Next column Figures for the 2000 election cycle, of course, are still incomplete, as the dollars continue to roll in at record-breaking levels. The Center's initial industry analysis, completed in September, includes approximately 18 months of this cycle, from January 1999 to June 2000 - though some committees were complete only through the end of March. Peak fund-raising traditionally occurs in September and October of the election year. The Center's new industry analysis also reveals the magnitude of each industry's giving to members of Congress and how much the average member has received. Lobbyists, for example, spread their largesse to 395 of the 435 members of the House of Representatives and 86 Senators.
Labor unions show another interesting contrast in distribution patterns.
This is only the beginning. In the months ahead, the Center will not only update the numbers, we will upgrade the materials available in the industry profiles on the website and in future issues of Capital Eye. New web links will tie industry profiles to legislative activities by the industries. We will also track upcoming legislative priorities in the 107th Congress. The intent behind all these improvements will be to bring more and more of the riches of a decade-plus of research into the patterns of money and politics to the surface for all to see.