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News Story
Monday numbers: A closer look at campaign spending, and the numbers you need to know ahead of Election Day
The year 2020 will go down in the record books as the most expensive election in U.S. history, easily twice as expensive as the presidential election cycle just four years ago.
We take a closer look at some of those numbers on the eve of the election, based on research from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
$14 billion – the total cost of the 2020 election (Presidential and Congressional races) is expected to reach an unprecedented $14 billion (Source: Center for Responsive Politics)
$6.6 billion – projected total federal spending for the presidential race in 2020
$2.4 billion – the amount spent on the presidential race in 2016
$7.2 billion – the projected amount spent on congressional races in 2020
$4.1 billion – the amount spent on the congressional races in 2016
22.4 – the percentage of contributions by small individual donors (giving $200 or less) in the 2020 election cycle
41.53 – the percentage of contributions coming from large individual donations this election cycle
1 – North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race between Thom Tillis and Cal Cunningham ranks as the number one most expensive congressional race of all time when you account for money raised by the campaigns and outside spending
$282 million– the amount spent between candidates and outside groups in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race
$21.4 million – the amount raised by Republican incumbent Thom Tillis (last report 10/14/2020)
$46.7 million – the amount raised by Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham (last report 10/14/2020)
$215 million – the amount of outside money being spent on North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race
$209 million – the amount spent between candidates and outside groups in South Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, making it the third most expensive Senate race in the country
$44.9 million – the amount of outside money being spent on South Carolina’s U.S. Senate race between Lindsey Graham (R) and Jaime Harrison (D)Other numbers you need to know ahead of Tuesday’s election:
270 – the number of electoral votes needed to win the 2020 presidential election
15 – the number of electoral votes North Carolina has, making our state highly prized in the presidential race
4,531,618 – the number of early votes cast in North Carolina thru November 1
61.7 – the percentage of North Carolina’s registered votes who have already cast a ballot
13 – the number of hours polls will be open on Tuesday. Polling places will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
1 – the number of clicks needed to find your Election Day polling place by visiting the State Board of Elections Polling Place Search tool
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