A lot of money is at play in politics — but who do your elected officials really represent? Fundraising occupies a huge portion of politicians' time, and lobbyists pay huge sums to be in the same room as policymakers. What does that money buy? And what is your role in the political economy?
Al Jazeera spoke to Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., and Sunlight Foundation managing editor Kathy Kiely to find out.
More Al Jazeera stories about the midterm elections can be found here.
Notes: Data on U.S. representatives, senators, their respective campaign spending and fundraisers are from the Sunlight Foundation's Congress, Influence Explorer and Political Party Time databases and the Center for Responsive Politics. Campaign spending reflects a politician's most recent campaign cycle and includes expenditures for advertisements, event planning and operating costs. Fundraising data is updated once a day at 7:15 a.m. ET.
For information on how we made the video, read our blogpost.
Reporting by Lam Thuy Vo, Joe Posner and Susan McGregor
Production by Joanna S. Kao, Susan McGregor and Lam Thuy Vo
Music by Podington Bear