Follow the money. That's what Deep Throat told Bob Woodward during Watergate. Or at least, that's what Hal Holbrook told Robert Redford in the Hollywood version.

People have been repeating the admonition ever since. And the National Institute on Money in State Politics has borrowed it as the name for its new Web site, which allows the public to check out the campaign contributions in most states from the 2008 elections.

By clicking on Washington's numbers, one can find that Democrats far outpaced Republicans in the biennial money grab, about $404 million to about $28.5 million. That Chris Gregoire and Dino Rossi nearly achieved parity, $11.8 million to $11.6 million respectively. That Spokane Sen. Lisa Brown raised more money than any other Senate candidate, $393,000, even though she was running against an independent, unknown novice candidate. And so on.

Idaho numbers are up, too. The Gem State didn't have the statewide races or ballot issues that help drive the dollar figures, but the legislative numbers are there for the looking.

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