Who is Powerful and Why?
CT, MA, NJ, NY
Michal Adut & Tess Wendel
Top Contributors Connecticut (2006)
Top 5 Industries





Lawyers & Lobbyists
Party Committees
Real Estate
Candidate Self-finance
Securities & Investment
Unions
Business
Parties and Candidates
Civil Servants/Public Officials/Retirees
Top Contributors Massachusetts (2004)
Top 5 Industries





Lawyers & Lobbyists
Party Committees
Candidate Self-Finance
Real Estate
Candidate Self Finance
Unions
Business
Parties and Candidates
Civil Servants/Public Officials
Top Contributors New Jersey (2007)
Top 5 Industries





Party Committees
Candidate Committees
General Trade Unions
Lawyers & Lobbyists
Public Subsidy
Unions
Business
Parties and Candidates
Civil Servants/Public Officials
Public Subsidy
Top Contributors New York (2006)
Top 5 Industries
Candidate
Committees
Real Estate
Party Committees
Public Sector Unions
Lawyers & Lobbyists
Unions
Business
Parties and Candidates
Civil Servants/Public Officials/Retirees
Who’s Got Clout?
Percent Contribution Per Industry
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Unions
Business
CT
Parties and
C andidates
MA
NJ
NY
C ivil Servants/Public
Off.
Ballot Initiative: Question 1

Allows Grocery Stores to Sell Wine

Why a ballot?

Failure of Prior legislative initiatives
2006 Election v. Other Election Years
% of Total Contributions in 2006
30
24.3%
25
20
15
10
6.6%
5.7%
5
4.8%
4.8%
Lawyers &
Lobbyists
Beer, Wine
& Liquor
0
Candidate
Food
Party
Self-finance Processing & Committees
Sales
2000
2002
2004
30
30
30
25
25
20
20
20
15
15
15
10
23.4%
25
10
6.6%
5.9%
6.5%
4.6%
5
3.0%
5
10
10.0%
5.2%
2.4%
2.3%
2.2%
5
Retired
0
4.0%
3.9%
Real Estate
C andidate Self
Finance
3.4%
3.1%
Trade Unions
C ivil
Servants/Public
Off.
0
0
Lawyers
Party
C ommittees
C andidate
Self Finance
Real Estate
C andidate
C ommittees
Candidate
Self
Finance
Law yers
Public
Subsidy
Real
Estate
Lawyers
Supporters
Stop and Shop
 Shaw’s,
 Hannaford
 Whole Foods
 and others


Spent a total of $7,809,485
Image Source:http://saharamart.com/grocery.php
Opposition
Massachusetts Package Stores Association
 Beer Distributors of Massachusetts
 Spent a total of $5,580,633
 Outsider dimension: “Bill is more than just
convenience, there will be a social and
public safety cost”

Image Source: http://www.bu.edu/phpbin/news-cms/news/?dept=1368&id=41565
Results
Massachusetts voter reject ballot initiative
despite early polls showing strong support
 Most expensive ballot question campaign
in state history

Works Cited





USA Today “Massachusetts voters reject ballot initiative on
wine in grocery stores”
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2006/
MA/2006-11-07-ballot-initiatives_x.htm
Follow the Money. “Ballot Measures”
http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/stat
e_ballot_measures.phtml?s=MA&y=2006
Boston.com “Grocers spend big in bid to sell wine Stop &
Shop leads the way in fight with package stores, liquor
firms to woo voters”
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2006/09/12/groc
ers_spend_big_in_bid_to_sell_wine/
Lyke to Drink. “Politics and Wine in Massachusetts”
http://lyke2drink.blogspot.com/2006/10/politics-and-winein-massachusetts_18.html
http://www.FollowtheMoney.org