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The campaign finance supersite, located at http://www.opensecrets.org/mn offers citizens and the media a comprehensive look at the money in Minnesota politics. This is the first time data for both state and federal elected officials in Minnesota have been gathered in one easy-to-use format.

"This site is designed with Minnesota voters and journalists in mind," said David Mann, co-director of the Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action. "At last people will have an easy way to see where our elected officials got their money and who may be influencing their decisions as they govern."

The Website includes data for currently elected U.S. senators and representatives and Minnesota state senators and representatives, as well as Minnesota state political party units and their legislative caucuses. Data is current through November 23, 1998, for federal elected officials and through October 19, 1998, for state officials, political parties, and caucuses.

Open Secrets Minnesota is a partnership between the Minnesota Alliance for Progressive Action (MAPA) and the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), a non-partisan research group based in Washington, D.C.

"We have long hosted detailed campaign profiles on federal candidates, " said Larry Makinson, the Center's executive director.

"We are excited to add Minnesota to our growing list of partnerships with state organizations like MAPA who complete the picture by providing the updated data on state candidates."

Another key feature of Open Secrets Minnesota is the user-friendly interface, which enables concerned citizens to ask penetrating questions about campaign cash in Minnesota.

The answers don't arrive in long lists of numbers, but rather in bold, multi-colored graphs and neatly summarized data. For example, the "Who Gets?" section features:

-- Summaries of the contributions each elected official received during the most recent election.

-- Rankings of the top sectors, industries, and contributors to each elected official's campaign. The spotlight shifts to political contributors in the "Who Gives?" section.

Most newsworthy is a powerful contributor search that finds donations to federal and state elected officials in Minnesota, as well as the state parties and their legislative caucuses -- a first for Websites about Minnesota politics.

Other information about "Who Gives?" includes:

-- Top overall contributors to elections in Minnesota.

-- Contributions to candidates, parties, and caucuses ranked by sector and industry.

Information on Open Secrets Minnesota is based on disclosure reports filed with the Federal Election Commission and the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. The National Institute of Money in State Politics, http://www.followthemoney.org, provided support in the development of the state database.

The Joyce Foundation and the Piper Fund provide funds for MAPA's Money in Politics Project. MAPA provides research, education and organizing support for campaign reform in Minnesota. The key contact for this project is David Mann who can be reached by e-mail at dmann@mapa-mn.org .

The Center for Responsive Politics, http://www.crp.org , specializes in the study of Congress and particularly in the role that money plays in its elections and actions. The Center's programs are supported by grants from major foundations.