These Stunning Maps Prove Just How Much the Rich Control U.S. Politics

[Triana]

Earlier this month, Republican donor Shaun McCutcheon argued at the U.S. Supreme Court that his First Amendment rights are being violated by current limits on the total amount of money he can contribute to federal candidates. McCutcheon and the Republican National Committee claim that the Federal Election Commission's $48,600 limit on individual campaign contributions hinders wealthy citizens' right to support as many groups or candidates as they would like. But a new campaign finance study by the Sunlight Foundation and Azavea, a Philadelphia-based geospatial analysis firm, debunks this argument.

http://assets.sunlightfoundation.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/azavea_maps/total.html

http://assets.sunlightfoundation.com.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/azavea_maps/pop.html

The first map above show total political campaign contributions by county, and the second shows per-capita contributions by county. This location-based analysis reveals that in several small counties, a handful of wealthy residents have an oversized political influence.

For example, individual contributions from the sparsely populated Sublette County in western Wyoming, which include donations from TD Ameritrade CEO and billionaire Joe Ricketts, amounted to about $12.8 million in 2012, or an incredible $1,234 per person. In Billings County, North Dakota, which has a population of only 905 people, political giving amounted to $55.23 per person. In comparison, contributions from Cook County, Illinois (where Chicago is located) totaled $102 million, but with a population of 5.2 million, that amounts to only $19.45 per person.

What does it mean that big donations from small counties have more “weight” than contributions from more populous regions? Big donors in sparsely populated counties are able to exert a disproportionate degree of political influence.

THE REST:

http://www.policymic.com/articles/70811/these-stunning-maps-prove-just-how-much-the-rich-control-u-s-politics

[blkmusclmachine]

1. .

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[gopiscrap]

2. wow those are excellent maps

[Triana]

3. Yea they're interactive, so I couldn't post the images here.

But as you found out, clicking on the links, you can see all the data!

[MichiganVote]

4. K&R

[adirondacker]

5. It's interesting that most of the money come from liberal blue regions

like LA and New York. The rich obviously love a liberal vibe.

[JimboBillyBubbaBob]

6. Interesting...

...maps!

[2naSalit]

7. Good info, THANKS!! nt

[ChazII]

8. At least Pima

a strong blue country contributes more than Maricopa which is red.