Data Story -- Nathan Scharn

The candidates who received the most generous funding were the enjoyed the most success in the 2008 San Diego City Council.

Adams, McDonald and Peterson, all of whom received more than $8m in campaign funding were elected. Johnson, Smith and Thurstan, who each got fewer than $4m, lost the race.

The interest group Save Our Planet Group had the deepest pockets, funding more than half of Adams’ nearly $9m dollar campaign.

Peterson, who worked on approximately $12m in funding, received campaign contributions from Save Our Planet Group, Teachers’ Union and Police Union was also funded generously by SOPG, accruing nearly $8m from the group for PR consulting, t.v. advertising and a radio advertisement.

Smith was given only $1.7, less than one tenth of what Peterson spent.

Being in the top 50% of the funding spectrum – the higher end – made candidates 100% more likely to be elected than their less adequately funded competitors.

Save Our Planet Group contributed 53% of the winning candidates total of $29.9m in campaign funding, making SOPG the most influential group for candidate election.

SOPG increased its campaign contributions by 105% from the 1996 election to the 2000 election.

The organization gave the top three candidates more than $16m; however, it contributed fewer than $4m to the losing candidates. The winners received four times more funding from SOPG than did the losers.