
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, December 23, 1994                   TAG: 9412230160
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                 LENGTH: Short

'94 CAMPAIGN A RECORD CANDIDATES SPEND $589.5 MILLION

Republicans took control of Congress with the help of record amounts of money, 29 percent more than they spent for the 1992 congressional elections, the Federal Election Commission said Thursday.

Republican candidates, winners and losers, had spent $293.6 million by the end of November, compared with $227.5 million by the same time two years ago.

Democrats spent just 8 percent more - $292.3 million this year, compared with $270 million in 1992.

Republican dollars helped push spending by all candidates, including third-party candidates and independents, to a record $589.5 million, or $87.5 million -17 percent - more than in 1992, the FEC said.

The numbers were drawn from financial disclosure statements all candidates must file with the federal government throughout their campaigns. The statements cover the period from Jan. 1, 1993 to Nov. 28, 1994.

One in four Republican challengers raised at least $400,000, the FEC said, compared to one in 10 during the same period in 1992.

House Republican challengers increased median spending by 66 percent to $132,619. The median amount a Republican candidate spent in a race where the seat was open jumped 35 percent to $533,633.

Candidates also dug deeper into their own pockets this year. They gave or loaned their campaigns a total of $81.9 million, more than double the 1992 figure, the FEC said.

Oliver North received the most money from individuals - $20 million - for his unsuccessful bid for a Senate seat from Virginia.

by CNB