An analysis of federal political giving in Pacific County for 2023 shows that peninsula residents were much more liable to open up their pocketbooks than those living elsewhere in the county.

About 520 county residents combined to donate just over $178,000 to a wide variety of political causes last year, according to data that is maintained by the Federal Election Commission. Some 75% of all dollars wound up coming from people living on the Long Beach Peninsula, ranging from Ilwaco to Oysterville.

Those on the peninsula out-raised the rest of the county combined at a three-to-one rate, donating more than $134,000 compared to not quite $44,000 total for those in Raymond, South Bend and other unincorporated communities in north and south county. At more than $75,000 alone, the Ocean Park zip code proved to be the single largest source of giving in Pacific County.

Recipients of locals’ contributions included the campaigns of presidential, House and Senate candidates and their aligned committees, top party organs such as the Democratic National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee, and a whole host of PACs devoted to pet issues and causes. In all, locals made just shy of 7,500 individual donations in 2023 — or more than 20 donations per day, on average.

About $92,000 was given to Republican-aligned candidates and causes by nearly 170 unique donors, while $76,000 was donated to Democratic-aligned candidates and causes from about 340 donors. Another $10,000 from 16 donors went toward third-party candidates and political committees that don’t strongly favor one party.

Republican donations in 2023 were fueled by the party’s presidential primary, with nearly $57,000, or 62%, going to a handful of presidential candidates including former President Donald Trump, former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, among several others.

In contrast, only 9% of all donations from Pacific County residents that were made to Democrats last year, just shy of $7,000, went toward candidates in the party’s presidential primary, with recipients including President Joe Biden and self-help author Marianne Williamson. The bulk of the funds went toward individual congressional campaigns and committees dedicated to supporting the party’s efforts to win a majority in Congress.

In all, local donors favoring Republicans gave an average of $549 to the candidates and causes of their choosing last year, while those favoring Democrats gave an average of $222. The average individual contribution to Republicans was $27, and the average contribution to Democrats was $19.