A recently released map showcases the states that have made the most significant contributions to political parties during the 2024 election cycle.
To date, political donations in the U.S. have surpassed $5 billion, with a whopping 67 percent originating from just eleven states, which have each contributed in the hundreds of millions.
According to Open Secrets, “totals include PAC and individual contributions to federal candidates, PACs, parties and outside spending groups. Percentages reflect only contributions to candidates and parties.”
Leading the pack is California, which has donated $818 million—63 percent of which supported Democratic candidates, while Republicans received 28 percent of the total contributions.
Notably, that Republican share exceeds $200 million, a figure larger than what states like Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas pooled together, despite their Republican-leaning tendencies.
On the flip side, Vermont reported the lowest donation total this cycle at just over $6 million, with an impressive 76 percent going to Democrats, making its contributions about 136 times less than those from California.
South Dakota showed a solid Republican preference, having donated 78 percent to the GOP. Overall, 28 states leaned towards donating more to Republicans than Democrats.
Yet, this doesn’t imply that Democratic donations have dwindled over the past two years; key areas with Democratic inclinations, such as California, New York, and Washington D.C., remain among the largest contributors.
Interestingly, Arizona and Nevada—states that turned blue in the last presidential election—are favoring Republican donations this time around. Moreover, Montana, typically a Republican stronghold voting consistently for the party since 1992, is leaning towards Democratic donations, possibly due to the intense competition involving Democratic Senator Jon Tester and his Republican challenger, impacting the Senate majority in 2025.
Hypothetically, if the Electoral College followed each state’s donation trends in the upcoming November election, former President Donald Trump would emerge victorious with 287 electoral votes.