If trends continue, the 2024 election will be the most expensive campaign cycle in U.S. History.
Analysis from campaign finance watchdog, opensecrets.org, found that political spending topped $14 billion in 2021. That’s twice as much as what campaigns spent during the 2016 presidential election.
Much of that money will go towards political messaging. One group estimates federal, state and local campaigns could spend more than $10 billion on ads next year. With so much money in play, there are strong concerns that some of it could lead to disinformation campaigns.
“We do see bad actors that are intentionally promoting disinformation and one of the best ways that I know to counter that is to make sure we have the right checks and balances in place and that we put good quality information out there,” said Jill Tolles, executive director of the Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities.
Named after former Republican Governor Kenny Guinn, the center was created in 2014 to do non-partisan research to help lawmakers make decisions on big issues such as climate change, education and tax policy.
Through the years, the organization has quietly produced high-quality analysis on public policy, but that work has not always been recognized as a voice for the non-partisan analysis that it is.
Tolles, who was named the leader of the organization in early 2023, has worked in recent months to raise the center’s profile.
“We do research and analysis, budget and ballot explainers, and, where appropriate, provide evidence-based recommendations for our main audience – which is 63 plus one,” she said. “That's 63 legislators, plus the governor and the rest of the executive branch. Then we make everything available to the public as well, because a well-informed public leads to a well-informed debate.”
However, that’s become increasingly difficult in a fractured society, at least in regard to where and how voters consume news. For Tolles, it’s the main reason why it’s so important for her organization to maintain its reputation as a source of high-quality, non-partisan analysis is her top priority.
“The Guinn Center is not a lobbying group,” she said. “We don't show up in support or opposition of bills. We don't have a scorecard of how legislators vote or have a [recommendation] list of policies that we support... Rather, we're there to help decision-makers ask intelligent questions in [a] hearing, to ask the right questions about how to shape policy and hopefully help inform decisions at the end of the day.”
Guest: Jill Tolles, executive director, Guinn Center
