2014 saw unprecedented spike in New Jersey Senate campaign donations but where did all the cash go?

Democracy, elections and voting at Democracy Chronicles

WASHINGTON— By most accounts, pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. and cable titan Comcast Corp. seemed firmly in Cory Booker’s corner as both their political action committees supported his first run for U.S. Senate last year. But a review by NJ Advance Media reveals that these and other major New Jersey companies also contributed.

TRENTON — Even though a U.S. Senate race featuring a celebrity politician was at the top of the ticket, voter turnout in New Jersey last month was the lowest in state history for a regularly scheduled federal election. Only 36 percent of registered voters turned up at the polls in this year’s midterm elections.