"I'm dumbfounded, astonished, that some (legislators) don't ask (individuals and constituents) to participate financially," she said. McGee adds that such one-sided campaign financing "should be a concern to anyone" who worries about a broad-based, strong democracy.

Among those at the other end of the spectrum was Mansell, one of the 19 who received all their money from special interests. (Of note, the number in the "100 percent club" is up this year. For example, only three legislators in 1996 were "100 percenters," and only eight were as recently as two years ago.)

Mansell says legislators do not sell out voters to obtain that special-interest money.

"If you compare the results and influence of the interests of the business groups and others to the needs of good public policy, they (special interests) don't always win — and good public policy usually wins," Mansell said.

The money that comes from constituents instead of special-interest groups is not necessarily better and less tainted, he added. "Anyone who donates to a legislator is a special interest. They may not be part of a group, but they are giving for a reason," he said.

'Interested money'

A small group of special interests provide a disproportionately large share of money to Utah legislators.

In fact, the dozen largest donors provide 25 percent of all money raised. The top 50 provide half. The top 150 provide 70 percent.

That means legislators are heavily dependent financially on those small groups, which provide much more than the other millions of Utahns combined.

Edwin Bender, executive director of the Institute on Money in State Politics, said Utah legislators' heavy dependence on special-interest money mirrors what his group sees in other studies nationwide.

"A fraction of 1 percent of the residents of any state donate any money at all" to politics, and most money usually comes from just a small group of them, he says. "It tends to be what we call 'interested money' — money from associations, lobbyists, from people who will be pursuing an agenda and use their money as a calling card."

The largest donor among Utah special interests is the Utah Association of Realtors, which gave $129,750. That by itself is 5 percent — or $1 of every $20 — raised by legislators in their most recent races. (Please see accompanying story.)

Association CEO Chris Kyler says Realtors have not lost a major fight in the Legislature.

Some of the other largest donors are involved in annual fights before the Legislature — sometimes on opposite sides. (See accompanying largest donors chart.)

For example, Zions Bank and the Utah Bankers Association are the third- and fourth-largest donors. Their nemesis on many financial battles — the Utah League of Credit Unions — is the 10th largest.