Candidates Spent $1.7 billion on 2008 Presidential Election

President-elect Barack Obama spent $740.6 million to get elected president in 2008, which was more than the $646.7 million George W. Bush AND John Kerry spent combined in 2004, and 44% of all money spent by candidates in 2008. In total, candidates spent $1.7 billion on the 2008 election campaign. Here are more excerpts from Bloomberg’s story on the Federal Election Commission filings:

…By contrast, all candidates spent a total of $820.3 million in 2004 and $500.9 million in 2000.

…[Hillary] Clinton, 61, spent $250 million, compared with Kerry’s previous Democratic record of $228.4 million.

…McCain spent $227.7 million; among Republicans, that was second only to Bush’s $269.4 million in 2004.

…Arizona Senator McCain, unlike Obama, accepted $84.1 million in public financing for the general election, a decision that barred him from raising money privately. Obama outspent him by a 4-to-1 margin from Sept. 1 through Nov. 24, FEC records show.

…With so much money raised privately, the amount of taxpayer funds spent on the 2008 election fell to $104.6 million from $176.4 million in 2004.