Government Top Election Spender

WASHINGTON —  Running for President may cost candidates a bundle but the biggest election spender of all is the federal government, according to the federal budget released Thursday.

The two biggest costs are protecting candidates and paying for the major parties’ general election campaigns, which are publicly financed. The Secret Service plans to spend roughly $37 million protecting presidential candidates during this election year. The Democratic and Republican presidential nominees will get $46 million each for their campaign costs in the general election race.

And that’s not all. The two parties get $8.9 million each to help pay for their national conventions. And during the primary election season, the Federal Election Commission is likely to distribute at least $50 million in matching funds to candidates. It already has approved nearly $38 million.

During the primary contests, the government matches individual contributions up to $250 with money that comes from the $1 checkoff on income tax returns. To administer the election laws, the FEC plans to spend $14 million this fiscal year and has asked for $15 million in the new budget.

The grand total for the government’s election-year bill will be at least $211 million. By contrast, the best-financed of the presidential hopefuls, Vice President George Bush, expects to raise and spend about $33 million seeking his party’s nomination.