National Institute on Money in State Politics | Follow The Money

National Institute on Money in State Politics | Follow The Money

Investigate Money in State Politics
Money in state politics plays a pivotal role in shaping public policy in individual states and across the nation. We track political donations in all 50 states. Take a look.

Investigate Money in State Politics
Money in state politics plays a pivotal role in shaping public policy in individual states and across the nation. We track political donations in all 50 states. Take a look.

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What's New at Follow The Money?
Snapshot: Illinois' 2010 Campaign Finances
Party money played a big role in Illinois politics in 2010, the last election before campaign contribution limits took effect. This comparative analysis of the 2010 elections by researcher Anne Bauer examines the eye popping cash poured into candidate and party committee coffers in Illinois.

Update on 2012 Presidential Contenders: State PACs Rev Up the Race
Potential 2012 presidential contenders brought in significant amounts of cash through state-level committees in 2010. While the FEC prohibits contributions over $5,000, several states have no such restriction. Building on a previous report, this updated analysis looks deeper into the amount both raised and given by potential presidential contenders through the use of their state PACs.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller's campaign war chest got a dramatic boost after he announced his leadership of the 50-state attorneys general investigation into foreclosure irregularities. Out-of-state law firms and donors from the finance, insurance, and real estate sector gave $261,445-which is 88 times more than they had given him over the previous decade.

High Stakes Justice: 2011 Wisconsin Supreme Court Race
Wisconsin politics again has people sitting on the edges of their seats as a contentious Supreme Court race heads for a likely recount. Institute staff combed through campaign contributions to Wisconsin Supreme Court justices from 1989 through 2009, focusing on the individual contributions to the sitting justices as well as overall trends in the contribution data, presented in the report.

Names in the News: Carl Kruger
New York state senator Carl Kruger was recently charged in a federal corruption case for receiving $1 million in bribes in exchange for favors to lobbyists working on health care and real estate development issues. Records also show that Sen. Kruger received campaign contributions from five donors were also charged in the same case.

Best Practices for State Campaign-Finance Disclosure, 2010
Information collected and held by governmental agencies must be similarly accessible to enable and ensure a strong democracy. To assess the current state of campaign-finance disclosure across the country, the Institute surveyed the 2010 disclosure practices in each of the 50 states. Using the information obtained from the surveys, the Institute then identified best practices for state agencies to employ to best provide campaign-finance data to the public.

State Surveys: Best Practices for State Campaign-Finance Disclosure, 2010
With over a decade's worth of experience collecting and analyzing state campaign finance data, the Institute is in a unique position to examine campaign-finance disclosure practices across the country. To assess the current state of campaign-finance disclosure at the state level, the Institute surveyed the 2010 disclosure practices in each of the 50 states. Check out your home state, and compare it to others, using this link.

Party Control Map: 2009-2010 Elections
Our new Party Control Map gives you a state-level district-by-district visualization that shows party representations after the 2008 and 2010 elections. With a simple click you can also compare the two maps to see how/if party control has changed. It’s an easy and comprehensive way to visualize the political power shift being played out in state legislatures today.

Names in the News: David and Charles Koch
The owners of the largest private company in the United States have a history of giving millions of dollars in political donations. Between 2005 and 2009, brothers David and Charles Koch and Koch Industries gave $2.6 million in direct political contributions, with 81 percent of that going to Republican campaigns.

Forbes Magazine's 'Richest Americans' Influence State Politics:
The top 20 richest Americans (identified in Forbes magazine), and their companies, contributed an impressive $22.6 million to state-level candidates and political committees from 2005 through 2008. As a group, they gave nearly half ($11.2 million) of all contributions to Republican candidates and committees, with ballot measure committees gaining an impressive 35 percent of the total.