CAMPAIGN DONATIONS

Since the early 1970’s, the number of interest groups and lobbyists has increased dramatically, expanding the role of corporate interests in American politics.  Since the Supreme Court overturned the federal campaign finance law in 2010, corporations and other interest groups have been able to contribute more directly to political campaigns, as is reflected in these charts from Opensecrets.org. The graphs below show the average campaign donations by industry to House and Senate Republicans and Democrats over time. To get more information on campaign finance, super PACS, and money in politics, explore the ”Energy/Natural Resources” section from Open Secrets.

Oil and Gas

Energy and Natural Resources

Electric Utilities

Coal Mining

Source: “Interest Groups: Energy/Natural Resources,” accessed July 25, 2018, OpenSecrets.org

Related Articles about Money in Politics ​

This report by the Bipartisan Policy Center contains information about campaign finance in the U.S. Their summary and graphs show the increase in campaign costs since the 1980’s. ​

VOX provides an excellent article on the different ways money influences politics. Their charts contain information on donor activity, election spending, lobbying groups, and advocacy. For more information, visit their website.