TV ads, takeout food, 'campaign attire': Here's how 2022 midterm candidates are spending their money

With a little more than two months until the Nov. 8 midterm elections, 2022 congressional candidates are gearing up for the final stretch of campaigning, hoping to energize their bases to head to the polls to vote in November.

Those efforts aren't free.

Incumbents and challengers alike so far have poured millions of dollars into the midterm elections.

Democratic Senate candidates are significantly outpacing their Republican counterparts in spending since Jan. 1, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal election spending data. The highest spending Democratic candidate has put nearly $31.8 million into their race, while the highest spender across the aisle has dropped about $17.7 million — just over half as much.

It's the same case for House candidates. While a Republican holds the top spending spot for 2022 House candidates, seven of the top 10 spenders are Democrats, according to the analysis.

Here's what we know about how 2022 candidates have spent their money three months out from midterms, based on USA TODAY's analysis of federal election spending data.

The analysis does not include money candidates might have spent before this year on their 2022 races or money that's been spent by outside groups on behalf of candidates or against their challengers.

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Senate candidates: biggest spenders

Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., is the highest spender so far among 2022 Senate candidates, dropping $31.8 million since Jan. 1, according to Federal Election Commission data. The former pastor and first-term senator will face former football star Herschel Walker in November, who has spent  nearly $10 million since the start of the year.

The next two highest spenders are also Democrats in closely watched races:

• Florida Rep. Val Demings has spent nearly $27.5 million since Jan. 1.

• Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly has spent some $21.4 million since the start of the year.

The fourth largest spender is the highest spending Republican to date – and he's no longer in the race:

• Businessman and former Treasury for International Affairs under secretary Dave McCormick shelled out about $17.7 million before narrowly losing his primary to Republican Mehmet Oz for Pennsylvania's GOP Senate nomination.

What are the highest spending Senate races?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the highest spending midterm races this year include some of the highest profile candidates, FEC data shows.

• Warnock and Walker have poured a combined $41.8 million into their Georgia U.S. Senate race this year.

• Just $6 million behind are Demings and Republican incumbent Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida’s U.S. Senate race, which has so far cost about $35.6 million this year. Demings’ nearly $27.5 million of spending makes up most of the race's cost, but Rubio has contributed about $8 million yet.

More interesting is the costliness of several primary match-ups, whose big price tags are mostly thanks to high-spending losers.

• The Pennsylvania U.S. Senate primary race, featuring Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on the Democratic side, and Republicans Mehmet Oz and McCormick on the Republican side, has collectively surpassed $45.6 million. Heading into midterms, Fetterman has dropped about $14.7 million on his campaign, while Oz has spent about $13.2 million.

Some candidate spent millions - and still lost

Free-spending primary candidates in Arizona, Ohio and Wisconsin saw similar fates.

• While Kelly, a Democrat, will face Republican Blake Masters in November, losing Republican candidate Jim Lamon spent just over $12 million in the primary; the primary cost $36.6 million between the three candidates.

• Ohio Republican Michael Gibbons and Wisconsin Democrat Alex Lasry both lost their party’s Senate primary nominations – but not before spending more than $10 million each.

Here's what Senate candidates spent the most on:

FEC data shows the top five highest spending Senate candidates – McCormick, the Republican, and Democrats Warnock, Demings, Kelly and Ryan – have mostly spent big bucks on the same three things: TV or media buys, online or digital advertising, and direct mail. So, political advertising.

Warnock, Demings, McCormick and Ryan spent the most on TV advertising and media buys, consulting and production. Kelly stands out for spending more on digital advertising than traditional media, but only by about $161,000. Warnock leads the pack in spending with $15.8 million on TV advertising and media buys.

All the Democrats spent at least $1.3 million on direct mail, with Warnock and Demings  approaching $2 million. But McCormick, the Pennsylvania Republican, spent just under $616,000 on snail mail, instead opting for almost $10.3 million in media buys.

Limousines, office supplies, 'campaign attire': what Senate candidates bought

Because all disbursements are reportable by campaigns, FEC data often gives insight into the kinds of things on which campaigns are spending. Usually, the records turn up some interesting purchases.

• Warnock – the highest spender so far – has dropped $15,850 on limousine travel and more than $2,400 on food delivery services, like DoorDash and Uber Eats. His campaign also reported spending more than $2,550 this spring at "PBI Coral Cove” – Palm Beach International Airport’s Coral Cove News kiosk, which sells newspapers, books and a broad assortment of merchandise that includes "amazing treasures of the ocean that speak to the rich and colorful Palm Beach lifestyle," according to its web site.

• Demings and Kelly, other top spenders, have dropped at least some money on activities. Demings’ disbursement filings show a $300 go-karting spend, and Kelly’s display $220 for “event tickets” to a Chicago White Sox game.

Republicans have so-far spent less than Democrats, but they’ve still made some notable purchases. For example:

• Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., spent $638.00 on “office supplies” from the U.S. Senate Gift Shop.

• Rubio spent nearly $2,420 on “campaign attire” from a Maryland-based clothing shop called “Smathers & Branson,” which specializes in needlepoint products.

Which House candidate has spent the most?

The highest spending 2022 House candidate is House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who has doled out about $10.4 million since Jan. 1, according to FEC data. However, the funds weren’t all spent on his campaign (which he is expected to win handily); McCarthy has made at least 24 donations to other Republican candidates’ campaigns.

Democrat Marcus Flowers is the next highest spender among 2022 House candidates. Flowers, a veteran and newcomer to politics, has so far spent $6.9 million in his effort to defeat Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., this November.

Other high spenders include:

• Michigan state Rep. Shri Thanedar, a Democrat running in the state’s 13th Congressional District, has poured nearly $6.9 million into his campaign. Nearly half - $3 million - was a partial loan repayment to himself.

• Real estate and political consultant Karena Apple Feng, a Democrat who was running in California’s 9th Congressional District, spent about $6.3 million on her campaign, mostly thanks largely to two in-kind donations of $3 million and $2.3 million to two individuals described as “crew.” She will not be on the ballot in November, having received just 3.37% of the primary vote in June.

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has spent a little over $6 million since the start of the year, having made many donations to other Democratic candidates like McCarthy.

What are the highest spending House races?

Two House races stand out as the costliest match-ups since the year started: Georgia’s 14th Congressional District and the primary race for Texas’ 28th Congressional District.

• In Georgia, Flowers’ $6.9 million to unseat Greene combined with the $3.9 million, she's spent so far means a total of $10.8 million has been expended in the contest, according to FEC data. The pair will face off in November.

• The Lone Star State’s Democratic primary, and subsequent run off, pit Democratic incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar against progressive Jessica Cisneros. The race was a referendum on abortion, as Cuellar is one of just a few anti-abortion Democrats left in Congress. Cuellar, who spent $3.6 million, narrowly beat Cisneros, who spent nearly $6 million, a June recount determined.

Emphasis on advertising and direct mail

The top 5 highest spending 2022 House candidates – minus Thanedar and Feng, whose massive one-time spends paint an inaccurate picture of the rest of their spending – are McCarthy and Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, both Republicans, and Democrats Flowers, Pelosi and Cisneros.

Similar to the Senate races, advertising and direct mail make up a large chunk of the candidates’ spending, along with media buys and digital advertising and fundraising.

McCarthy, the top 2022 House candidate spender, dropped about $1.3 million on direct mail, 968,000 on advertising and some 100,000 on donations to other Republican candidates’ campaigns. Almost half of the House Minority Leader’s spending, about $4.1 million, went toward “fundraising consulting.”

Pelosi also made significant contributions to other Democratic candidates’ campaigns or victory funds, about $750,000 worth.

Catering, software and flowers; What House candidates spent on

• McCarthy frequents National Republican Club of Capitol Hill – also known as the Capitol Hill Club – in Washington, D.C., having incurred about $8,400 in catering and meal expenses from the restaurant.

• Flowers spent about $37,300 on Google software and services.

• Crenshaw purchased at least $2,700 of office furniture off of Facebook and spent just over $1,400 on Nespresso "office equipment."

• Pelosi spent about $4,600 on flowers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Midterms are just two months away. How are 2022 candidates spending?