The Center for Public Integrity

Who has funded the ascent of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi? A prominent trial lawyer, his graphic-designer wife, a healing-touch practitioner whose grandfather founded IBM, a land developer, and a savings and loan magnate comprise the top five individual donors throughout Pelosi’s career, while eight labor unions, the National Association of Realtors, and JPMorgan Chase lead all political action committee contributors to the California Democrat.

The rankings emerged from the Center for Public Integrity’s examination of CQ MoneyLine data on Pelosi’s contribution records for both campaign accounts and leadership PACs, stretching back to her initial federal race in 1987. The Center’s probe of Pelosi’s finances marks the fourth in a series of pieces on top donors to congressional leaders.

When Pelosi won a June 1987 special election to represent California’s Fifth (now Eighth) Congressional District, her campaign cost about $1 million. The daughter and sister of former Baltimore mayors only narrowly won her primary (35 percent to 31 percent) but easily won the general election with roughly 63 percent of the vote. In 11 elections since, her San Francisco-based district re-elected her with at least 70 percent every time. With little electoral opposition, Pelosi didn’t ramp up her fundraising again until 1999, when she began a campaign for Congressional leadership and established PAC to the Future, a leadership political action committee. It distributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to her Democratic colleagues, and they elected her Democratic whip in 2001, minority leader in 2002, and the first female speaker of the House in 2007.

Long before Congressman John Boehner of Ohio rose to his current position as House Republican Leader, he created the “Thursday Group” — a weekly discussion around a U.S. Capitol conference room table with conservative and business lobbyists, including representatives of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other influential trade associations. In Washington, those sorts of relationships often pay dividends. So perhaps it’s no surprise that Boehner’s top career donors include a lobbyist-turned-tobacco executive, two former CEOs of an insurance company, the head of a coal company, and a former telecommunications lobbyist, as well as corporate political action committees for two tobacco behemoths, two shipping companies, and four financial services firms and associations.

Those are the results of the Center for Public Integrity’s review of CQ Moneyline information on Boehner’s contribution history for both campaign accounts and leadership PACs, dating back to his first federal race two decades ago. The Center’s probe of Boehner’s finances marks the third in a series of pieces on top donors to Congressional leaders.

Boehner, 60, whose district is in southwestern Ohio, began his career working in the packaging and plastics industry. After two years on the Union Township Board of Trustees and six in the Ohio House of Representatives, Boehner made his first bid for federal office in 1990. Though he raised and spent less than $750,000, he defeated the scandal-plagued incumbent Republican in a primary and easily won the Ohio’s 8th Congressional District seat in the general election. He has won more than 60 percent of the vote in his heavily Republican district in every election since.

Tobacco and whiskey have helped build Mitch McConnell’s political career. Tobacco giants Altria Group Inc. and Reynolds American Inc. are two of Mitch McConnell’s top five career campaign PAC contributors. And three of the Senate Republican leader’s top five individual donors have ties to the Kentucky-based maker of Jack Daniel’s whiskey.

Those are among the results of the Center for Public Integrity’s review of CQ MoneyLine information on McConnell’s contribution history for both campaign accounts and leadership PACs, dating back to before his first Senate campaign in 1984. The Center’s probe of McConnell’s finances marks the second in a series of pieces on top donors to Congressional leaders.

Addison Mitchell “Mitch” McConnell, 68, a former Congressional aide and Department of Justice staffer, was elected Jefferson County, Kentucky judge-executive in 1977 and again in 1981. In 1984, McConnell narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Walter Huddleston to win a U.S. Senate seat by just a few thousand votes. McConnell won in 1990, 1996, and 2008 by narrow margins, garnering at most 55 percent of the vote; his 2002 victory was far more comfortable. Those close races required a lot of money, and McConnell has risen to the challenge, amassing more than $47 million for his campaign committees over his career. In 1989 he established the Bluegrass Committee, a leadershipPAC through which he began distributing contributions to fellow Senate Republicans and potential candidates. The PAC has distributed money to 36 of McConnell’s 40 current GOP colleagues. It’s paid off — in 2003, McConnell became the Senate Republican Whip and in 2007, his party made him Senate Minority Leader.