U.S. midterm elections: money wins presidency

Cartoon by Ma Hongliang

The U.S. is holding its most "expensive" midterm elections ever, with expenditure this year hitting a new record high of $16.7 billion, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit organization that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying.

"Partisan polarisation has made politics an increasingly zero-sum game," The Economist wrote in an explanatory piece. "Interest groups can expect one party, if elected to power, to promote their interests, and the other to attack them. For corporate and individual campaign donors alike, this has transformed the cost-benefit analysis of campaign finance."