Joanne Haner, OpenSecrets

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Self-funded Republican congressional candidates outpaced and outnumbered their Democratic counterparts in 2023, an OpenSecrets analysis found. Thirty-six Republican candidates poured more than $53.5 million of their personal fortunes into their campaigns, while 14 Democrats self-funded over $39 million.

Altogether, candidates poured nearly $94 million into self-funding their campaigns in 2023, according to reports available through Feb. 22. This is slightly less than the $118 million that candidates had self-financed at the same point in the 2022 election cycle. ...

This article originally appeared in OpenSecrets. Sign up for their weekly newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox.

As the National Football League prepares for the Super Bowl LVIII, year-end reports show that the league continues to lead the recreation and live entertainment industry in federal lobbying spending. The NFL’s $1.46 million in 2023 federal lobbying spending exceeded its prior year lobbying spending, up from $1.33 million in 2022.

The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are scheduled to play in Super Bowl LVII February 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Neither team had recorded lobbying data in 2023. Super Bowl viewership has been on the rise since 2021, hitting a record 115 million viewers last year. Each year, the Super Bowl is the most-watched television event, with the NFC Championship between the Detroit Lions and the 49ers reaching a whopping near 56 million viewers. ...