USA Today supplied a "State by State Look at (political) Contributions" chart which showed some very interesting results. I have noted a few below which stood out for me given their implications and/or questions these results raise:
- Top States -- Regardless of party affiliation the residents of California and New York have supplied the vast majority of current fundraising totals for all the candidates currently running.
- North Dakota -- of all 50 states and for all 18 candidates North Dakota has the unique distinction of being the only one with "$0.00" raised by any candidate. Which one you might wonder?? US Senator/former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. NOW I JUST NEED TO CONVINCE MY WIFE WE NEED TO MOVE TO NORTH DAKOTA!!!!
- "No State Given" -- for this category US Senator Barack Obama sits at the top of all 18 candidates having raised nearly $5.5 million from people who did not declare a state of residence on their Federal Elections Commission (FEC) paperwork. The next closest candidate here is John Edwards with $1.8 million from "No State Given" -- I am not certain what this means for Obama but I have to wonder - WHERE do these people live?
- "Cash on Hand" -- An important political campaign measurement tool which is simply total donations minus total expenses which yields the "Cash on Hand" (COH) -- the fuel that keeps campaigns operating. According to the chart I read I calculated that the Democrats have $59 million COH while Republicans candidates have $29 million COH thus creating a "$30 MILLION COH gap". Wait a minute, I thought the Republican Party was filled with rich, fat cats who write big checks so where did the Democrats find this extra $30 million?
Overall we have a number of candidates who appear to have the resources (money, name ID, "buzz", etc.) to stay in the race to the White House for a long time so 2007 should be a fun campaign year for political junkies and the average citizen since we all benefit if candidates have competition don't you think? Think of voting as your personal shopping -- if you hate WalMart's choices you can simply drive over to Target store to make your selection.
Voter choice is consumer choice,
Todd
2 comments:
See now I think of it as my opportunity to over throw the government but you say potato I'll say potahto! ;>)
Holstein Girl
I'm guessing that the entertainment industry has a lot to do with the COH gap. They are more likely to trend to the left. Real businesses have to hedge their bets and donate both directions. No data to back this up, just my hunch.
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