The above bar graph depicts individual contributions divided by state and party. The two states with the most amounts contributed are Georgia and Florida. In recent years, these two states have been highly contested, so it makes sense that there is a high amount of money being given to these campaigns. It also is worth noting that the amount donated often correlates to the winning party. Georgia received more Democratic contributions and the state went blue. Florida received more Republican contributions and the Republicans were victorious. So, there are two key takeaways from the graph: 1) In contested states, there is a higher amount of money spent. 2) Often, the party that spends more wins the election.
This second bar graph displays the spending per winner for the 2006 election cycle (the most recent year with win/loss results available for every candidate). At first, the graph can seem crowded and it is difficult to discern clear trends, but closer examination can illustrate an important trend in election spending. The three candidates with the highest contributions by a fairly large margin are Hillary Clinton,Joe Lieberman, and Bob Casey Jr. Hillary Clinton is one of the most prominent politicians of the last several decades as well as a former first lady. Joe Liberman was also a famous politician and only a few years out from running as Al Gore’s VP, nearly winning the very close the 2000 election. Lastly, Bob Casey Jr. is the son of a legendary Pennsylvania governor and was running for a Pennsylvania Senate seat. Because all three of the top three contribution totals belonged to prominent candidates, the graph demonstrates that popularity is a crucial factor in determining who receives financing.