CAMPAIGN FINANCE
Who's Buying Your Congressman?

This and plenty of other alarming fund-raising figures, which were reported by American Public Media radio show Marketplace, was compiled by the nonprofit, nonpartisan campaign finance research group MAPLight.org by looking at the finances of members serving in the House from January 2005 until December 2007.

And if you are wondering who most House members might listen to -- and most of us probably agree that large campaign contributors are likely to get the ear of their investments -- will it surprise you that Washington was among the top five states and the District of Columbia as campaign contribution sources for 99% of House members? Or that of the top 20 Zip codes contributing to House members, 15 were in the Washington area? In other words, most of the money is coming from lobbyists, corporations and special interests and political professionals and activists, not from rank-and-file voters. It makes you wonder why polls generally show that constituents are satisfied with their members or that the seats of the vast majority of House incumbents are safe.