On this edition of Your Call, we continue our midterm coverage by looking at how super PACs and dark money are shaping races nationwide. More money has been spent in the midterms than any other election, even the 2024 presidential election, according to AdImpact.
Al Jazeera found that 50 donors and organizations have spent almost $3 billion. Sixty percent is going to Republicans and 30 percent is going to Democrats. The top three donors are Republican supporters: Elon Musk, Richard Uihlein, and Jeff Yass. The top Democratic donors are George Soros and Mike Bloomberg.
What will it take to remove big money from politics?
Guests:
David Meyers, director of editorial and media strategy for OpenSecrets
David Moore, investigative journalist and co-founder of Sludge
Resources:
The New York Times: The Least Transparent Midterm: How Dark Money Is Washing Over the 2026 Election
The Washington Post: Meet the Megadonors Pouring More Than $1.3 Billion Into the 2026 Election
OpenSecrets: Chart of the Week: Outside Spending in the General Election Has Been Concentrated in Key Senate Races
Sludge: Prop 4 Would Let California Cities Curb Big Money With Small Donations
Sludge: AI Money Floods State Fights Over Data Centers
Mission Local: BigMoneySF: How Mayor Lurie’s Efforts to Reshape City Hall Brought in a New Donor Class
CalMatters: Big Tech and Big Business Are Spending Millions to Block Progressives on the California Ballot
Brennan Center for Justice: Big Money Breaks Records, Boosts GOP: 5 Things to Know About the Midterms
The Guardian: Michael Bloomberg spends $80m on Democrats as Trump moves $400m to Republican candidates
Capital & Main: Big Oil’s Midterm Playbook: Spend Big, Say Little
