Midterm ad blitz marks new era in political spending

For months, a billion-dollar ad blitz has flooded the airwaves here and in other closely contested states leading up to the midterm election, another sign that the nation has entered a new era in political spending driven less by candidates and more by outside groups and their deep-pocketed donors.

"The money is shifting away from candidates and toward outside groups," said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics. "It is still really hard to raise contributions for candidates, so you see the attraction of having someone who will come in and bankroll the campaign effort, albeit from the outside, and take the low road." Such outside groups are unencumbered by disclosure rules and are increasingly supplanting campaign committees controlled by candidates in setting the tone of campaigns. Experts say the continuing shift to "super PAC" spending is the most important development to emerge in this election, in which close to $4 billion is expected to be spent, a record.