Running for Senate takes charisma, moxie, and a good campaign staff. It also requires good fundraising skills – or multimillionaire status.
An infographic from Good magazine, drawing on data from Maplight, found that the average senator raised $6.4 million in the two years prior to taking office. This works out to about $8,700 a day.
Running for a seat in the House will also set you back seven figures. The average House member raised $1.2 million in the two years prior to being elected, or $1,700 a day.
There are some other fascinating facts present in this infographic. For instance, just 0.26% of all Americans fund 68% of all contributions to Congress. In fact, 99.74% of Americans gave less than $200 each. The finance, insurance, and real estate industry gives the most money to members of Congress.
For more information, check out this Washington Post blog entry, or this Goodmagazine infographic.
– Benjamin Nanamaker, InvestorPlace Money & Politics Editor
The opinions contained in this column are solely those of the writer.
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