The Center for Public Integrity

Total contributions to super PACs: $2.6 million*

• $2.1 million to Red, White and Blue Fund (pro-Rick Santorum)
• $100,000 to Restore Our Future (pro-Mitt Romney)
• $100,000 to FreedomWorks for America (pro-conservative)
• $50,000 to Leaders for Families (pro-Rick Santorum)
• $50,000 to Freedom PAC (pro-Connie Mack; pro-Allen West)
• $35,000 to USA Super PAC (pro-Richard Mourdock)
• $26,700 to JAN PAC (pro-Republican)
• $25,000 to Friends of the Majority (pro-Ben Quayle)
• $10,000 to the Madison Action Fund (pro-Mitt Romney)
• $10,000 to Fight for the Dream (pro-Tom Smith)
• $10,000 to Safe Nation PAC (pro-Charlie Summers)
• $10,000 to Arizonans for Jobs (pro-Jeff Flake)
• $10,000 to Freedom Born Fund (pro-Dean Heller; pro-Mitt Romney)
• $10,000 to Independence Virginia PAC (pro-George Allen)
• $10,000 to Club for Growth Action (pro-conservative)
• $5,000 to Fund for Freedom (pro-Linda Lingle)

Notable federal hard money and 527 contributions:

• $16,934 to the Republican National Committee (2011)
• $5,000 to the Senate Conservatives Fund (2011)
• $2,500 to Rick Santorum's presidential campaign (2011)
• $2,500 to Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign (2011)
• $1,000 to Mitt Romney presidential campaign (2011)

Corporate name: Friess Associates, LLC

Ranking: 25

Total contributions to super PACs: $4.1 million*

• $2.5 million to American Crossroads (pro-Republican)
• $1.5 million to Restore Our Future (pro-Mitt Romney)
• $100,000 to Our Destiny (pro-Jon Huntsman)

Notable federal hard money and 527 contributions:

• $4 million to Progress for America Voter Fund (links to Bush administration) (2004-2006)
• $10,000 to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (2011)

Notable state-level contributions:

• $5.4 million to the California Republican Party
• Nearly $600,000 to candidates including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D) and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (R), according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics

Corporate name: Chartwell Partners, LLC

Corporate subsidiaries: Chartwell Investment Partners

Total spent on federal lobbying (2007-2012): $0

Lobbying issues: N/A

Family: Wife Margaret, three children

Biography:

Ranking: 13

Total contributions to super PACs: $7.4 million*

• $7.2 million to Workers’ Voice (pro-Democratic), formerly known as AFL-CIO Workers’ Voices PAC
• $100,000 to Patriot Majority PAC (pro-Democratic)
• $62,500 to House Majority PAC (pro-Democratic)
• $15,000 to Stronger Together (pro-Democratic)
• $10,000 to Connecticut's Future PAC (pro-Chris Murphy)
• $5,000 to Protecting America's Retirees (union-aligned)
• $3,700 to UTE PAC (pro-Democratic)
• $2,500 to NJ Workers' Voices (pro-Democratic)
• $750 to We Vote - Nosotros Votamos - PPAMM Committee (pro-Democratic)

Notable federal hard money and 527 contributions:

• More than $1.2 million in PAC donations to Democratic and Republican candidates during the 2007-2008 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics

Total spent on federal lobbying (2007-2012): $26 million

Lobbying issues: Higher education, defense, finance, health care, collective bargaining rights

Background:

Total contributions to super PACs: $2.5 million*

• $2.25 million to the Red, White and Blue Fund (pro-Rick Santorum)
• $245,000 to Patriot Voices PAC (pro-conservative)
• $25,000 to Majority PAC (pro-Democratic)
• $25,000 to Louisiana Prosperity Fund (pro-Charles Boustany)

Federal hard money and 527 contributions**:

Not including his super PAC contributions, Doré, along with his wife, has donated nearly $400,000 to federal candidates, party committees, business PACs and other political committees that report to the IRS since the 1990 election cycle, including:

• $100,000 earlier this year to a 527 committee called Believe in Louisiana that supports Louisiana GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal’s education reform efforts
• $75,000 to the Republican Governors Association, including $25,000 from Doré Energy (2010)
• $53,500 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (between 2004 and 2008)
• $26,400 to Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La. (between 2004 and 2011)
• $25,000 to the “2001 President’s Dinner Committee,” a “soft money” account that benefited the National Republican Senatorial Committee and National Republican Congressional Committee

Corporate name: Doré Energy Corp.; former president, CEO and chairman of the board of Global Industries, Ltd.

Total spent on federal lobbying (2007-2012): $0

Lobbying issues: N/A

Family: Wife Kay, and four children.

Biography:

William “Bill” Doré has more than 30 years of experience in the diving and marine construction industry.

Contrary to expectations, the much-criticized court decisions that gave us “super PACs” have not led to a tsunami of contributions flowing from the treasuries of Fortune 500 corporations — at least not yet anyway.

What the Citizens United decision and a lower court ruling have done is make household names out of a bunch of relatively unknown, very wealthy conservatives. Of the top 10 donors to super PACs so far in the 2012 election cycle, seven are individuals — not corporations — and four of those individuals are billionaires.

The top 10 contributors gave more than a third, or $68 million of the nearly $202 million reported by the outside spending groups this election, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of Federal Election Commission records.

Rounding out the top 10 are two labor unions and a physicians’ medical malpractice insurance group.

The top donor list is mostly Republican, which is not surprising given the competitive GOP presidential primary season. Even so, Democrats have had less success in raising money for super PACs so far.

In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court and a lower court set the stage for the new super PACs.

Such organizations can accept unlimited contributions from corporations, unions and individuals to spend on advertising supporting or opposing a candidate, but are not permitted to coordinate their spending with campaigns, though many employ former campaign operatives.