Just 158 families, along with companies they own or control, contributed $176 million in the first phase of the campaign….
They are overwhelmingly white, rich, older and male, in a nation that is being remade by the young, by women, and by black and brown voters. Across a sprawling country, they reside in an archipelago of wealth, exclusive neighborhoods dotting a handful of cities and towns. And in an economy that has minted billionaires in a dizzying array of industries, most made their fortunes in just two: finance and energy.
This New York Times article analyzed major early campaign contributors (individuals and PACs). The graphic of Monopology houses shows the distribution of these interests.
And below is a map of where those wealthy donors come from. If money = influence, then the map below demonstrates that influence ≠ votes.
And what do the rich donors get for their access and influence? One answer appears to be an generous tax code rewrite, as suggested in the below chart and more fully discussed in this article, that starts with a statement that would only shock the naive and the corrupt:
The very richest are able to quietly shape tax policy that will allow them to shield billions in income.
