Need more proof of dissatisfaction with incumbents and the status quo in Washington? A record-breaking number of congressional challengers have entered this year's midterm election. With much of the anger coming from voters on the Right, "the field is heavily Republican, with almost twice as many GOP candidates as Democrats," reports the Associated Press. (Candidacy registration still open in many states, so the numbers could rise even higher.) Some key stats on this increasingly bloated contest:
471
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
2,341
Number of people who've filed statements of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission so far this year
2,159
Number of candidates in the 1992 election — the next largest field, historically — when Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot battled for the White House
1,717
Number of candidates in the 2008 election
1,588
Number of candidates in the 2006 midterms election
$5,000
Minimum amount a candidate must raise or spend on his/her campaign before the FEC requires official registration
1975
Year the FEC began tracking congressional candidates
14
Number of Republican women running for the Senate this year, a record-high
3
Number of Republican women who ran for the Senate in 2008
94
Number of Republican women running for the House of Representatives this year (up from 46 in 2008)
40
Number of seats Republicans must win to regain control of the House of Representatives
10
Number of seats the GOP must collect to take back control of the Senate
22
Percentage of voters who say they are "angry" about how things are going in Washington, according to a recent CBS poll
36 percent
Approval rating of congressional Republicans, according to the latest USA Today/Gallup poll
43 percent
Approval rating for Democrats
49
Percentage of voters who prefer Republican candidates, compared to 43 percent for Democrats, according to a recent Gallup poll