The Money Behind the Elections

There are a million stories to be found on the OpenSecrets website about the interaction between money and politics. But what's the bottom line and what are the most important – and interesting – trends from the last election? That's what you'll find here in the Big Picture.

Have a look at the menus on the left side of the page and start clicking away. You'll find answers to basic questions about the role that money plays in our elections. You may also find answers to questions you never thought to ask. And if the Big Picture isn't enough, there are tens of thousands of other pages here on OpenSecrets that will take you as deep as you want to go.

For starters, though, here are the amounts spent on all federal elections, by cycle. These figures include all money spent by presidential candidates, Senate and House candidates, political parties and independent interest groups trying to influence federal elections:

Methodology