As of June 30, 2012, 51% of the itemized contributions for the 2012 senatorial election were from out-of-state sources, according to a report from nonpartisan research firm, Maplight.
The group says this figure is roughly consistent with figures from previous elections: In 2008, 60% came from out-of-state sources; in 2010, that number was 45%.
"Senators are crisscrossing their states saying they work for voters, but more than half of their money comes from out-of-state donors," said Daniel G. Newman, co-founder and president of MapLight. "If money is equal to free speech, the rest of the country has a bigger say in selecting your senator than you do."
Only 22% of candidates raised at least two-thirds of their funds in-state, a new report finds
The top five recipients of out-of-state funding for the 2012 election cycle include Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; John Barrasso, R-Wy.; Thomas Carper, D-Del.; Bernard (Bernie) Sanders, I-Vt.; and Sheldon Whitehouse, R-R.I.
MapLight also analyzed campaign contributions given to 180 candidates for the U.S. Senate—including incumbent senators and major opponents—for the 2008, 2010, and 2012 election cycles. Candidates raised almost $935 million in itemized campaign funds during the past five and a half years. Of those funds, $478 million, or 51%, came from out-of-state; $455 million, or 49%, came from in-state; and the remaining $2 million (0.2%) could not be definitively located.
Maplight says that over those past three election cycles, 51% of all contributions to the analyzed campaigns were made by people other than the candidates' constituents and 60% of all Senate candidates raised half or more of their campaign funds outside their home state.
However, data from the past three election cycles also shows that 22% of candidates raised at least two-thirds of their funds in-state, while 30% of candidates raised two-thirds or more of their campaign funds from outside their state.
Read the full report by clicking here.
