Spending by independent groups (the vast majority of which favors conservatives) has surged this election cycle, the website OpenSecrets.org reported. As of Tuesday morning, $838 million had been spent on independent expenditures so far during the 2012 campaign by third-party groups, many of which don’t have to disclose their donors. In the 2008 presidential election cycle, $138 million was spent on independent expenditures. The spending increase was fueled in large part by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, which allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of money on political expenditures.
Follow us
