Political Advertising

It has been seen for decades as a fundamental premise of campaign finance: The public has an absolute right to know who gave and who got, so it can make an informed judgment as to what those contributors might want, and then hold elected officials accountable. But the rules have changed.

The cost of the 2012 election will top a record $6 billion, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. If you find it difficult to visualize that figure, here are a few other ways to think about what $6 billion could buy.

Pick your adjective — enormous, astronomical, colossal. The political spending in 2012 was unprecedented and already has implications for the next campaign cycle.

From a DVD claiming that President Obama's real father was a communist poet, to small-market TV ads of child readers urging support for the president, this campaign season has seen its share of outside-the-mainstream efforts to influence the election.

A barrage of unsolicited anti-Obama text messages appears to be linked to a GOP consulting group, based in Virginia. The websites sending the messages have been suspended.

Political television advertising is breaking records in Colorado this election season – and much of that advertising is negative.But academics who study…

There are 11 gubernatorial races this fall, and one of the most competitive is in the swing state of New Hampshire. Out-of-state money and political muscle are flowing into the race, which both candidates say amounts to a stark choice on social and fiscal issues.

An Obama campaign ad airing in swing states referencing the 2000 Florida recount uses memorable images of the days following the election to encourage supporters to vote. It calls 537 "the number of votes that changed the course of American history."

How do you reach an audience of more than 200,000 people a day in an important swing state without buying an expensive TV ad? If you're Mitt Romney supporter Sid Overton, you build a blimp and fly it alongside one of Colorado's busiest freeways.

President Obama and the Democratic Party's grand total is just north of $900 million dollars for the current cycle, while Mitt Romney and the Republicans topped $800 million. The numbers don't include dollars raised and spent by superPACs or from tax-exempt groups.