The homestretch of the presidential campaign means huge rallies, a final barrage of campaign ads, and massive multi-state get out the vote efforts. All of that costs money.And it seems like every successive presidential election ends up being the most expensive election in history.Open Secrets, a group that tracks election spending, estimates the 2024 federal election cycle will cost nearly $16 billion. It was around $15 billion in 2020.Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign raised a record billion dollars in just three months.And, according to Open Secrets, tech billionaire Elon Musk has poured more than $118-million into his America PAC in support of former President Donald Trump.As we publish this episode Tuesday afternoon, we don't know who will win this election. But we do know that outside money has played a bigger role than ever before.For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy