Places with the Highest Rates of Political Giving

NerdWallet - There are more than nine months to go before the 2014 U.S. midterm elections take place, but campaign season has already begun—and is about to hit full swing. All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be contested, along with 33 of the 100 seats in the Senate, 38 governorships and many state and local positions.Using campaign contributions data from the Center for Responsive Politics, we ranked the top ten places among the U.S.’s 50 largest metropolitan areas according to per capita contribution rates. The donation totals mentioned below include individual contributions of $200 or more to federal candidates, parties and Political Action Committees (PACs) for the 2014 midterm election year. Places with the Highest Rates of Political Giving1. Washington, D.C. Metro AreaIt’s no surprise to see the nation’s capital at the top of the list with contributions totaling $51.1 million. The D.C. metro area’s per capita contribution of $8.81 is almost twice as high as the second highest place on this list. Of D.C.’s total contributions to the two major parties for the 2014 races, about 57% went to Democrats and 43% to Republicans. However, there were far more “no party” donations overall. Some of this year’s top overall donors in the nation are based here, such as the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME)—comprised of 3,400 local unions and donating exclusively to the Democratic Party and outside spending groups this season.Read complete article: http://www.nerdwallet.com