Spending on winning Senate seats has increased 40 % in total dollars since 1986 . The increase is more pronounced in the House , where winning a seat there increased by 334 % . `` The numbers for ( political action committees ) become a surrogate for the huge amounts outside what candidates and parties spend themselves . Biggest increase is in outside groups , which went from $ 1 miilion in 1986 to $ 457 million in 2012 .
Spending on winning Senate seats has increased 40 % in total dollars since 1986 . The increase is more pronounced in the House , where winning a seat there increased by 334 % . Biggest increase is in outside groups , which went from $ 1 miilion in 1986 to $ 457 million in 2012 .