MAPLight.org U.S. Congress: Research Guide
If you want to run for Congress, you need money. A lot of money.
To win election, U.S. House members raised, on average, $1,900 per day, every day, for an entire two-year term—including weekends and holidays. That’s $1.4 million per House member, on average.
Winning senators raised $8.5 million, on average—$3,900 per day. (These figures are for the 2008 election, from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.)
The main source of this campaign money is interest groups that want something from government. Once elected, politicians often pay back their campaign contributors with special access and favorable laws. This common practice is contrary to the public interest, yet legal. MAPLight.org's research tools help shine a light on the connection between money and votes, to help citizens hold legislators accountable.
Money and Votes
MAPLight.org connects money and votes. We bring together, in one website, the money given to politicians with each politician's votes.
We provide data, research services, and online tools that work together to make patterns of money and influence more transparent. Connections between campaign contributions, interest groups and votes that would have required days or weeks of manual research are now available at the click of a mouse.
We currently track money and votes for U.S. Congress, updating our site within 45 minutes of each Congressional vote. We track campaign contributions for Los Angeles city government and the California Legislature too. In 2011 we will launch a new site tracking money and votes in Wisconsin. (You can stay up-to-date on our plans via e-mail, Facebook, or Twitter.)
The listing below represent labor unions particularly government employee unions and their contributions donations charity Quid Pro Quo politics of convenience. You get who you pay for ... neither party is innocence in dispensing their influence. However there is something to be said about amount and value dispensed.
A QUICK ANALYSIS OF THE TABLE BELOW IS: 94% OF ALL QUID PRO QUO FUNDING GOES TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY FOR A TOTAL OF $458,554,070.00. ANOTHER DATA POINT WOULD BE A PER CAPITA NUMBER FOR EACH UNION.
A possible way to eliminate this apparent dispensation of funds is ...
Leading Union Political Campaign Contributors 1990-2010 | |||
Democrats | Republicans | ||
American Fed. of State, County, & Municipal Employees | $40,281,900 | $547,700 | |
Intel Brotherhood of Electrical Workers | 29,705,600 | 679,000 | |
National Education Association | 27,679,300 | 2,005,200 | |
Service Employees International Union | 26,368,470 | 98,700 | |
Communication Workers of America | 26,305,500 | 125,300 | |
Service Employees International Union | 26,252,000 | 1,086,200 | |
Laborers Union | 25,734,000 | 2,138,000 | |
American Federation of Teachers | 25,682,800 | 200,000 | |
United Auto Workers | 25,082,200 | 182,700 | |
Teamsters Union | 24,926,400 | 1,822,000 | |
Carpenters and Joiners Union | 24,094,100 | 2,658,000 | |
Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union | 23,875,600 | 226,300 | |
United Food and Commercial Workers Union | 23,182,000 | 334,200 | |
AFL-CIO | 17,124,300 | 713,500 | |
Sheet Metal Workers Union | 16,347,200 | 342,800 | |
Plumbers & Pipefitters Union | 14,790,000 | 818,500 | |
Operating Engineers Union | 13,840,000 | 2,309,500 | |
Airline Pilots Association | 12,806,600 | 2,398,300 | |
International Association of Firefighters | 12,421,700 | 2,685,400 | |
United Transportation Workers | 11,807,000 | 1,459,300 | |
Ironworkers Union | 11,638,900 | 936,000 | |
American Postal Workers Union | 11,633,100 | 544,300 | |
Nat'l Active & Retired Fed. Employees Association | 8,135,400 | 2,294,600 | |
Seafarers International Union | 6,726,800 | 1,281,300 | |
Source: Center for Responsive Politics, Washington , D.C... | |||
