A reader, decrying the corporate influence she found in the campaign finance records for one of Arkansas’s current members of Congres, used the campaignmoney.com website to illustrate. You, too, can get exercised about the PAC, out-of-state or moneyed interests that drive just about any successful candidate’s race.
Just go to the website and plug in a candidate’s name. U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin, for instance.
It’ll show you his $1.6 million in contributions, the amount from PACs and out-of-state and his top 150 contributors.
It’s endless fun to noodle with. You can also look up contributors. David Koch, for example. Or, say, Warren Stephens.
Or look up contributions by ZIP code. Here’s a funny find, given recent discussions on the political proclivities of Fayetteville, measured by 2010 campaign giving:
FAYETTEVILLE, AR 72701 $153,189 Dem: $82,797 (%54) / Rep: $48,682 (%32)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR 72702 $40,117 Dem: $27,050 (%67) / Rep: $8,267 (%21)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR 72703 $210,740 Dem: $46,422 (%22) / Rep: $97,440 (%46)
FAYETTEVILLE, AR 72704 $66,133 Dem: $16,250 (%25) / Rep: $44,113 (%67)
Maybe the Dems should leave 72704 out of that redistricting plan. (The names of individual contributors are available in each, such as here for 72704.)
Endless permutations.