CNN: Trump effect? Candidates Plow Record Amounts of Their Own Money Into Congressional Bids

CNN: Trump effect? Candidates Plow Record Amounts of Their Own Money Into Congressional Bids

Jay Young, executive director of Common Cause Illinois, said the explosion in self-funding "feels as though if you have enough money, you can capture whatever office you want just off the strength of that money alone. It shifts power away from people who should be holding the power -- ordinary voters."

Washington (CNN) Even before the polls open Tuesday, the midterm congressional elections are making history: A record number of wealthy House and Senate candidates are spending their own money to run for office, a new analysis provided to CNN shows.

Sixty-one self-funders have spent a combined $213 million of their own money to fund their campaigns, according to a tally by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks election activity.
The previous fundraising high for congressional self-funders — $166.3 million — came in 2012 when 42 candidates plowed substantial sums into their own campaigns, the center’s analysis shows. …
Jay Young, executive director of Common Cause Illinois, said the explosion in self-funding “feels as though if you have enough money, you can capture whatever office you want just off the strength of that money alone.”
“It shifts power away from people who should be holding the power — ordinary voters,” Young said.