CHARLESTON -- A lack of contested races did not prevent this year's candidates for Congress in West Virginia from spending $12.5 million, more than state-level and legislative contenders combined.

The most competitive race pitted 2nd District Rep. Shelley Moore Capito against Democratic challenger Anne Barth. The Republican incumbent ended up outspending Barth by 2-to-1.

Capito bested Barth with 57 percent of the vote to win her fifth House term. Capito's campaign spent a total of $2.3 million. Barth spent $1.6 million, including $282,534 used during her party's contested May primary.

After Barth slightly outraised Capito during the pre-general filing period, Capito collected twice as much as she did between Oct. 16 and Nov. 24.

Capito received $222,833 during that post-general filing period, with half her funds coming from political action committees. The last-minute surge boosted her election cycle total to $2.2 million. About $4,250 of those final contributions came in after the general election, and were earmarked for the 2010 primary.

Barth, a former longtime staffer to U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va. in Charleston, attracted $108,480 during the final filing period. PACs accounted for about a third of that amount, and overall she raised $1.2 million for her campaign.

One of Capito's biggest donors during the cycle was Citigroup, one of the financial giants now being bailed out by the federal government. Her husband is an executive in one of its divisions. His fellow employees and the corporate PAC gave her $25,700, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.

The nonpartisan center has not posted a review of Barth's finances. Her major contributors included labor interests and Democratic leadership PACs. Capito also outspent her during the post-general filing period, $490,812 to $295,780.

Nearly 60 percent of Capito's money went to Brabender & Cox, a GOP consulting firm. Barth, meanwhile, spent $633,243 of her total with Democratic firm LUC Media.

Third party groups spent another $1.2 million in the 2nd District race, mostly in support of Capito. National Right to Life, the American Hospital Association and the National Association of Realtors together spent more than $72,1414 on pro-Capito ads. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent $267,712 promoting Barth and an equal amount attacking Capito, according to the center's analysis.

The third-party spending is in addition to the $12.5 million ponied up by candidates. Sen. Jay Rockefeller accounts for more than half that spending.

The incumbent Democrat laid out $7 million before defeating Republican Jay Wolfe, whose latest available filing reported $84,442 raised and $88,543 spent during his campaign as of Oct. 15. That Federal Election Commission report lists a $4,100 deficit.

Rockfeller had $1.26 million left over from his contest. He won more than 63 percent of the vote over Wolfe, a former Harrison County legislator and businessman.

Rep. Nick Rahall similarly brushed aside a GOP foe in the 3rd House district, 67 percent to 33 percent. Rahall raised $805,493 and spent $589,261 to gain his latest term, and sported a $1.37 million balance as of Nov. 24.

Opponent Marty Gearheart, a Mercer County businessman, did not raise enough funds to require FEC reports.

First District Democratic Rep. Alan Mollohan ran unopposed this year, but still raised $772,296 and spent $1.03 million during the election cycle.

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