Campaign Financing Capture Index
Large political contributions are often meant to influence policy in favor of a donor’s interest. During the 2016 US presidential election, the Campaign Financing Capture Index tracked political donation flows to predict their impact on policy decisions under a new president.
Archive of Reports
Developed by Luigi Zingales at Chicago Booth and Milena Ang in the University of Chicago Department of Political Science, the Campaign Financing Capture Index analyzed donations to the campaigns, PACs, super PACs, and joint fundraising committees that supported the 2016 presidential candidates.
October 5, 2016: Donald Trump Keeps Losing Affection from Big Donors, While Clinton Maintains It
More than 30 percent of Hillary Clinton’s contributions came from donations over $100,000, while Donald Trump’s large donations have dropped for several months.
September 20, 2016: 37.8 Percent of Clinton’s Donations Come from the Top 0.1 Percent of Her Donors
Hillary Clinton’s main super PAC raised more than $8 million in July, nearly all of it from donors giving more than $100,000. The top 0.1 percent of Clinton’s donors account for nearly 38 percent of her total contributions.
August 17, 2016: Donald Trump Significantly Increases Fundraising from Big Donors
Nearly a quarter of Donald Trump’s campaign contributions came from donations of $100,000 or more. In May, large donors accounted for only 1.7 percent of his contributions.
June 27, 2016: A Third of Hillary Clinton’s Fundraising Comes from Big Donors
Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, raised more than 30 percent of her campaign contributions from donors giving more than $100,000. Donald Trump received 3.8 percent of his contributions from large donors.
May 26, 2016: Out of the Remaining Presidential Candidates, Clinton Relies Most on Big Donors
Hillary Clinton’s main super PAC raised $8.5 million in April. Bernie Sanders remains the only one of the remaining three candidates to not receive any six-figure donations.
May 2, 2016: Historical Comparison Shows the Extent of Growth in Political Contributions from Big Donors
More than a third of total contributions raised by presidential candidates from both parties in the 2016 race thus far have come from donors who gave more than $5,000. To date, presidential candidates raised only $3.1 million from big donors.
April 29, 2016: Record Concentration of Political Donors
More than 41 percent of the money raised by the Ted Cruz campaign and by PACs and super PACs backing his candidacy came from donors who gave more than $100,000.
March 22, 2016: Candidates on Fundraising Spree Attract Millions from Big Donors
With Marco Rubio out of the race, Ted Cruz has the largest fraction of political contributions over $5,000. Before dropping out, Rubio received 52 percent of his funds from donors contributing over $100,000.
March 9, 2016: Stigler Center Survey Reveals: Majority of Americans Concerned about the Influence of Campaign Donors on Candidates
Survey: 57 percent of Americans believe candidates who take money from big businesses, unions, and special interest groups are under their control.
March 7, 2016: Campaign Financing Capture Index
The first report by the Stigler Center on the influence of money on politics. Of the remaining presidential candidates, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz rank highest on the capture index.