House and Senate campaigns raise nearly $600 million in 2009

Congressional campaign receipts totaled $597.5 million from January 1 through December 31, 2009, the first calendar year of the 2009- 2010 election cycle.This reflects an increase of almost 18 percent over 2007 (the first calendar year of the 2007-2008 election cycle), according to reports filed with the Commission. Congressional Democratic, Republican and other party candidates increased their fundraising totals by raising $321.3 million, $275.9 million and $384,000, respectively, when compared to the same one-year period in the previous election cycle.

Senate candidates raised $236.3 million in 2009, an increase of 43.7 percent from 2007. During 2009, Senate candidates reported expenditures of $102.6 million, up from $57.9 million spent during 2007, and ended 2009 with a cash balance of $203.6 million. Six years ago, when the same Senate seats were up for election, candidates raised $166.7 million during the year before the mid-term elections. However, there are two additional open seats this election cycle due to the vacancies created by the Senate resignations of Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In addition, a Senate vacancy occurred in Massachusetts after Senator Edward Kennedy’s death.

Candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives raised $361.2 million in 2009, an increase of over 5 percent compared to 2007 levels. These campaigns spent $195.9 million, more than 5 percent over total expenditures in 2007. They entered the election year with cash-on-hand of $326.2 million, up 10 percent from the $296.6 million reported at the end of 2007.

Receipts for House Democratic campaigns were $199.9 million in 2009, a decrease of less than 1 percent from their 2007 total. While Democratic House incumbents increased their fundraising total compared to 2007, Democratic House challengers and open seat candidates reported a decrease in the amount of contributions received compared to 2007. Republican House candidates raised $161 million in 2009, a 12.9 percent increase from 2007. Unlike Democratic House candidates, Republican House challengers and open seat candidates reported an increase in contributions in 2009, while incumbents reported a decrease in contributions compared to 2007.

Individual contributions remain the largest source of congressional campaign revenues. The $363.9 million contributed by individuals in 2009 was almost 31 percent more than in 2007 and represented 61 percent of all fundraising during the year, up from 55 percent in 2007. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) increased campaign contribution limits for individuals from $1,000 per election to $2,000 and indexed them for inflation. The limit for individual contributions in 2009-2010 is $2,400 per election, or a total of $4,800 for a primary and general election.

Although contribution limits to congressional campaigns from political action committees (PACs) and other candidate committees were left largely unchanged under BCRA, contributions from these entities increased by 1.5 percent to $159.8 million in 2009. Contributions and loans made by candidates to their own campaigns totaled $51.5 million or 8.6 percent of all funds raised, an increase of $23.4 million from 2007.

Receipts include contributions, transfers from other committees, loans, refunds from vendors, interest income and other revenue.

The full text of the Commission’s press release on candidate fundraising in 2009 is available on the Commission’s website at http://www.fec.gov/press/press2010/20100322Candidate.shtml.