Estimates indicate approximately $2.5 billion will be spent on presidential campaigning by the time next Tuesday’s elections are over.

Such a sum of money is staggering, indeed.

No doubt, the great majority of voters likely already knew which way they were going to vote — or at least which way they were leaning — before the first penny was spent to attract their attention.

Yet because of the way our political machine works, candidates, supporters and special interest groups pour money into the race.

Perhaps it’s fitting — if a bit ironic — that issues of money are at the center of this year’s presidential race.

The lingering economy is weighing on the minds of many voters. Its financial impact on American families is palpable. The most harmful effects have been on the millions of unemployed Americans.

Can the nation continue the incredibly slow crawl out of the financial depths?

Interestingly in the last four years most Americans have had to change their own spending habits. Quite simply, if less money is coming in, it’s critical that less money be going out, too.

Most middle-class Americans get this, but the federal government has done little to trim its own spending, quite the opposite actually. Our nation’s debt has increased by $6 trillion in the last four years and federal spending shows no signs of stopping.

At the moment, the U.S. government owes more than $51,000 for every man, woman and child citizen. It’s a truly staggering amount.

This year’s presidential race will come down to money at some level, but we hope the winning candidate is someone who can aggressively address the economy and the out-of-control federal spending.