Political consultants made enormous sums of money during the 2012 election, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling that lifted spending limits.

More than $507 million was paid to just four political consulting firms, mostly for buying attack ads on behalf of super PACs and nonprofits.

“For some in the industry, it has been a definite boon,” Dale Emmons, president of the American Association of Political Consultants, told The Center for Public Integrity. “This election appears to have set a new benchmark on the amount of money that could be spent, because there were no limits on what could be spent.”

The top recipient among consultants was Mentzer Media Services, which earned nearly $204 million from conservative super PACs and other outside groups.

Second was Crossroads Media, which was paid about $163 million by conservative super PACs and nonprofits.

Third and fourth place belonged to the Democratic firms of Waterfront Strategies (GMMB), which made $81 million, and Mundy Katowitz Media, which pulled in $57 million while doing work for the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA Action.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Court Opened Door To $933 Million In New Election Spending (by Reity O'Brien and Andrea Fuller, Center for Public Integrity)

Political War Profiteers: 20 Consulting Firms Churn 80 Percent Of Super PAC Cash (by Anupama Narayanswamy, Sunlight Foundation)

Million-Dollar Foreign Donation to Pro-Romney Super PAC Raises Legal Questions (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)