Sources of candidates’ war chests often prove hard to track

The Clarion-Ledger, 2/12/8

Republican Mike Chaney said he spent around $1 million to win the Mississippi insurance commissioner’s race in 2007.

“It’s obscene to spend that much money on an election for a job that pays less than $100,000 a year,” Chaney said, “and you try to be impartial and you know much of the money comes from the business side.”

It’s not always easy to find out where candidates get their campaign money. Even they have difficulty tracking the funds.

Chaney estimates almost half his money came from the Republican Party. The party reports its contributions, distributing the funds among candidates. It is impossible to say whose donations went to whom.