The Fiscal Times highlights findings from Vital Statistics on Congress related to the costs of running for office - among other things.
$1.3
million: Average spent by 256 incumbents among 2012 winners
who won re-election in safe districts (where they won with 60 percent of the
vote or more)
$156,000: Amount spent by
their long-shot challengers, on average
$2.3 million: Average spending by 100 swing-state incumbents in 2012 who held
onto their seats with less than 60 percent of the vote
$93,000: Amount
spent by their challengers' campaigns, on average
103: House
members from "swing" districts in 1992 (defined as districts where the
presidential race was within five percentage points of the national result)
35: House members
from "swing" districts in 2012 (the most prominent reason for the change is
post-Census redistricting, which governing parties have used to draw lines
favoring their side)
