 9% of receipts.

While House campaigns showed little overall change when compared to the 2000 cycle, tables attached to this release reveal substantial shifts in financial activity for different types of candidates in House races. There were slight increases in median financial activity for House incumbents and open-seat candidates during the current campaign, but median receipts and disbursements by House challengers of both parties were lower in dollar terms during the 2002 campaign than in any election since 1992.

Median spending by Democratic challengers declined by 65% when compared with 2000 and median spending by Republican challengers fell 19%. In addition, there were fewer incumbents of both parties who won with 55% of the vote or less than in 2000 and no increase in open-seat races with small victory margins in spite of the reapportionment and redistricting efforts that followed the 2000 census.

Tables

[Tables are in EXCEL format which can be viewed using Microsoft Excel available from Microsoft]

General Election Campaign Finance Through November 25, 20002

Senate General Election Campaigns 2001-2002

House General Election Campaigns 2001-2002

Median House Campaign Receipts by Type of Campaign

Nonincumbent House Campaign Receipts 1992-20002

Median Activity for House Nonincumbent Winners and their Opponents

Median Activity in Close House Races

Senate Campaign Finance in Post-Election Time Period Only

House Campaign Finance in Post-Election Time Period Only

State by State Listings for Senate Campaigns

House Campaign Summaries

Footnotes

1. Figures in the first two tables and the detailed listings of candidates cover from January 1, 2001, or whenever the campaign registered during the year, through November 25, 2002 or the last report filed by the campaign as indicated.

2. Net receipt and net disbursement figures are total receipts and total disbursements, as reported by the campaigns, minus any money transferred between committees of the same campaign.

3. Columns entitled "contrib from other cmtes" are moneys contributed to campaigns by PACs and other committees as reported by the campaigns. Other committees include primarily committees of other candidates.

4. On the Senate listings, the column titled "candidate support" includes contributions by the candidate as well as loans made or guaranteed by the candidate. The column titled "trans from other auth" includes moneys transferred from House committees of candidates for the Senate, as well as proceeds from joint fundraising activity among several candidates or committees. Contributions from individuals and PACs made through these joint fundraising efforts are NOT included in the "individual contributions" or "other cmte contributions" columns.

5. Open seat races are those in which the incumbent did not seek reelection.

6. Detailed listings of candidates include those House general election candidates who reported receipts before November 25, 2002.

7. Some House members or former House candidates who are or were running for the Senate in 2002 changed their former House campaign committees into their Senate campaign committees. Financial activity related solely to their Senate campaigns cannot be isolated. (See Chambliss [GA], Thune [SD], and Warren [NC]).

8. Party abbreviations in the listing of House campaigns are:

DEM

Democrat

DFL

Democrat/Farmer/Labor (MN)

REP

Republican

RTL

Right to Life

LIB

Libertarian

PAF

Peace and Freedom

IND

Independent

LBL

Liberal

9. Several candidates report significant debts at least some of which were incurred in previous election cycles. These include:

James Humphreys (WV)

Phil Sudan (TX)

Roger Kahn (GA)

Gordon Smith (OR)

Darrell Issa (CA)

Christopher Cannon (UT)

Doug Ose (CA)