Candidates often use fundraising as a stand-in for popularity the more they raise, the more popular they must be. In practice, however, most of the money raised by candidates comes not from individuals but from corporations, unions, and associations. Real people give comparatively few contributions directly to candidates, while the small number of people who control corporate and union treasuries, or political action committees, account for most of the funds candidates raise.
The following chart depicts the top 30 zip codes around Illinois for giving from January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2003. In 22 of these 30, individuals gave less to candidates than did corporations, unions, and associations. Put another way, 77% of the money from these top zip codes came not from voters but from groups with a narrow political agenda.
