Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Where the Money Comes From

Wired has a new widget that lets you see who's bought your legislator or Congressional reps. Neat!
 
Screen snapshot of Wired's Influence Tracker
Here's the scoop on my reps and a few others nearby:

  • Al Franken isn't even on the list. I guess that means he hasn't taken any money.
  • Amy Klobuchar (our other senator, who was just reelected) got $7 million, making her number 26 out of 100 senators. Her top ten include four banks and two law firms (she's a former prosecutor).
  • My representative, Betty McCollum, is ranked 432 out of 435 members of the house in terms of money received. More than half of her top 10 are Native American tribes, whose main interest is probably in protecting their state-approved mandate on gambling, but could also be because she's on an Appropriations subcommittee devoted to the interior and environment.
  • Conversely, Michelle Bachmann raised the most money of any member of the House.
  • Minneapolis Rep. Keith Ellison is ranked 122nd. His top 10 list includes several individuals, and no overall pattern.
What about your representatives?

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