United States: Five most expensive contests in midterm elections

With disputed Senate races drawing the highest costs, the amount spent on the midterm elections is anticipated to set a new record this year.According to the website Open Secrets, the two most expensive elections in 2022 were for the Senate seats in Georgia and Pennsylvania.

Republicans are currently spending far more than Democrats, by a margin of about 5 per cent, the research states. 2018's most recent midterm elections saw more money going to Democrats.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

In a fight for an open seat in Pennsylvania, former lieutenant governor John Fetterman will face off against Mehmet Oz, a former talk show personality who has Trump's support.

Herschel Walker, a former Trump administration appointee, is competing against Raphael Warnock, the current incumbent, who was elected to the Senate in a special election in 2021.

The Fetterman vs. Oz contest is notable in particular for the quantity of outside funding, which accounts for 61 per centof all expenditures in the contest.

Only 55 per centof the total expenditures in the Warnock vs. Herschel race were made with outside funds.

All of the six most costly contests this year were for the Senate, and the only one that the Cook Political Report did not rate as a toss-up was the one in Ohio.

Another spending record is anticipated at the state level, where Republicans are predicted to outspend Democrats by a bigger margin (57 vs. 43 per cent).

(with inputs from agencies)