Record Spending Hits California and Nebraska Election Cycles
Campaigns in California and Nebraska report massive fundraising totals for the November 2026 elections, driven by wealth tax disputes and sports betting legalization.
Election spending has reached historic levels across the United States, with California leading a national trend of record-breaking fundraising. Ballot measure campaigns in California raised $798.9 million, representing more than two-thirds of the $1.2 billion raised for statewide measures nationwide. The most expensive conflicts center on Proposition 40, a proposed 5% wealth tax on billionaires, and Proposition 42, which would prohibit certain taxes on personal assets. Google co-founder Sergey Brin contributed $102 million to oppose the wealth tax, while the Service Employees International Union–United Healthcare Workers West provided $32 million in support of it.
In Nebraska, candidates and ballot measure campaigns raised over $63 million ahead of the November 3 election. General election candidates for 43 state-level offices raised $36.5 million, including $2 million from the Republican Governors Association for Governor Jim Pillen. Meanwhile, Tax Relief Nebraska raised nearly $22.5 million to legalize online sports betting, with $20.8 million coming from out-of-state gambling interests DK Crown Holdings and FanDuel Inc.
Local races in Nebraska also saw unprecedented spending. The contest for Legislative District 4 exceeded $1.2 million in direct spending. Incumbent state Senator Brad von Gillern described the prevalence of misleading advertising as an unfortunate reality, while challenger Cindy Maxwell-Ostdiek criticized the influence of outside money in the nonpartisan race.
