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

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Special Interest PAC Money to Bachmann's Campaign at Lowest Level Since Q2 2006 GOP Endorsement

U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann's latest fundraising haul - the 14th consecutive quarter of at least a quarter of a million dollars - stands out for the Congresswoman both for the impressive amount of money raised from small donors as well as the relatively scarce amount of funds raised from PACs.

In fact, the Q3 2009 PAC contributions to Bachmann's campaign were the lowest quarterly PAC receipts for the Congresswoman, as well as the lowest percentage of total quarterly funds raised, since Representative Bachmann first received the endorsement by Republicans in the 6th Congressional District back in May 2006.

Bachmann only received $31,402 from PACs last quarter - marking the fifth consecutive quarter in which her campaign has experienced a net decrease in PAC money. Bachmann received $192,471 from PACs in Q2 2008, $156,525 in Q3 2008, $135,900 in Q4 2008, $61,417 in Q1 2009, and $52,904 in Q2 2009.

The $31,402 was the lowest amount of PAC money Bachmann had received since Q1 2006 - the quarter before the Congresswoman was endorsed by the GOP in the 6th CD race.

By contrast, PAC money to fellow GOPer John Kline has increased in each quarter this year - from $50,000 in Q1 to $65,250 in Q2, to $78,400 in Q3, rising from 35 percent to 40 percent of his total fundraising along the way. PAC contributions to most of the other members of the Minnesota congressional delegation have fluctuated, going up and down throughout the year.

PAC money constituted only 9.1 percent of Bachmann's Q3 2009 funds - also marking the lowest percentage of total quarterly funds raised since her endorsement 3.5 years ago.

PAC money used to comprise a much larger percentage of Bachmann's overall campaign warchest - exceeding 50 percent of quarterly receipts two times, in Q2 2006 (53.4 percent) and Q2 2008 (50.3 percent), and greater than 40 percent two other times, in Q3 2006 (44.2 percent) and Q1 2007 (45.3 percent).

But Bachmann has more than compensated for what she may be lacking in PAC contributions by raising a record percentage of contributions from small donors in the last quarter. (Small donors, or unitemized individual contributions, are those of less than $200 for the campaign cycle to date).

The $193,838 in small donor contributions to Bachmann tallied 56.2 percent of her total Q3 2009 funds. This marks the largest percentage small donations have constituted to Bachmann's campaign since she first began raising federal campaign funds in early 2005.

The 56.2 percent raised by Bachmann in Q3 2009 represents a larger percentage than even the surge in small donor funds the Congresswoman's campaign enjoyed after her October 2008 appearance on Chris Matthews' Hardball program.

That cable TV appearance, which also proved to be a fundraising boon to her 2008 DFL opponent El Tinklenberg, paved the way for Bachmann to raise $570,643 in unitemized small donor contributions that quarter - or 53.2 percent of the total receipts to her campaign.

But there is also a political question raised by all these numbers. Why is Representative Bachmann receiving less and less money from organized special interests?

Two potential theories come to mind:

1) The boom in individual contributions to Bachmann's campaign is so large that she no longer needs to court special interest money, or

2) Special interests are becoming increasingly gunshy at contributing to the campaign of one of the most controversial members of Congress - particularly one with an increasingly national profile.

The timing of the decline in PAC money and increase in Bachmann's national profile is interesting to be sure. The fact that Bachmann's special interest money has declined quarter-by-quarter in the last two years - precisely at the time when the Congresswoman's national media appearances have increased - suggests the latter theory above might be in play.

Bachmann had only one national cable TV media appearance from the time of her 6th CD GOP endorsement in Q2 2006 for the next two years through Q2 2008. She has had nearly four dozen appearances thereafter, with her net PAC contributions declining each quarter.

Michele Bachmann PAC Funds Raised and National Cable TV Appearances by Quarter, Q2 2008 - Q3 2009

PAC money as a percentage of Bachmann's total campaign fundraising has also plummeted from 50.3 percent in Q2 2008, to 33.7 percent in Q3 2008, 12.7 percent in Q4 2008, 19.6 percent in Q1 2009, 18.6 percent in Q2 2009, and 9.1 percent in Q3 2009.

Then again, it's hard to call this trend a real problem for Bachmann. What politician wouldn't prefer to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars from small donors as opposed to special interest PAC money? The former is the basis for some powerful campaign literature.

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Ellison Also Raises More Money from Californians Than Minnesotans for the Second Consecutive Quarter

For the third consecutive quarter, DFL Congressman Tim Walz relied more on "home grown" individual itemized (i.e. "large donor") contributions than any of the Gopher State's eight U.S. Representatives.

At 83.0 percent, Walz raised more of his $200+ quarterly individual contributions from Minnesotans than any of his fellow members of the state's U.S. House delegation. Walz also had the largest percentage of individual itemized contributions from Minnesota in Q2 (93.3 percent) and Q1 (92.8 percent).

Republican Erik Paulsen raised 78.9 percent of such contributions from in-state in the third quarter for his campaign, with fellow GOPer John Kline at 78.7 percent, DFLer Betty McCollum at 74.8 percent, and Republican Michele Bachmann at 59.3 percent.

In-State Itemized Individual Contributions to Minnesota U.S. House Delegation, Q3 2009

Paulsen actually raised the most net money from Minnesotans in individual itemized contributions for the quarter, as well as for the year to date. Paulsen has raised $461,979 in large donor contributions from Gopher State residents thus far in 2009, with Bachmann second ($296,705), Kline third ($217,040), and Walz fourth ($186,815).

Despite raising nearly $165,000 less than Paulsen in in-state individual itemized contributions for the year, Bachmann (at 556 donors) and Paulsen (at 557 donors) have had virtually the same number of such financial contributors.

The difference, however, is that the donations Bachmann has received from Gopher State residents have been in much more modest amounts (averaging $533.64) compared to Paulsen (averaging $829.41).

This reflects the general trend that Smart Politics has documented all year that Bachmann's support is much more 'grassroots' and from 'the folks' than any other Minnesota U.S. Representative. (With nearly half of Bachmann's individual contributions coming in the form of unitemized, small-donor amounts).

In-State Itemized Individual Contributions to Minnesota U.S. House Delegation, January - September 2009

On the flip side, DFLers Collin Peterson and Jim Oberstar only raised 17.0 percent and 13.9 percent of their individual itemized funds from Minnesotans in the third quarter respectively - not an unusual occurrence for U.S. Representatives with the status (and contacts) such House Committee chairs receive on the national stage. As observed by Smart Politics this summer, Oberstar actually received 100 percent of his large donor individual contributions from out-of-state in the second quarter of this year.

But the Minnesota U.S. Representative who received the lowest amount of home grown financial support from itemized individual donors this past quarter was Keith Ellison. Only 10.6 percent of Ellison's Q3 2009 itemized individual contributions came from Minnesota with 89.4 percent coming from out of state.

Ellison also received the largest percentage of out-of-state big money donors from the Minnesota delegation in the first quarter of the year (83.2 percent) and the second largest in the second quarter (80.4 percent), including 90 percent from outside of his 5th CD.

For the year, Ellison has raised money from the largest number of out-of-state big money donors (290) and 84.2 percent of his itemized individual campaign funds have come from outside the Gopher State, second only to Oberstar at 90.0 percent. Oberstar has collected the most funds, at $253,300.

Out of State Itemized Individual Contributions to Minnesota U.S. House Delegation, January - September 2009

But what is most striking about the yearly campaign finance numbers is that Ellison continues to raise money from Californians at nearly twice the pace from those in his home state.

In 2009, Ellison has raised $57,290 in individual itemized contributions from California, or 29.2 percent of his total large donor contributions. That is $26,000+ more than he has raised this year from Minnesotans ($31,000 or 15.8 percent).

Ellison has raised more money in California than Minnesota in each of the last two quarters. In the third quarter he raised $9,990 in California versus $7,950 in Minnesota. In the second quarter he raised $44,050 in California and just $18,650 in the Gopher State.

Rep. Ellison also raised more money in California than Minnesota in Q3 2007, Q4 2007, and Q1 2008, making the Golden State a bigger financial backer of Ellison than the Gopher State in 5 of the last 9 quarters.

In the third quarter of 2009, Ellison also received more in campaign contributions from individuals in New York ($18,500), Michigan ($11,050), and New Jersey ($10,800) than from those in Minnesota.

Keith Ellison Itemized Individual Campaign Contributions, January-September 2009

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For yet another fundraising cycle, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann continues to lead the Minnesota U.S. House delegation in several key facets, beyond the obvious fact that she has raised the most funds in 2009 among the state's eight U.S. House members.

The Republican Representative, who led the Gopher State by receiving $345,132 in contributions in the third quarter of 2009, received more than 90 percent of her campaign funds this quarter from individuals, with only 9.1 percent coming from political action committees (PACs).

Bachmann has raised a larger percentage of her campaign funds from individuals than any member of the Minnesota delegation in each quarter this year - with that percentage increasing each quarter: from 80.4 percent in Q1, to 81.4 percent in Q2, to 90.9 percent in Q3.

DFLer Keith Ellison raised the second largest percentage from individuals, with 79.0 percent of his $135,590 Q3 2009 funds coming from individuals and 21.0 percent from PACs.

Minnesota Representatives who were more reliant on PAC money last quarter include DFLers Collin Peterson (78.5 percent), Betty McCollum (51.8 percent), and Jim Oberstar (35.0 percent) and Republican John Kline (40.8 percent).

Since the beginning of the year, over 84 percent of Bachmann's funds have come from individuals, far more than any of her fellow Minnesota U.S. House members.

At $797,883, Bachmann has raised nearly $200,000 more from individuals than the nearest Gopher State U.S. Representative, Rep. Erik Paulsen at $603,847, and more than $475,000 greater than the nearest DFLer (Rep. Jim Oberstar at $321,603).

Amount and Percentage of 2009 Campaign Funds Raised from Individuals by Minnesota U.S. Representatives

By contrast, only 15.4 percent of Bachmann's funds in 2009 have come from special interest PAC money, and, at $145,725, that is the second lowest amount among the Minnesota U.S. House delegation.

Committee Chairs Collin Peterson ($303,850) and Jim Oberstar ($302,400) have raised more than twice that amount from special interests.

Amount and Percentage of 2009 Campaign Funds Raised from PACs by Minnesota U.S. Representatives

And just who are these individuals contributing to Bachmann?

As outlined in previous analyses by Smart Politics for Quarter 1 and Quarter 2, Bachmann is receiving a larger percentage (and gross amount) of her funds from small contributors - those 'regular folks' donating less than $200 for the cycle-to-date - than any member of the Minnesota U.S. House delegation.

That pattern has continued into the third quarter of 2009.

In fact, Bachmann is relying more and more on small donations to fund her campaign than ever before. In the third quarter, 61.8 percent of individual contributions to Bachmann were from small donations - up from 43.6 percent in Q2 and 31.8 percent in Q1.

These small, unitemized donations have totaled $375,222 for Congresswoman Bachmann in 2009 - which is more than the total small donor contributions made by individuals to all seven other members of the Minnesota U.S. House delegation combined ($374,594).

The $375,000+ raised by Bachmann from small donors is also more than the total individual (large donor and small donor) funds received by Walz, Kline, McCollum, Ellison, Peterson, and Oberstar respectively.

Amount and Percentage of 2009 Campaign Funds Raised from Small Donor (Unitemized) Individuals by Minnesota U.S. Representatives

And as for Bachmann's 6th District DFL hopefuls?

State Senator Tarryl Clark - who launched her campaign in late July - raised 39.6 percent of individual campaign contributions from small donors ($102,867), while Maureen Reed raised only 9.6 percent from small donors ($12,960).

Because small donor contributions are unitemized, it is impossible to glean from the FEC reports from where these contributions are being sent. Rep. Bachmann's prominence on the national cable TV news circuit suggests that a large amount may be coming in from out of state, as she becomes a leading national conservative figure.

However, the big money contributions that are pouring into the coffers of Minnesota's U.S. Representatives are itemized, and Smart Politics will analyze from where that money is coming in the next installment.

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On the heels of an announcment Thursday that Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann raised $345,000 during the third quarter of 2009, the staunch conservative from Minnesota's 6th District has now raised $118,093 in just two days through her new "Send a Message to the Left" campaign.

Bachmann raised $89,000 on Wednesday when the new fundraising drive was launched - buoyed by appearances on Glenn Beck's radio and TV programs - and an additional $29,000 as of midnight on Thursday evening.

Bachmann is appealing to supporters in this new campaign on the basis that, "Speaker Pelosi has made me her number one target to defeat next year. She wants me gone."

Congresswoman Bachmann had averaged gross campaign contributions of $3,750 per day during the third quarter of 2009, compared to $3,133 in the second quarter and $3,485 in the first quarter of the year.

Integrating the power of the traditional media (radio and TV appearances with Beck) with the new media (online fundraising and promotion through her website, Facebook, and Twitter), the $118,093 two-day haul by Bachmann nearly equals the entire amount raised during the third quarter of 2009 by one of her high profile DFL challengers - Maureen Reed ($130,000).

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If anyone wondered just how Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann would respond to the impressive fundraising numbers released earlier this week by DFL hopefuls Maureen Reed and, especially, State Senator Tarryl Clark, that question was answered on Wednesday.

Beginning with a new fundraising campaign on her website Wednesday morning entitled, "Send a Message to the Left," a morning appearance on Glenn Beck's radio show, and a Twitter campaign that updated her followers as to how much money she was raising, Congresswoman Bachmann generated an astounding $89,000 from her supporters in one day.

To put that in context, Bachmann raised $313,685 in 90 days from January through March of this year, or an average of $3,485 per day (leading the Minnesota U.S. House delegation) and $285,125 in 91 days from April through June, or $3,133 per day (placing her second in the state delegation behind fellow GOPer Erik Paulsen).

In other words, Bachmann spiked her average 2009 daily fundraising tally by more than 25-fold on Wednesday.

Appealing to Beck's listeners that U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made her the #1 GOP target to beat in 2010, Bachmann got in three plugs to her campaign website on the radio show and, perhaps more importantly, this following comment from Beck: "We should have a fundraiser for you."

Whether or not a Beck fundraiser pans out, Bachmann had, even before today, already demonstrated a talent for raising money for her campaign, particularly from individuals and small donors.

In her new fundraising campaign, Bachmann uses ads with headlines such as, "Tell Big Sister Pelosi & Big Brother Reid to Leave You Alone!" and "Help Michele Stop Nancy Pelosi's Tax and Spend Agenda" - the former slogan appealing to a new libertarian streak that is running through Bachmann's campaign.

On Beck's radio show, Bachmann railed against the government takeover of health care and federal funding of ACORN - telling his listeners to "melt the phone lines every day" of the members of Congress to express their discontent. Regarding her stances on these high profile issues, the Congresswoman stated, "That's why Speaker Pelosi has made me her number one target to defeat next year. She wants me gone next year."

As one of the rising conservative voices in the country, Bachmann has catapulted herself into a frequent guest on the cable TV news circuit, particularly on FOX News, but she's also got the attention of the traditional media, such as today's article in the New York Times: G.O.P. Has a Lightning Rod, and It's Not Palin.

Bachmann also appeared later in the day on Beck's FOX News television program to discuss the ACORN issue and the Community Reinvestment Act, whereupon she reiterated that she was a top target of Nancy Pelosi.

A Smart Politics analysis of Bachmann's third quarter fundraising, and as well as the rest of Minnesota's U.S. House members, will be released later this month.

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