Most expensive US election of all time Campaigns invest 15.9 billion dollars
Compared to 2016, the cost of the election campaign has more than doubled. Individuals donated more than a hundred million each.
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- A total of 15.9 billion dollars was invested in election campaigns by both camps - a record figure.
- Individuals donated more than a hundred million each.
- A particularly large amount of money was invested in the crucial swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia.
The 2024 US presidential election is the most expensive ever: A total of 15.9 billion dollars (13.73 francs) was spent by both campaigns, according to the non-profit organization OpenSecrets. The expenditure, which also includes the simultaneous congressional election, exceeds the 15.1 billion dollars spent in 2020. Compared to 2016 (6.5 billion dollars), the amount has even more than doubled.
Democratic candidate Kamala Harris was more successful in fundraising than her Republican rival Donald Trump: her campaign directly collected one billion dollars in donations, 40 percent of which came from small donors, as well as a further 586 million dollars from the lobby groups set up to support her, the Political Action Committees (PAC).
Donald Trump's campaign raised 382 million dollars directly, 28 percent of which came from small donors, and a further 694 million dollars from lobby groups.
Individuals donate more than one hundred million
The largest single donor to Trump was 82-year-old entrepreneur Timothy Mellon, who alone contributed 197 million dollars to the right-wing populist's election campaign. Other Trump supporters included Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein, the doctor Miriam Adelson and Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, who each contributed more than one hundred million dollars to the Republican campaign.
On the Democratic side, businessman Michael Bloomberg was the biggest donor with 93 million dollars. George Soros contributed 56 million dollars via his PAC.
According to data from the advertising agency AdImpact, a total of 10.5 billion dollars was spent on election advertising. A particularly large amount of money was invested by the presidential candidates in the key swing states, with Pennsylvania leading the way (264 million dollars), followed by Michigan (151 million dollars) and Georgia (137 million dollars).
According to AdImpact, 419 million dollars were spent on election advertising on digital platforms. On Facebook and Instagram, the Democrats outspent the Republicans 132.4 million dollars to 24.7 million dollars. On the online service X, which is owned by Trump supporter Musk, the Republicans invested 1.1 million dollars, while the Democrats only spent 150,000 dollars.
