Self-funded candidates roil congressional races: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

In today’s edition, we dive into the gusher of self-funded cash that rich candidates are pouring into congressional campaigns around the country. Plus, senior political editor Mark Murray dives into the veepstakes.

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Rich people are spending more than ever to run for Congress. A big test is coming in Maryland.

By Ben Kamisar

Wealthy office-seekers plowed more of their own money than ever into runs for Congress last year. Now, the biggest one of all is facing an important hurdle.

Democratic Rep. David Trone has given more than $57 million of his own money to his campaign for Senate in Maryland ahead of next week’s primary — a staggering sum that already ranks among the biggest self-funding campaigns in U.S. history. But he’s not alone: Self-funding congressional candidates gave more to their campaigns in 2023, $131 million, than in any other odd year going back to at least 2003, according to an NBC News review of campaign finance records.

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Led by nearly $37 million from Trone last year alone, it’s part of a recent explosion of spending by wealthy candidates that has fundamentally shifted the way campaigns are won and lost — and perhaps made it harder than ever for the non-rich to make it to Washington, since candidates are not bound by donation limits and can give unlimited sums to their own campaigns.

The trend is affecting everything from open-seat primaries for deep red or blue districts across the country to