The Heat: US presidential election spending

The Heat

AP Photo/Mary Schwalm, File

The 2016 U.S. Presidential race could prove to be the most expensive in the country’s history. Hundreds of millions of dollars are already pouring in as candidates rev-up their campaigns. Where is this money coming from and who stands to gain?

Five billion dollars. That could be the tab when the dust settles on the 2016 American Presidential election next year. Backstage in this high stakes drama is a small group of billionaires. They’re forking out a mountain of cash for their favorite candidates. Who are these tycoons and why are they so invested in the race for the White House?

To help us nail down the facts, CCTV America’s Jim Spellman provided an update.

Can you buy a presidential election here in the United States? How different is the U.S. from any other Western democracy in this regard? To discuss these questions, The Heat spoke to:

  • John Fortier, the Director of the Democracy project at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
  • Simon Marks, the president and Chief Correspondent at Feature Story News.
  • Political commentator and journalist Bob Franken.