Big donors fuel campaign fundraising surge

[Joanne98]

Source: The Columbus Dispatch

There's the guy who became a billionaire selling dog food, a couple of sports-team owners and the developer of an international spy museum.

That's not to mention the convicted felon, the business leader who was the main financier of Bob Ney's defense fund before the former Heath congressman went to federal prison, or the cowboy-hat-wearing industrialist who supports a mysterious out-of-state entity now delinquent in paying a record $5.2 million election fine in Ohio.

They are among an esoteric baker's dozen of individuals and families who have led the way in bankrolling Ohio political campaigns during the past decade. Together, those 13 deep-pocketed donors poured more than $25 million into state races since 2000.

Despite limits placed on campaign contributions in the mid-1990s, Ohioans just witnessed the most expensive gubernatorial campaign in state history. In fact, every statewide nonjudicial race this year broke spending records, some of which had stood for 20 years.



Read more: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/12/19/big-donors-fuel-campaign-fundraising-surge.html?sid=101

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[madokie]

2. Our government is bought and paid for

big bidness owns our government lock stock and barrel

[primavera]

3. ... and all with the official stamp of approval of the Supreme Court

It simply boggles the mind.

[LawnKorn]

4. A few big donors result in a few big legislative favors

When the deep pocket donors buy the politicians from both parties, they call in the debt on a few special issues. These legislative favors are not to the benefit of the rank and file citizen, but rather to the exclusive benefit of the high dollar donors.