Record fundraising for prez elections

BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Money in politics is expected to break records this election cycle.  The Center for Responsive politics predicts the 2012 presidential and congressional elections will cost about $6 billion dollars, nearly double what was spent during the 2000 election cycle. Advocates against unlimited campaign financing are troubled by the numbers.

“There’s no reason that we need to have even more money in our political system.  It’s out of control.  It’s biasing our public policy,” said Pam Wilmot, the executive director at Common Cause Massachusetts, a government accountability group.

On the local level, state representatives say they’re not seeing expensive campaigns affecting western Massachusetts races.

“Currently I haven’t seen anything that’s any different than past years in terms of money coming in from out of the state,” said Rep. Sean Curran (D-Springfield).

But on the federal level, former Governor Mitt Romney has been circling the country outraising President Barack Obama since May and amassing a total of $200 million dollars.  And that’s still less than Obama’s total haul of nearly $350 million dollars. 

After a campaign trip to Wisconsin on behalf of the president last month, Governor Deval Patrick admitted the amount of time and money spent on campaigning these days would be better spent elsewhere.

“Yes, I’m very concerned about that,” said Patrick.  “I wish that all that money being used for campaigning could be used for direct services for people.  I wish that there was more rigor in the coverage of the campaigns in terms of facts as opposed to just the trading of charges.”

Massachusetts also has one of the most expensive Senate races in the country.  Republican Senator Scott Brown has raised nearly $20 million dollars and his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren has raised nearly $30 million dollars.