Campaign Spending Trends
Presidential campaign spending has been on the rise since 1960. Was the 2016 presidential campaign the most expensive ever?
How accurate was your prediction?
What is one trend you see in the data?
Why do you think that is happening?
What is one consequence of this trend?
Why do you think that this year's election, unlike almost every election since 1960, cost less than its previous election?
Based on election spending trends, and assuming we still have elections, how much do you think the 2028 elections will cost?
Do you think that this general increase in spending is a good thing?
In general, does the higher spending presidential candidate win the presidential election?
Clinton spent almost twice as much as Trump in the 2016 election, why do you think Trump won?
If we normalized campaign spending by adjusting for inflation, growth in GDP, and growth in population, how much do you think presidential campaign spending would have increased since 1960?*
Does the chart below make you feel better?
The idea of democratic elections is based upon free and fair elections. Let's say that you decided that all this campaign spending is undermining democracy and the idea that the political power of each person is roughly equal. What is one thing the government could do to make American presidential campaigns more democratic, fair and equal?
