The mid-term US elections prove to be the most expensive in American history

Wendy Burke has enough. Campaign ads are bombarding his favorite TV shows. Dozens of election brochures fill his mailbox. Every day she receives several political calls on her mobile phone and more on her landline. Strangers knock on the door to ask for his vote.

"It's ridiculous," said Burke, 47, in front of a shopping mall in Palmdale, California. "I had to block my calls."

Welcome to the most expensive race of the bitter battle between Republicans and Democrats for the control of the House of Representatives of the United States, which will be decided in the elections of Tuesday.

The spending storm in the 25th district of California, a region extending north and east from Los Angeles to the high desert of the Antelope Valley, stands out even in the most expensive congressional elections of the history of the United States.

Most of this money is channeled to uninterrupted advertising – on television, radio, social media, garden signage, automated cell phone and landline calls, bumper stickers, and more. a flood of pamphlets stuffed into mailboxes.

"Shippers go in the trash," she says. "I can not wait until it's all over."

According to a Reuters analysis of data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the competition, a priority target of Democrats, has attracted more than $ 26 million in expenses incurred by candidates and external groups since January 2017.

He is leading the 10 most expensive home races, where a total of $ 238 million has been spent.

The Democrats – aiming to get the 23 seats in the House and two in the Senate needed to control Congress and block much of Republican President Donald Trump's agenda and tighten control over his administration – have far outstripped their opponents' spending.

The Reuters analysis revealed that Democrats and their allies in the 10 most expensive races in the House had disbursed $ 142 million, versus $ 96 million for Republicans.

The fight for the Senate is even more expensive.

In Florida, Republican Rick Scott's fight against incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson is the most expensive Senate race. The candidates and their allies spent nearly $ 160 million. Nelson's campaign spent about $ 25 million while outside groups spent $ 45 million to support or oppose Scott, who spent nearly $ 67 million. Outside groups spent $ 22 million to support him and oppose Nelson.

The Missouri Senate race between Democrat Claire McCaskill and Republican Josh Hawley is the second most expensive with about $ 108 million. Texas is third with about $ 100 million.

In all, it's a record for a mid-term congressional cycle. Candidates, political parties and outside groups are expected to spend more than $ 5.2 billion on combined House and Senate competitions, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

The share of democratic spending for the House has increased by 60 percent this year, up from 44 percent in 2014 in the previous mid-term elections, said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the center.

One of the reasons for big expenses: Trump.

"It is largely a referendum on the 2016 election, reinforced by the role of women, the # MeToo movement, the inauguration of Brett Kavanaugh and the fact that so much women are running for elections, "Krumholz said.

REPUBLICANS ON DEFENSE

Republicans are looking to be re-elected in nine of the 10 most expensive home races. The tenth is an open republican seat. Each has recorded expenditures of more than $ 20 million.

Four of the most expensive races are in California. Contests in Washington, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida, New York and Minnesota complete the list.

The 25th district of California is one of the most competitive. Republicans have held this seat since 1992. However, over the past decade, many newcomers have broken away from the housing market in Los Angeles. Today, nearly 40% of the 720,000 people in the district are Hispanic.

The Democrats aim to take the district after 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton won by seven points and that a Republican, Rep. Steve Knight, gets a new six-point mandate.

This year, Knight, 51, was invested and spent by Democratic challenger Katie Hill, who previously ran a nonprofit homelessness organization and is seeking a first-time job.

Hill, 31, raised $ 7.3 million in mid-October, up from $ 2.4 million for Knight, according to data from the FEC. Hill spent between $ 5.9 million and $ 2 million, and nearly three-quarters of his money went to advertising.

With money from outside groups taken into account, more than $ 18 million was spent on Hill's account, compared to about $ 8 million for Knight, Reuters found.

Independence USA PAC, almost entirely funded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has spent more than $ 4.5 million on advertisements to support Hill.

The money helped the political newcomer to cover the district with his liberal message in favor of a universal health care system, a ban on assault weapons and human rights. gay and lesbian people.

This could prove a double-edged sword. Burke, a district voter, said she had leaned toward Knight. Then the avalanche of advertisements and mailing Hill so upset Burke that she decided to vote for him.

(With agency contributions.)