Alright, now for the weekly Top Fives. As per usual, the Top Fives posts profile the past week in independent expenditures in five very basic ways.
The first full week of September was a big week for independent expenditures. Groups disclosed $36.5 million in targeted election spending - representing nearly as much spending as the previous two weeks combined (approximately $40 million). There was also a significant increase in big-ticket disclosures aimed at candidates in House elections.
Top Five Organizations:
As is the norm, Republican-aligned groups dominated the group spending category, with only 1 left-leaning group - Priorities USA Action - making the the top 5. Old standbys, American Crossroads, Americans for Prosperity and the NRCC took the top three spots.
Top Five States:
State spending was way way up. 12 states experience independent spending in excess of 800K with 10 getting over $1million. Last week’s runner up, Montana, takes the top spot with the previous 2-week champion, Wisconsin falling to third, despite $500K more in spending than last week. New York is a new face on this top five list. Nevada and Massachusetts continue be the focal points of heavy outside spending
Top Five Candidate for the House:
In all, groups disclosed $9.4 million on House races - an increase of $8 million from last week. A mix of old and new targets of independent expenditure groups alike experienced the big time spending.
Top Five Senate Candidates:
Dean Heller of Nevada takes the top spot from last week’s champion, Tommy Thompson. In all, groups disclosed $7.7 million in spending on Senate races - over three-times the amount from last week. Despite this increase, Senate races received less cash than House races, breaking the run of Senate domination that has continued for over a month.
The Presidential Election:
Barack Obama was the main event, as usual, outpacing the Mitt Romney-focused spending by over four fold. Despite the gaudy totals, presidential spending as a share of the weekly total, declined dramatically.
Check out the Top Fives from last week for a deeper comparison of the past week’s disclosures!
