Big money, big contributions rule in elections these days

The election is thankfully over, but I still can't get over how much money pours into these campaigns.

Back in the day, if a state legislative candidate spent more than $100,000 on a campaign to get elected to a $12,000-a-year post at the State Capitol, it was a big deal.

Now that kind of spending is par for the course.

Nearly every race for the 25 seats being contested in the Nebraska Legislature had a candidate who spent more than six figures.

As of Oct. 21, candidates for the so-called "Hall of Hot Winds" had raised $9.2 million and spent $7.4 million, according to reporting by the Nebraska...