For the upcoming 2010 midterm elections, nearly two dozen political advocacy groups are expected to exceed even what they spent on the “astonishingly expensive presidential election of 2008,” according to the Washington Post today. According to the Post, the biggest money will be spent by groups on the right, who will no doubt put their money into pushing the Tea Party narrative of America’s general unhappiness with “big government.”
“The biggest war chests appear to be amassed on the right, where groups hope to take advantage of widespread unhappiness over the recession, stimulus spending and other fiscal issues to propel Republicans into office. About two-thirds of the expected group expenditures compiled by The Washington Post will come from conservative-leaning groups.”
Overall, more than $400 million will be spent on campaign contributions, issue-based advertisements, and other election-related efforts. Conservative groups expected to spend as much as $50 million each include the Karl Rove-backed, GOP-focused group American Crossroads; the National Rifle Association’s political action committee; and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. (The Chamber, which exceeded its 2008 spending by 60 percent on lobbying and grassroots organizing last year, has top White House officials worried about its efforts to defeat the Obama administration’s legislative agenda, particularly regarding health care, according to a March Los Angeles Times report.)
The push from the left would primarily be led by unions, including American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
“A lot of what we’re involved with is incumbent protection,” Lori Lodes, an SEIU spokeswoman, told The Washington Post. “It’s a very important year.”
Read the June 3 Washington Post article here.
Read the March 8 Los Angeles Times article here.