10 THINGS EVERY VOTER SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MONEY-IN-POLITICS.

As surely as water flows downhill, money in politics flows to where the power is. Individuals and interest groups will give campaign contributions to politicians in the best position to deliver what they're looking for. That means incumbents get vastly more than challengers, committee chairmen and legislative leaders get more than rank-and-file members, and parties in power get more than parties in the minority.

Polls show that voters, in general, don't like Congress. But even in the tumultuous 2010 elections, most incumbents who sought re-election were successful. It may not surprise you, then, that major donors give the great majority of their campaign dollars to incumbents. It's usually a very safe bet to make.

Campaigns with money can reach voters -- with commercials, flyers, mailings -- more often and often more effectively. Candidates with minimal cash have a hard time just getting voters to recognize their name.

Every politician loves to talk about all the "small" donations they've received, But the money that really pays for elections comes from big donors, not little ones.

If you've never given money to a politician in your life, join the club. Polls have shown that less than 10% of Americans have ever given a contribution to candidates for any office, at any level. And if you look at contributions big enough to be reported to the Federal Election Commission -- those exceeding $200 -- the number of Americans contributing in a typical election year is infinitesimal. Even in the presidential election year of 2008, which saw more people giving than ever before, barely more than one-half of one percent gave more than $200 to a federal candidate, political action committee or party.

So where do candidates turn when they're trying to raise the money to run? Four main sources: political action committees (PACs), large individual donors, small donors, and the candidate's personal fortune. The mix between these sources varies with the office. This chart shows the breakdown for congressional candidates from the 2010 elections.

There are hundreds of interest groups

There are literally hundreds of different special interest groups seeking to promote their agendas by way of the wallet -- from Big Oil to Big Labor, pharmaceutical companies to cable TV operators, and a full spectrum of ideological groups from the Sierra Club to the National Rifle Association. The money they deliver to politicians, year after year, is what pays the biggest part of the bill for American elections.

The most generous contributions each year have always come from the financial sector, which includes such powerhouses as the insurance industry, banks, investment firms and real estate. If anyone understands the power of long-term investments, this group does. Whether the issue is health care reform, banking regulation (and bailouts), or oversight of Wall Street, the financial sector speaks with the loudest voice in Washington -- both in campaign contributions and in lobbying.

Over the years their money has been split fairly evenly between Democrats and Republicans, with the biggest share generally tipping to the party that's currently in control of Congress.

Of the nine other business sectors, the only ones giving a majority of their dollars to Democrats have been Lawyers & Lobbyists (71% to Democrats) and Communications & Electronics (59% to Democrats). All the others give more to Republicans, but different patterns prevail in different industries. Some, like timber companies, mining firms and the oil & gas industry, have always been heavily Republican, no matter who's in power. Others shift their dollars with the prevailing winds in Washington, giving very generously to Republicans when they're in control of Congress and somewhat less generously to Democrats when they're in power.

Even within sectors, there is sometimes wide variance. Hollywood money has always been very Democratic, but cable operators and TV stations that air Hollywood's movies have generally preferred Republicans. The point here is that "business" giving is not monolithic, even if business groups in general prefer Republicans.

Labor unions do tend to be much more partisan, sticking with Democrats through thick and thin. But even among unions there are variations -- with transportation unions like the Teamsters and sea transport unions giving much more generously to Republicans than their counterparts in other unions.