The Washington Post listed some of what was purchased with the $4 billion spent on the 2010 elections:
Candidates spent at least $50 million on catering and liquor, $3.2 million at country clubs and golf courses, and $500,000 on pizza, coffee and doughnuts.
Plus, $2.5 billion for ads and media handlers.
And lattes all around: Democrats spent at least $24,000 and Republicans spent at least $17,000 at Starbucks.
Meg Whitman, who spent at least $140 million of her own money in her losing bid to become California’s governor–paid $109 million to Smart Media Group of Alexandria to handle her broadcast advertising campaign, $4.5 million to compaign adviser Scott Howell, and $1.1 million to GOP strategist Mike Murphy.
The joy of simple descriptive statistics!
Washington Post story: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/07/AR2010110703929.html