Global Investment Watch

As part of my job writing for Global Investment Watch and researching for my company – JMR Portfolio Intelligence – I find the need to research political contributions made by individuals and companies. At the federal level, the first place I go is to OpenSecrets.org.

This site, created by the people at the Center for Responsive Politics, is the tool for doing political research. Whether you are trying to figure out how much one of the failing banks is spending on Capitol Hill or just trying to see if crazy Uncle Beamus has given money to Ross Perot, the OpenSecrets website is the place to start.

The staff at the CRP recently published an interesting post on their blog, Capital Eye titled
“Following the money in the Wall Street shakeout? Start here.” While it lays out tips for researching Wall Street companies in the news, it’s practical tips have universal applicability. The site has a terrific database for searching for political contributions. Users can search for information on candidates, donors, industries PACs and a number of other criteria. In addition, the site has a number of useful resources and reports that can give researchers a jump start on their political research. Some specialized features include:

• • • 2008 Presidential Race
    • Industry Profiles
    • Members of Congress
    • Lobbying
    • Congressional Races
    • 527 Committees
    • PACs

In addition, their blog, “The Capital Eye” has regular updates on all things political money-wise. This is a site well worth adding to your research toolbox.

What I find most useful is their Donor Lookup database. Once on the search page, you can search by the last name of the donor or the name of the recipient. You can also filter the data by election cycle, going back to 1998. Using these filters is critical since your searches often produce piles of data that you then need to sort through.

The CRP is very gracious about sharing their data. Their primary ask is that users simply give them recognition as the source of data taken from the site. For skilled programmers and data junkies, they provide API keys, which enable adept users to select data from the OpenSecrets website and import it directly into their own sites.

Political data is critical for understanding the goings on by businesses in America and around the world. OpenSecrets.org is an important tool for gaining a solid perspective on that data.