Michigan: Top Republican, Democrat Presidential Campaign Contributors

Michigan voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, March 8, to cast their ballots for the presidential nomination in each party, and if campaign contributions are any indication of appeal, Marco Rubio and Hillary Clinton should do well on the Republican and Democratic ballots, respectively.

Retired neurosurgeon and Detroit native Ben Carson raised $862,147 in individual donations in the state, according to the FEC data, despite polling in last place among remaining candidates nationally. He was expected to suspend his presidential campaign.

Here’s how much the other Republican candidates have taken in from Michiganders:

• Florida Sen. Marco Rubio — $618,459
• Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — $508,109
• Ohio Gov. John Kasich — $235,787
• Donald Trump — $27,068

The numbers on both sides are somewhat in line with nationwide numbers.

On the Democratic side, Clinton took $126.4 million in individual contributions nationally, compared with $95.4 million for Sanders.

Those numbers, though, are a bit misleading.

While Clinton’s campaign has raised big bucks from individuals, she’s also been helped by massive money pouring in through Priorities USA Action, a pro-Clinton Super PAC that has raised more than $50 million in support of the former Secretary of State, according to OpenSecrets. Sanders has raised just $44,968 from outside groups, according to OpenSecrets.

Nationally, outside groups have raised $46,726,605 for Cruz, $13,807,549 for Carson, $34,313,903 for Rubio, $6,729,311 for Kasich and $1,894,509 for Trump, according to OpenSecrets.

Do you want to see who gave to candidates in your community? Here’s how:

1. Go to fec.gov
2. On the top of the left rail, click on “Campaign Finance Disclosure Portal”
3. Still in the left rail, click on “Maps”
4. In the dropdown, click on “Presidential”
5. To go directly to donations by ZIP codes, click on the map of Michigan.
6. This is a map that includes all candidates, how much they got and what areas they got it from.
7. To see contributions by candidate, click on the individual’s name
8. Note: When you hover over the bubbles on the Michigan map, you’ll see ZIP codes presented as the first three numbers and “xx.” Double-click on whatever bubble contains the ZIP code that includes your town. If it’s more than one, you’ll have to hit each separately and combine.