The big campaign-finance story in Vermont’s recent general election was the influence of out-of-state money in the governor’s race. Largely overlooked in expenditure comparisons between Green Mountain Prosperity (funded by the Republican Governors Association) and Green Mountain Future (funded by the Democratic Governors Association) was the Green Mountain of Cash spent on Vermont’s races.

Since 1988, candidates for the state Senate, House of Representatives or county offices who spend or receive $500 or more must file campaign-finance reports with the Vermont secretary of state. This week, Seven Days took a look at the 50 Senate candidates who submitted final finance reports — only Richard Jeroloman, an independent from Burlington, filed a report showing that he rwwaised nothing and spent nothing. We wanted to know: Who were the biggest spenders? Was there a correlation between dollars and votes? Which candidates realized the best “returns on investment”?