Thanks to many millions of dollars from outside groups, television advertising in Michigan's gubernatorial campaign totaled $47.6 million, according to the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, ranking 2014 second behind the $54 million spent in the high-profile 2006 campaign between Gov. Jennifer Granholm and multi-millionaire Republican challenger Dick DeVos.
This year's campaign did establish a new record for spending by shadowy independent committees: $36.6 million. That is double the previous record of $18 million from the 2006 campaign.
The MCFN, a watchdog group, found that the candidates' accounted for just 23 percent of TV spending in this year's campaign. Gov. Rick Snyder's campaign spent $7.7 million and Mark Schauer's campaign spent $3.3 million.
The biggest spenders were the Democratic Governors Association, with $15.4 million supporting Schauer, and the Republican Governors Association spending $10.4 million backing Snyder.
Other top television advertisers supporting the incumbent were former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's Independence USA PAC, $2.7 million, and the Michigan Republican Party, $5.7 million.
Other outsiders aiding Schauer were the National Education Association, $1.45 million, and the AFL-CIO's Workers' Voice for Michigan, $691,000.
Do you consider the Democrat Governor's Association, the Republican Governor's Association, Bloomberg's PAC, the Michigan GOP, AFL-CIO and NEA shadowy independent committees? Seem like pretty mainline Republican and Democrat committees.
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