Source: Boston Globe

Candidates and groups that supported them spent nearly $23 million on Tuesday’s US Senate election, burning through nearly all of it in the frenzied final three weeks of the contest, including $8.5 million on television advertising alone during the seven days leading up to the vote.

A flood of national money propelled Republican Scott Brown’s historic upset of Democrat Martha Coakley in the race for the seat long held by Edward M. Kennedy. Brown’s triumph helped tip the balance of power in Washington, giving Senate Republicans enough votes to block Democratic initiatives.

The explosion of late spending was all the more remarkable because the campaign lacked excitement until the last 10 days, when polls showed it tightening, the national ramifications became clear, and a torrent of money poured into the Bay State as never before. Only a few weeks earlier, both campaigns were running on fumes after winning their respective primaries.

The money allowed the campaigns and their allies to target voters with a relentless assault of political messaging, from the barrage of “robo calls’’ on their voice mail, text messages on their cellphones, e-mails on their computers, direct-mail fliers, and wall-to-wall ads - many of the attack variety - on their television sets, plus many more on radio. Brown also spent about $500,000 on newspaper ads across the state the Sunday and Monday before the election.



Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachus... /

---

Brown raised a MILLION dollars a DAY toward the end - so much he couldn't spend it all, even after blowing $500,000 on newspapers on Sunday and Monday alone.

Less than 36 hours after the polling places closed, the US Supreme Court legalized corruption and bribery in politics (for corporations) while it kept individuals who donate to candidates and parties subject to existing legal limits, as well as full regulation in effect before "Citizens" "United."

Technically, if you have five or ten million dollars, you too can have your own "independent" ad campaign just like the corporations.