WASHINGTON, Dec. 27 -- The Federal Election Commission issued the following news release: Congressional candidates running in 2017 and 2018 collected $2.3 billion and disbursed $1.8 billion, political parties received $1.2 billion and spent $1 billion, and political action committees (PACs) raised $3.6 billion and spent $3.2 billion during the first 21 months of the 2017-2018 election cycle, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission that cover financial ac  more