Bachmann Raising Significantly Larger Out-of-State Funds Per Capita from Obama States than McCain States

Obama states hold 10 of the top 12 slots in out of state per capita fundraising among itemized individual donors

Smart Politics reported yesterday that although PAC contributions to Congresswoman Michele Bachmann have been declining steadily over the past five quarters, contributions to her campaign by individuals have more than compensated for that decline, making her the biggest fundraiser in the Minnesota U.S. House delegation this cycle.

Since Bachmann first started raising federal campaign money in early 2005, she has received about two-thirds of her individual funds in the form of itemized, large donor contributions ($3.08 million, or 64.4 percent) and approximately one-third in the form of unitemized, small donor contributions ($1.7 million, or 35.6 percent).

While unitemized contributions are becoming an increasingly important tool for Bachmann in building her campaign warchest, only large donor ($200+) contributions provide detailed, itemized information.

Digging deeper into Bachmann’s FEC filings to determine from where the Congresswoman’s individual donors are coming, a Smart Politics analysis finds that Bachmann has received 3.3 times more out-of-state money from states carried by Barack Obama than states carried by John McCain since she took office in January 2007. Even after controlling for population, Bachmann has garnered 51.4 percent more money per capita from Obama states over McCain states during this 2.75 year span.

Since January 2007, Representative Bachmann has raised $1.95 million in individual itemized contributions from across the country, of which $1.37 million has come from residents inside the Gopher State (70.2 percent).

Of the $581,000+ in large donor contributions that have come from out-of-state, 76.5 percent ($444,824) came from states carried by Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, while 23.2 percent ($135,246) came from states carried by John McCain. (Another 0.3 percent came from U.S. territories or residents from unidentified locales).

After adjusting the data for population based on the 2008 U.S. Census estimates, Obama states have given to Bachmann’s campaign at a rate of $217.36 per 100,000 residents since 2007 compared to a rate of just $143.59 per 100,000 residents in states carried by John McCain. Overall, Bachmann has received 51.4 percent more large donor money per capita from Obama states than McCain states.

In fact, 10 of the top 12 locales contributing at the highest rate to Bachmann are in Obama Territory, led by the District of Columbia, which sets the pace at a rate of $688.37 per 100,000 residents.

Only the red states of Nebraska (#2, $583.15) and Wyoming (#4, $478.72) crack the Top 12, with deep blue states like Maryland (#3, $516.54), Illinois #7 ($324.57), Vermont (#8, $321.92), and California (#9, $279.57) all perched in the Top 10 in per capita contributions to one of the U.S. Houses’ most conservative members.

Since being sworn in at the Capitol in January 2007, Rep. Bachmann has received large donor contributions from all but six states – five of them being McCain states (Idaho, Mississippi, Montana, Utah, and West Virginia; New Mexico is the other).

Overall, not adjusting for population controls, Bachmann has received the most out-of-state money from California ($102,761), Florida ($66,000), Texas ($60,831), Illinois ($41,875), Virginia ($30,618), New York ($30,285), Maryland ($29,100), Washington ($17,285), and Wisconsin ($15,596).

The initial reaction to these findings might be to simply explain them away due to the fact that median household incomes are higher in Obama states than McCain states. The reasoning would be that there is a larger pool, per capita, of wealthy conservatives in Obama states who are in a position to contribute large sums to Bachmann’s campaign than in McCain states.

This is an attractive theory at first blush. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey two-year average household income data for 2007-2008, households in Obama states ($54,967) had a 16.8 percent higher annual income than households in McCain states ($47,062).

Which brings us back to a report published last week at Smart Politics on another well-known Republican U.S. House member who has raised a lot of money outside his home state – South Carolina’s Joe Wilson.

Wilson, who had a fundraising boon after shouting “You lie!” during President Obama’s health care reform address to a joint session of Congress last month, raised $568,794 in large donor individual funds in Q3 2009.

A Smart Politics analysis of the nearly 1,200 itemized individual donors who sent Wilson contributions in the third quarter of 2009 finds that states that voted for John McCain in the 2008 presidential election contributed 83 percent more money per capita than those who supported Barack Obama.

Even after excluding the $95,300 raised by Wilson in his home state of South Carolina, McCain states (at $179.33 per 100,000 residents) still contributed at a 20.8 percent higher rate to Wilson than Obama states (at $148.45).

By contrast, in Q3 2009 Bachmann raised 30.6 percent more funds per capita in Obama states ($17.42 per 100,000 residents, excluding Minnesota) than McCain States ($13.34 per 100,000 residents).

In short, the annual household income data does not uniformly explain away the differences in per capita contributions between Obama states and McCain states when analyzing the fundraising of two of the nation’s most well-known U.S. Representatives.

So what is driving Bachmann’s particular appeal to financial contributors in Obama states? Is she perhaps receiving more support from Obama states, while Wilson reaps more rewards from McCain states, because of their respective gender?

Check back in to Smart Politics later this week for more analysis of Congresswoman Bachmann’s fundraising data.

Out of State Per Capita Individual Large Donor Contributions to Michele Bachmann, Q1 2007 – Q3 2009

Rank	State	Total	per 100,000	2008 Vote	Percent
1	District of Columbia	$4,074	$688.37	Obama	0.7
2	Nebraska	$10,400	$583.15	McCain	1.8
3	Maryland	$29,100	$516.54	Obama	5.0
4	Wyoming	$2,550	$478.72	McCain	0.4
5	Virginia	$30,618	$394.10	Obama	5.3
6	Florida	$66,000	$360.10	Obama	11.3
7	Illinois	$41,875	$324.57	Obama	7.2
8	Vermont	$2,000	$321.92	Obama	0.3
9	California	$102,761	$279.57	Obama	17.7
10	Wisconsin	$15,596	$277.12	Obama	2.7
11	Washington	$17,285	$263.92	Obama	3.0
12	Nevada	$6,600	$253.83	Obama	1.1
13	Texas	$60,831	$250.06	McCain	10.5
14	Connecticut	$8,625	$246.34	Obama	1.5
15	Colorado	$11,870	$240.31	Obama	2.0
16	Arizona	$14,060	$216.30	McCain	2.4
17	New York	$30,285	$155.39	Obama	5.2
18	Louisiana	$6,500	$147.37	McCain	1.1
19	New Jersey	$12,260	$141.20	Obama	2.1
20	Kentucky	$5,750	$134.68	McCain	1.0
21	Ohio	$14,525	$126.46	Obama	2.5
22	Georgia	$11,850	$122.34	McCain	2.0
23	Pennsylvania	$14,700	$118.09	Obama	2.5
24	North Dakota	$750	$116.92	McCain	0.1
25	Michigan	$11,480	$114.76	Obama	2.0
26	Maine	$1,500	$113.94	Obama	0.3
27	Iowa	$3,325	$110.74	Obama	0.6
28	Hawaii	$1,400	$108.68	Obama	0.2
29	Missouri	$5,900	$99.80	McCain	1.0
30	Massachusetts	$6,385	$98.26	Obama	1.1
31	Rhode Island	$950	$90.41	Obama	0.2
32	Oklahoma	$3,125	$85.80	McCain	0.5
33	Arkansas	$2,350	$82.30	McCain	0.4
34	Alabama	$3,650	$78.29	McCain	0.6
35	South Dakota	$600	$74.61	McCain	0.1
36	Tennessee	$4,425	$71.20	McCain	0.8
37	North Carolina	$6,450	$69.94	Obama	1.1
38	Kansas	$1,655	$59.06	McCain	0.3
39	Alaska	$350	$51.00	McCain	0.1
40	Oregon	$1,750	$46.17	Obama	0.3
41	Indiana	$2,810	$44.07	Obama	0.5
42	Delaware	$250	$28.63	Obama	0.0
43	New Hampshire	$350	$26.60	Obama	0.1
44	South Carolina	$500	$11.16	McCain	0.1
45	New Mexico	$0	$0.00	Obama	0.0
45	Idaho	$0	$0.00	McCain	0.0
45	Mississippi	$0	$0.00	McCain	0.0
45	Montana	$0	$0.00	McCain	0.0
45	Utah	$0	$0.00	McCain	0.0
45	West Virginia	$0	$0.00	McCain	0.0
	Other	$1,700			0.3
	Total	$581,770			100.0

FEC data compiled by Smart Politics.

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