Clean Elections candidates raised proportionately more small contributions from zip codes with five percent or more of female-headed households than privately funded candidates from big donors. This relationship was reversed in areas with low percentages of female-headed households.

The pattern was most dramatic at the extremes. In neighborhoods where three percent or less of the households were headed by women, privately funded candidates raised more than 2.2 times as much cash, proportionately, than Clean Elections candidates did. In contrast, in zip codes where the concentration of female-headed households was seven percent or higher, the scenario was almost exactly reversed. Clean Elections candidates raised more than 2.3 times as much, proportionately, from these zip codes as privately funded candidates did.

A close look at the 2006 campaigns shows that all of the Clean Elections candidates raised proportionately more from zip codes where female-headed households were seven percent or higher. Napolitano raised 26 percent of her Clean Elections contributions from such neighborhoods; Goldwater, 23.4 percent; and Munsil, 21.1 percent. In contrast, the two U.S. Senate candidates raised under 14 percent of their contributions from such zip codes.

Sen. Kyl raised 39.5 percent of his contributions from neighborhoods in which female-headed households were lowest, three percent or less, and Pederson, 27.6 percent. All of the Clean Elections candidates raised 21 percent or less of their contributions from these zip codes.

Households with young families

Neighborhoods where 35 percent or more of the households have children under age 18 were the source of proportionately more small contributions to Clean Elections candidates than they were for big contributions to privately funded candidates—30 percent versus 21.8 percent.

Both Clean Elections and privately funded candidates raised most of their cash, however, from zip codes where about one-fourth to one-third of households have children—62.2 percent for Clean Elections candidates and 71 percent for privately funded candidates.

When looking at the 2006 campaigns studied, all the Clean Elections candidates raised more proportionately from zip codes where 35 percent or more of the households have children under 18 than did privately funded candidates. Munsil collected 39.2 percent of his contributions from these zip codes; Napolitano, 33.5 percent; and Goldwater, 35.1 percent. In contrast, the two privately funded candidates raised proportionately less from these zip codes—for Sen. Kyl, 20.1 percent, for Pederson, 20.7 percent.