Now that 2015 is over and voting in the presidential contests has begun, we shouldn’t forget about the members of Congress — you know, the ones in charge of making the laws — who are up for re-election. Outside groups are raising tons of cash in an effort to influence our congressional elections. According to Sunlight’s Real-Time Influence Explorer, super PACs spent $346.5 million in 2014.

Add a presidential contest on top that, and we are in for a ride.While not all seats are competitive, many are still close: Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report rates 34 House races as competitive and 12 Senate races as competitive, putting a lot at stake in the upper chamber. The Democrats need a net gain of five seats to gain the majority in the Senate, while they face a steeper climb in the House, needing a net gain of 30 seats

.Let’s take a look at who these outside groups are raising money from now that we have updated numbers from the most recent filings from the end of 2015.Key Democratic super PACsThere are two flagship super PACs supporting Democrats in

Source: Outside groups raise big money to influence 2016 congressional elections – Sunlight Foundation Blog