4/7/10 12:57 PMAn Overview of State Campaigns, 2007-2008Page 1 of 19http://www.followthemoney.org/press/PrintReportView.phtml?r=420
AN OVERVIEW OF STATE CAMPAIGNS,2007-2008
By Denise Roth BarberNATIONAL INSTITUTE ON MONEY IN STATE POLITICSApril 06, 2010
This publication was made possible by grants from:
Ford Foundation Foundation to Promote Open SocietyThe Pew Charitable Trusts Rockefeller Brothers Fund Sunlight Foundation
4/7/10 12:57 PMAn Overview of State Campaigns, 2007-2008Page 2 of 19http://www.followthemoney.org/press/PrintReportView.phtml?r=420
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Birds-Eye View of State Campaigns in 2007 and 2008Legislative Campaigns
Money Raised by Legislators Not Up for Election
Races for the Governor's Mansion
Lieutenant Governor RacesCandidates' Own MoneyIncumbents Not Up for Election
Judicial RacesWho Gives to State Candidates?Financing State Political Parties
Who Gives to the Political Parties?
Ballot Measures Attract Record Millions
4/7/10 12:57 PMAn Overview of State Campaigns, 2007-2008Page 3 of 19http://www.followthemoney.org/press/PrintReportView.phtml?r=420
For the first time ever,legislative candidatesraised more than $1billion in the 2008election cycle
A BIRDS-EYE VIEW OF STATE CAMPAIGNS IN 2007 AND 2008
More than 15,000 candidates who sought offices ranging from the state legislature to the governor's seat raisednearly $1.5 billion during state elections held in 2007 and 2008. State office-holders who were not up for election raised an additional $172 million.The $1.6 billion raised by candidates and office-holders during the 2007–2008 election cycle was slightly morethan the $1.4 billion raised during the comparable 2003–2004 elections.In addition to the above $1.6 billion, committees organized around ballot measures raised $869 million, state political parties raised nearly $370 million, and state legislative caucuses raised $178 million.A review of the $3 billion raised in state campaigns during the 2007–2008 elections shows that:
Legislative campaigns were the most expensive ever
. For thefirst time, state legislative candidates broke the $1 billion mark.The $1 billion they raised was 9 percent more than the $962million raised in 2005–2006 elections, and 26 percent more thanthe $828.6 million raised in 2003–2004 elections.
State races were often not truly competitive.
Nationwide, nearlytwo-thirds of the state legislative races were contested during thegeneral elections. However, just one-third of those races were monetarily competitive. The same wasobserved in the gubernatorial races: although all 14 races were contested, just four were monetarilycompetitive.
Office-holders attracted most of the cash.
Winners attracted two-thirds of the money raised by thoserunning for election. Incumbents seeking re-election collected about half of the money.
Incumbents sought—and won—re-election in most races.
Incumbents sought re-election in 84 percent of the seats up for election—with good reason: the power of incumbency led to a 93 percentsuccess rate.
Money and incumbency remained nearly unbeatable
. Incumbent legislators who had larger war chests than their challengers were nearly unbeatable—94 percent won their re-election campaigns.
Supreme Court campaigns stayed the course
. Candidates running for a seat on their states' highestcourt raised $43.5 million, comparable to what they raised in 2000 and 2004 (each about $46 million).Partisan races, in which candidates identify with a political party during the election, attracted 71 percent of the money raised in high court races.
Democrats and Republicans were evenly-matched
. Although Democrats fielded more candidates— 7,226 compared to Republicans' 6,301; they raised comparable amounts on average: $103,439 byDemocrats and $106,083 by Republicans.
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