It's a record year for midterm election spending with Republican-leaning groups spending much more than liberal and Democratic-leaning organizations.

The Supreme Court opened the way earlier this year for corporations and unions to spend money in elections and the money has been flowing. Outside groups have spent $264 million-dollars so far in this election.

The number reported to the Federal Election Commission is more than outside spending in the 2008 presidential year and four times that seen in the 2006 midterms.

Actual spending could be much higher. The reports only cover spending on communications, and there's no accounting for get-out-the vote field operations by conservative and liberal groups.

The Democratic Party has a financial edge over the GOP that's been neutralized outside groups supporting Republican. Still, an Associated Press analysis of Federal Election Commission data says that Democratic allies have pulled virtually even with Republican groups during the past six days.