Record price tag for US presidential election

WASHINGTON (AP) - Campaign finance filings with the government now show that the cost of the 2012 US presidential campaign has surpassed US$2 billion.

The new tallies released Thursday, which include nearly US$86 million in fundraising by Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in the election's final weeks, boosted the total campaign haul over the US$2 billion mark.

The campaign's record-breaking expenditures on media ads were fueled by eye-popping amounts donated to "super" political action committees, including at least US$95 million supporting Romney and other Republicans that came from a billionaire Las Vegas casino magnate.

Casino owner Sheldon Adelson and his wife gave US$23 million to a super PAC headed by Republican strategist Karl Rove and US$10 million to a pro-Romney political committee in recent weeks.