MapLight’s newest report on San Diego highlights the outsized role that money plays in who runs for office and what policies they enact. Big Donor Dominance: Campaign Finance in San Diego details the patterns and trends in campaign funding for candidates in San Diego, California, from 2016 through 2022, with analysis revealing the extent of impact that large donors have on campaign funding in San Diego.
Our analysis shows that a small number of individuals had a large impact: a significant majority (67%) of all contributions to City Council candidates came from fewer than 800 individual donors, out of San Diego’s ~1.4 million residents.
Among other key findings, the report reveals:
Most donations came from high-dollar contributors. Donors giving the maximum allowable amount made up 67% of candidate funds in 2022.
Running a competitive campaign has become more expensive. The amount raised by the average winning City Council candidate has nearly doubled, from $165k in 2016 to $325k in 2022.
Donors from affluent waterfront neighborhoods tended to give more money to candidates. Five of the top six ZIP codes by Total Contributions were on the water.
Areas with a higher percentage of white, educated residents tended to contribute more to candidates. The top ZIP codes, in terms of total contribution dollars, had a larger percentage of white residents and individuals with a bachelor's degree or higher, compared to the overall San Diego area.
The real estate and construction industries had a large impact. Although these industries employ around 8% of the San Diego workforce, they contributed 17% of the campaign funding.
“With candidates so dependent on high-dollar fundraising, ordinary voters have less voice in who gets elected and whose interests elected officials prioritize,” said Daniel G. Newman, President of MapLight.
This MapLight report was made possible by the generous support of the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, and informed by California Common Cause, Engage San Diego, League of Women Voters of San Diego, Represent Us San Diego, Viet Voices San Diego, Voter’s Voice Initiative, and The Justice Workshop.
Click here to read the full report: Big Donor Dominance: Campaign Finance in San Diego