Details about this story

• Source: Center for Public Integrity
• Date: September 26, 2006
• URL: Read the story
• Bylines: Agustin Armendariz , Sandy Bergo , John Perry
• Topics: Campaign Finance
• Data Types: Federal Data
• Description/Excerpt: The Center for Public Integrity used federal campaign data to show that "in the 2004 federal races, more than $1.78 billion flowed through a professional corps of consultants whose influence plays an important, though largely unexamined, role in the unrelenting escalation of campaign spending." John Perry and Agustin Armendariz did the data analysis for the project, which used electronic and keypunched expenditure records. The Center also posted a searchable database of consultants.
• Methodology: See explainer
• Database or Graphic: Go to site (aspx)