The Upshot2010 campaigns cost $4 billion, and other fun election facts
With some exceptions--in Alaska, Minnesota, Arizona and elsewhere--the 2010 midterm elections are finally over. Republicans took control of the House and made some gains in the Senate—though not enough for the majority. Depressing Democrats even more: The GOP won control of 18 state legislatures Tuesday. That means Republicans will be in charge of redrawing of half of the nation's congressional boundaries in next year's pivotal redistricting debate.
What else happened Tuesday? Here's a breakdown of election 2010 facts you may have missed:
• The 2010 campaign was by far the most expensive midterm election in history. While we won't have the final numbers until January, spending estimates last month put the price tag at roughly $4 billion—more than what was spent in the 2004 presidential election.
[Rewind: Relive election night with The Upshot's live blog]
• Of that total, at least $293 million was spent by outside groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AFSCME (the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) and conservative groups (dubbed by some the "shadow GOP") like the American Crossroads operation headed up by former Bush White House adviser Karl Rove. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, that's the most ever spent on a midterm election and less than $10 million shy of what was spent during the '08 presidential election.
• Who ran the most expensive campaign in the country? That would be former eBay chief Meg Whitman, who spent more than $160 million on her failed bid to win California's governor's race. Of that total, $141.5 million as Whitman's own cash, beating New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's previous self-funding record of $110 million.
 | [Photos: Meg Whitman's costly loss] |
• In House races, GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota both spent and raised the most cash of any candidate. According to preliminary numbers, Bachmann raised $11 million and spent more than $8 million on her re-election bid.
• In the Senate, former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon spent nearly $47 million of her own cash on her losing bid for Connecticut's Senate seat. Among those who weren't self-funders, the Senate candidate who raised the most was Sharron Angle, who took in $21 million in her failed bid to unseat Nevada Sen. Harry Reid. In California, incumbent Barbara Boxer spent the most, $22 million, to successfully fend off her Republican challenger, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.
• At 72, Jerry Brown, California's newly elected governor, is now the oldest governor in the state's history. He also holds the record for having been its youngest governor: In 1974, he was elected at age 36.
• Rand Paul, who was elected Tuesday as the next senator from Kentucky, is the son of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), who ran for president in 2008. It's the first time a father in the House has served at the same time that his son will be in the Senate.
• Three states elected their first female governors: Mary Fallin in Oklahoma, Susana Martinez in New Mexico and Nikki Haley in South Carolina. Haley is the nation's first Indian-American woman governor; Martinez is the nation's first Latina governor.
• But 2010 wasn't a good year for women in Congress, where the number is likely to decline for the first time in 30 years.
[Video: MSNBC interview with Tea Party star draws criticisms]
• While tea party candidates were a big story in 2010, just 32 percent won election Tuesday.
• Congress will swear in its first ex-reality-TV star: Republican Sean Duffy, who came to fame as a star of MTV's "Real World Boston," won the Wisconsin seat of retiring Democratic Rep. David Obey.
• After Alvin Greene shocked the political world with an unlikely win in South Carolina's Democratic primary, the long-shot candidate got more than 358,000 votes—roughly 28 percent of the overall tally--in his bid to unseat Republican Sen. Jim DeMint. That was more votes than several other Senate candidates got, including Arkansas incumbent Blanche Lincoln (who lost). Greene's jesting response on Twitter: "RECOUNT."
• Meanwhile, mark your calendars, everyone! There are just 732 days until Election Day 2012.
(Photo of Rand and Ron Paul: Ed Reinke/AP)
Other popular stories on Yahoo!:
• Video: Chilean miner sings Elvis during 'Letterman' appearance
• Airline passenger boards flight wearing old-man mask
• Photos: NASA captures rare up-close images of a comet
