Though both of the candidates in Tuesday’s Massachusetts Senate special election have criticized each other for taking money from outside groups, they have both been supported by millions of dollars from PACs and other outside groups. Based on data from Federal Election Commission filings and reported PAC activity, about 38 percent of the more than $12 million spent by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Republican businessman Gabriel Gomez in this race has come from outside groups.Markey started the race for the seat vacated when John Kerry was named secretary of state with an approximately $3 million advantage from his House of Representatives campaign war chest. From January 1 until June 5, Markey has raised approximately $7.67 million for his Senate bid. Of that total, about eleven percent came from political action committees rather than individual donors, including $45,400 from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Additionally, Markey has raised at least about $117,000 from political action committees since June 5.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=88141