I wrote a little while back [0] about Public Citizen's database tracking special interest cash flowing into politician's campaign coffers - that database [1] has been updated and now tracks officials in all 50 states. Click on your state to find out how much special interest money your congressmen and women are taking. 

A summary of the major findings compiled in the database is available here (pdf format) [2] including the members of Congress receiving the most amount of money, where money from lobbyists is going, and how much money political action committees (PACs) are shifting around.

Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook issued the following statement to accompany the report: “The utter dependence of many of the most powerful members of Congress on corporate and lobbyist money shows that the campaign system is in need of a major overhaul. The best way to return Congress to the people who elected it is to secure public funding of campaigns. After special interest graft is cut from the system, the country will actually save money. With earmarks and paybacks from the Treasury to lobbyist clients cut back, members of Congress will be able to shift their attention from the money race to fixing the real problems plaguing every day Americans.”

Public Citizen is a co-sponsor of the Voters First Pledge to make the promise of public financing a reality for Congress.  Have the candidates for office in your state signed - get their contact info on our website [3] and give them a call to ask them to sign.