How much does the US election cost
Fighting elections in the USA are extremely expensive. Only those who have the necessary funds can sustainably stay in the race. The influence of money on politics in the USA has been a big topic for a long time. With Biden's withdrawal, the question arises, what will happen to the already collected donations.
How much does a Wahlkampf in the USA cost?
Wahlcampaign expenses in the USA reach billions. According to the organization Open Secrets, which documents campaign contributions, over 14.4 billion US Dollars (around 13.2 billion Euros) were spent in the 2020 election. Of this, approximately 5.7 billion dollars went to the Presidential campaign and 8.7 billion dollars to the concurrent election for seats in the US Congress. The 2020 election, in which Donald Trump ultimately lost to Joe Biden, was more than double the cost of the race four years prior (around 2.4 billion dollars).
How does financing for a US Wahlkampf work fundamentally?
Direct donations to candidates and parties are limited. In general, large donations go to Super-Pacs, which are organizations that can accept unlimited funds and use them for advertising for specific candidates or political causes. The acronym "Pac" stands for "Political Action Committee". In addition, candidates finance expensive television advertising in this way. The donors are not always transparent. However, there are also many small donations from private individuals.
How much has been collected for the Wahlkampf 2024 so far?
According to Open Secrets and the US Federal Election Commission (FEC), all Presidential candidates - including those who have already dropped out - have reported combined earnings of 660 million US Dollars (around 606 million Euros) for campaign financing. Of this, about 215 million dollars went to Biden and 196 million to Trump. The donations will surely increase as the election date approaches. In the previous election in 2020, Biden raised approximately 1.1 billion dollars according to FEC data, while Trump raised around 790 million. For all Presidential candidates combined, it was over 4 billion dollars.
What will happen to Biden's collected donations?
There was recently discussion in the USA about whether the millions of donations, which Biden and the new Democratic hopeful Kamala Harris had collected together before Biden's withdrawal from the Presidential race, could simply be given to someone else. Harris might be able to access the campaign war chest and possibly also the Biden donations because she was part of his re-election campaign.
Given Biden's withdrawal, the question of redistributing his collected donations arises. In the US Presidential Election 2024, potential candidates may seek to leverage these funds, as significant donations can significantly impact campaign strategies, with Donald Trump and Joe Biden both raising substantial funds in the previous election.
