In just two weeks, Michigan’s next governor will be decided – and that decision will have come with a hefty price tag.
The final tally of just how expensive this election cycle is has yet to be determined, but some preliminary numbers show it could be one of the most expensive governor’s races in state history.
The Michigan Campaign Finance Network has tracked about $61 million so far put into the governor’s race. This includes the primary.
“Who knows where we’re going to end up,” said Craig Mauger, executive director of the Network. “I mean who knows what’s going to happen over the, basically the two weeks that are remaining.”
Mauger said the number is going to grow because there are still two weeks left of the election and, “We haven’t gotten disclosures from the candidates’ campaigns for a couple months now. We haven’t gotten some of the super PAC’s disclosures for a couple months now. So we don’t really know where we’re going, where we’re going to end up.”
Another reporting deadline is at the end of the week, which will give a better idea of just how much money has gone into this race, and where the money is coming from. Mauger said a lot of money from dark money groups and other political organizations has poured in to try and influence the election.
“In the general election, since the primary, there has been a huge surge in outside spending,” he said. “16 million dollars in outside spending that we’ve tracked so far.”
You can view the full report here.
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—Cheyna Roth is a reporter for the Michigan Public Radio network. Contact WEMU News at734.487.3363 or email us at studio@wemu.org
