Minority Candidates and Fundraising

The Institute on Money in State Politics has issued a new report looking at the fundraising efforts of minority candidates in state legislative races. From the email announcing the study:

Thirteen percent of state legislators elected in 2003 and 2004 were members of a racial minority, and they typically raised less money than white legislators, a new study by the Institute on Money in State Politics shows.

The study, Money and Diversity: 2004 State Legislative Elections, found that white legislators raised more -- on average -- than minority legislators in 33 of the 42 states where minority candidates were elected to House seats. And white legislators raised more in 26 of 32 states where minority legislators were elected to Senate seats.

The study compares, state by state, the funds raised by white and minority winners in all 50 states. It also examines the fund-raising experiences of winning and losing Latino and Asian Pacific American candidates.

The Institute's Website has a host of studies on campaign finance in the states.