I'm a bit of a political junkie, as I'm sure most of us are. I found a great website called NEWSMEAT some time back that easily gives you access to federal campaign contribution records. You can look up all contributions of over $200 to federal campaigns since 1980. It gives some good insights into the process and is also just fun to look up celebrities or people you know and see who they're donating to.
For instance I went ahead and looked up Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge because I suspected that he, as a Mormon who moved to Massachusetts and made a name for himself there, would probably be a supporter of Mitt Romney. True enough, he and his wife have donated several thousand dollars to the Romney campaign.
I also looked up News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch. I'm not surprised that the owner of Fox News has donated hundreds of thousands to Republicans (including Conrad Burns and Rick Santorum, ech) but look at which Democrats he's given money to-- names like Hilary Clinton, Harold Ford, Jr., and Diane Feinstein, among others.
It's also interesting to look up "celebrity" candidates to see where a lot of their contributions come from. Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Bradley received a lot of donations from athletes and entertainers during his senate campaigns and his try for the White House.
You can also narrow down contributors from NEWSMEAT's Hall of Fame list based on how they're famous. Is it surprising that NASCAR drivers donate a lot to Republicans?
Post some of your interesting findings in the comments.
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