iNov. 2, 2012—MapLight, a nonpartisan research organization that tracks money's influence on politics, has conducted an analysis of the geographic origin of over $510 million in contributions to independent expenditure-only committees (super PACs). The analysis found that a disproportionate amount of contributions comes from just a few cities. Contribution data source: Federal Election Commission, Jan. 1, 2011-Sept. 30, 2012, as of Oct. 29, 2012.
SUPER PAC CONTRIBUTIONS FROM TOP 10 CITIES:
| CITY/DISTRICT | STATE | TOTAL | % OF TOTAL | RANK |
| WASHINGTON | DC | $71,626,888 | 14.02% | 1 |
| LAS VEGAS | NV | $48,663,867 | 9.53% | 2 |
| NEW YORK CITY | NY | $40,775,313 | 7.98% | 3 |
| HOUSTON | TX | $36,414,642 | 7.13% | 4 |
| DALLAS | TX | $32,038,260 | 6.27% | 5 |
| CHICAGO | IL | $16,622,147 | 3.25% | 6 |
| LOS ANGELES | CA | $13,676,592 | 2.68% | 7 |
| LITTLE JACKSON HOLE | WY | $12,250,000 | 2.40% | 8 |
| DETROIT | MI | $10,880,684 | 2.13% | 9 |
| SAN FRANCISCO | CA | $ 9,155,113 | 1.79% | 10 |
| 57.18% |
METHODOLOGY: MapLight analysis of contributions to independent expenditure-only committees (super PACs). Contribution data source: Federal Election Commission, Jan. 1, 2011-Sept. 30, 2012, as of Oct. 29, 2012. Super PAC positions data source: Center for Responsive Politics.
EDITOR'S NOTE: If you use MapLight data, please cite us accordingly ("A MapLight analysis of FEC data ...").
FIVE MILLION DOLLAR CLUB EMBEDDABLE VISUALIZATION:
DATA VISUALIZATIONS:
MapLight's interactive Tableau data visualizations show a timeline of contributions—Leaders of the (Super) PAC—and the geographic origins of contributions down to individual cities—Five Million Dollar Club. Each can be easily embedded in blogs and websites by clicking on the link symbol at the bottom of the visualization. Please contact MapLight if you need technical assistance.
A link to this press release can be found here.
*Pamela Behrsin contributed to this article.
