NJ ELEC: “An unprecedented wave of independent special interest spending drove the cost of the 2013 legislative general election to $53.3 million, the most ever without adjusting for inflation, according to a new analysis by the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC)…. The latest white paper also includes a first-ever historical review of self-financed candidacies by legislators and other New Jersey candidates. It found that at least 101 legislative candidates since the 1980s have spent at least $15,000 on their campaigns. The combined outlay- $9.8 million in inflation adjusted dollars. Among the top 50 self-funders identified by the analysis, 18 were legislative candidates (a few also ran for other offices).”