[wvns] Election Watch: Who's Getting AIPAC Dollars?
TOP TEN 2006 AND CAREER RECIPIENTS OF PRO-ISRAEL PAC FUNDS
Janet McMahon
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs
http://www.wrmea.com/archives/July_2007/0707018.html
[NOTE: Where did AIPAC get all those dollars? Our tax money. -WVNS]
Election Watch
Pro-Israel PACs: 2006 Winners, Losers and Other Curiosities
Top Ten 2006 and Career Recipients of
Pro-Israel PAC Funds
Compiled by Janet McMahon
House: 2006 Cycle Senate: 2006 Cycle
Kirk, Mark (R-IL) 76,564 Lieberman, Joseph (D-CT) 127,093
Ellsworth, Brad (D-IN) 48,750 Nelson, Bill (R-FL) 89,861
Hoyer, Steny (D-MD) 44,500 Kyl, Jon (R-AZ) 87,000
Cantor, Eric (R-VA) 43,000 Stabenow, Debbie (D-MI) 85,796
Berkley, Shelley (D-NV) 39,250 Menendez, Robert (D-N) 84,835
Hastert, J. Dennis (R-IL) 38,700 Santorum, Rick (R-PA) 75,500
Engel, Eliot (D-NY) 38,000 DeWine, Mike (R-OH) 74,000
Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana (R-FL) 36,500 Whitehouse, Sheldon II (D-RI)
72,000
Pryce, Deborah (R-OH) 30,000 Talent, James (R-MO) 69,510
Edwards, Chet (D-TX) 28,600 Cardin, Benjamin L. (D-MD) 66,565
House: Career Senate: Career
Berkley, Shelley (D-NV) 246,205 *Levin, Carl (D-MI) 658,887
Frost, Martin (D-TX) 190,014 *Harkin, Tom (D-IA) 520,950
Engel, Eliot (D-NY) 179,918 Specter, Arlen (R-PA) 489,973
Obey, David (D-WI) 152,100 *Lautenberg, Frank (D-NJ) 434,078
Hoyer, Steny (D-MD) 136,775 *McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) 377,185
Kirk, Mark (R-IL) 129,882 Lieberman, Joseph (D-CT) 363,851
Cantor, Eric (R-VA) 128,730 *Durbin, Richard (D-IL) 330,421
Levin, Sander (D-MI) 122,227 *Baucus, Max (D-MT) 327,648
Lantos, Tom (D-CA) 121,250 Reid, Harry (D-NV) 320,301
Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana (R-FL) 120,990 Wyden, Ronald (D-OR) 277,562
In any given election year, the months between the end of July and
election day represent a political action committee's (PAC) final
opportunity to fill in the gaps, correct oversights, respond to
late-breaking developments, and in general get one's ducks in a row.
So year-end PAC reports to the Federal Election Commission can make
for interesting reading.
The months leading up to Nov. 2, 2006 saw a dark horse emerge in
Minnesota's 5th congressional district. Seemingly out of nowhere, one
Ember Reichgott Junge suddenly was receiving contributions from a
baker's dozen of pro-Israel PACs, to the tune of $29,500—not too
shabby for a House race. Indeed, the former state senator and
broadcast commentator was the only candidate for this open seat to be
deemed worthy of these PACs' support. (Pro-Israel PACs often hedge
their bets in races where there's no incumbent.)
It took only a quick visit to <www.opensecrets.org>, the excellent Web
site of the Center for Responsive Politics, to determine the impetus
behind this last-minute largesse. Reichgott Junge was running
against—and lost to—one Keith Ellison, who became the first Muslim
American elected to the House of Representatives. To add insult to
injury, despite having raised a total of $676,477 (from all sources)
to Ellison's $795,047—far outdistancing the other candidates—Reichgott
Junge came in third in the Sept. 12 Democratic primary. Pro-Israel
PACs took their money and went home, and Ellison went on to easily win
the general election.
Playing Catch-Up
Elsewhere, pro-Israel PACs were actively playing catch-up. It's no
surprise that newly Independent (from the Democrats, anyway, if not
from AIPAC) Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut was the beneficiary of
the most last-minute contributions from pro-Israel PACs, raking in an
additional $65,093 for his race to retain his seat. Not too far
behind, as predicted by National PAC chairman Mark Vogel (see November
2006 Washington Report, p. 32), was Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon
Whitehouse II, who received an additional $47,000 for his successful
bid to unseat Republican incumbent Sen. Lincoln Chafee. Re-elected
incumbent Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) received $37,724 in the
campaign's final months, for a total of $84,835.
In Ohio, it became apparent that AIPAC favorite Sen. Mike DeWine, the
Republican incumbent, would not succeed in staving off a challenge
from anti-Iraq war Rep. Sherrod Brown. Nevertheless, pro-Israel PACs
contributed an additional $22,000 to DeWine, for a top 10 total of
$74,000. Conscientiously hedging their bets, however, they also
contributed $23,500 to Brown, for a 2006 total of $33,000.
Other recipients of generous last-minute contributions from pro-Israel
PACs included Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH), $27,500; Sen. Debbie Stabenow
(D-MI), $24,889; and former House Speaker Dennis J. Hastert (R-IL),
$22,500.
Rep. Steny Hoyer: A Case Study
After years of doggedly trying to climb the ladder of House
leadership, Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) finally has made it to the top
rungs. Despite his 2001 loss to Rep. Nancy Pelosi in a hard-fought
race for House minority leader, Hoyer, like the Energizer Bunny, just
kept going and going. Today he is House majority leader, despite
Pelosi's stated preference for Rep. John Murtha (D-PA). Like Pelosi,
Murtha strongly opposes the Iraq war—Hoyer, not so much.
Coincidentally, for his 2006 re-election campaign Murtha received no
pro-Israel PAC contributions—compared to $44,500 for Hoyer.
It was not always thus. Over the previous decade, pro-Israel PAC
donations to Hoyer were in the lowly four figures, averaging slightly
over $3,500. Once it appeared that his persistance was about to pay
off, however, pro-Israel PACs opened their pockets wide, contributing
$37,500 to Hoyer during the 2004 election cycle. And, while it does
not contribute directly to candidates, AIPAC may well have weighed in
when Pelosi backed Murtha as her deputy. After all, what are friends for?
Janet McMahon is managing editor of the Washington Report on Middle
East Affairs.
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