With campaign season in full swing, below are some useful websites in digging out information about candidates, lobbyists, campaign donors, etc. We will put this list on an online database we are building, but I wanted to get it out now because it is a great resource to use in putting election stories together and an excellent place to go for story ideas.
1. Search campaign finance summary data
Search for the most current summary financial information about candidates, parties or committees. Search by state, party, office or name.
2. Search campaign finance data by individual contributor
Search for contributions made by individuals using contributor name, city, state, zip code, place of business, date and amount.
3. Search campaign finance data by candidate
Search for contributions received by a specific campaign using candidate's name, state or party affiliation.
See political news and the political positions of the parties and candidates, as well as information on how much campaign money candidates and parties have raised and where it came from.
5. Sunlight Foundation's Party Time!
National Institute on Money in State Politics ' Follow The Money
See comprehensive 50-state campaign contribution details for candidates and political parties - and for ballot measures.
6. U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Public Disclosure > LDA Reports
See lobbyists' reports.
7.LegiStorm: Congressional staff salaries and more
A searchable database of U.S. congressional staff salaries.
9. GovTrack.us: Tracking the U.S. Congress
Track legislation and votes in the United States Congress with e-mail updates and RSS feeds.
10. FedSpending.org
Federal Contractor Misconduct Database - POGO
Political organization disclosure (IRS 527s)
State and federal campaign contribution data - TransparencyData.com
Transparency Data is a central source for all federal and state campaign contributions made in the last 20 years. Here you can begin your search, find the information you need and then download records of what a candidate has received, what an individual has given, and how much companies and their employees have given.
Other sites of interest: