2014 campaign spending reaches new heights

The Bruce Braley and Joni Ernst race was one of the most watched Senate races in the country. It was also one of the most expensive.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Iowa's Senate race was the third most expensive Senate race.

Using reports from the Federal Election Comission filed through Tuesday, November 11, 2014, the research group reports nearly $80 million was spent on the race.

The candidates themselves spent nearly $18 million and nearly $62 million came from outside spenders.

In Iowa's Second Congressional District race between Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Congressman Dave Loebsack, the candidates spent a little more than $1,700,000, according to opensecrets.org.

Outside spenders contributed just under $1, 500,000.

In the race for the 17th Congressional District in Illinois between Bobby Schilling and Congresswoman Cheri Bustos, opensecrets.org shows the candidates spent more than $3 million, with Bustos spending more than double Schilling, according to the latest reported figures on opensecrets.org.

Outside spending on that race was just more than $1.7 million.

At the state level, the race between Illinois State Senator Mike Jacobs and the winner of that race Neil Anderson was the most expensive legislative race in Illinois history. According to numbers from Kent Redfield, a campaign finance researcher and emeritus professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois at Springfield, $3.685 million was spent on the race.

The previous record, according to Redfield, was in the 48th Senate District 2010 race, when $2.745 million was spent.