National Legal and Policy Center
Organized Labor Accountability Project
The Top 20 from the Top 20 of 1998
www.nlpc.org
ANALYSIS
Top 20 House Recipients
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Power Begets Power. Top Democratic party leaders, Minority
Leader Richard Gephardt (MO-3), Minority Whip David Bonior (MI-10) and
DCCC Chairman Martin Frost (TX-24) were rewarded with large amounts of
contributions.
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Special Election Candidates Double Their Pleasure. Candidates
who are on this November's ballot and won special elections during this
cycle topped the House list. Rep. Lois Capps (CA-22) led all recipients
with $222,900 from the Top 20 Union PACs. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (TX-28)
came in second with $186,000.
Top 20 Senate Recipients
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Vulnerable Incumbents Mostly Freshmen. While most of the vulnerable
Senators are fromthe Freshman class of 1992, Sen. Harry Reid (NV) led all
Senate recipients, which leads to the conclusion that he is in serious
trouble.
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Power Begets Power. Top Democratic party leaders, Minority
Leader Tom Daschle (SD) and former DNC Chairman Christopher Dodd (CT) were
rewarded with large amounts of contributions.
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Competitive Primaries Limit Inflows. Two highly competitive and
late primary and run-off battles, Blanche Lambert Lincoln (AR) and Charles
Schumer (NY), limited the eventual winner's contributions from the Top
20 Union PACs. The PACs either gave to the challengers’ opponents
or held off contributing to anyone until the nominee was selected.
Thus the reason Lincoln came in at #20 and Schumer did not make the Top
20 list.
Top 20 House Incumbent Recipients
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Expanded View. This list was added to give a bigger picture
of who is receiving the Top Union PAC money. Six additional recipients
made this list who did not make the overall Top House Recipient list.
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Vulnerable Incumbents Mostly Freshmen. While most of the vulnerable
incumbents are from the Freshman class of 1996, Rep.
Neil Abercrombie (HI-1) and Rep. Lane Evans (IL-17) came in at #5 and #6,
respectively, which leads to the conclusion that these two long-time incumbents
are in serious trouble.
Top 20 House Challengers Recipients
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Expanded View. This list was added to give a bigger picture
of who is receiving the Top 20 Union PAC money. Fourteen additional
recipients made this list who did not make the overall Top House Recipient
list.
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Opens Seat and Vulnerable Opponents Provide Equal Opportunity.
Ten of the Top 20 challengers are running for open seats and ten are challenging
incumbent opponents indicating both types of campaigns look attractive
to the Top 20 Union PACs.
Top 20 Republican Recipients
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Unions Favor Democrats. No surprise here. Not one Republican
made it on to any of the Top 20 lists for the House. Only Sen. Arlen
Specter (PA) was able to eke out a 19th place finish on the Top 20 Senate
list. Thus the inclusion of a separate Top 20 Republican list.
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Unions PACs Disagree on IL-13. Republican Judy Biggert won
a hotly contest primary with the help of the NEA’s PAC
which contributed over $50,000 in independent expenditures. However,
most of the Top 20 Union PACs have backed Biggert’s opponent, Democrat
Susan Hynes. Hynes almost made the Top 20 House Challenger
Recipients list with $86,500, which beats Biggert's $62,521.
To see the Methodology of how this study was conducted
click here.
To see the List of the Top 20 Union PACs, from which
these contributions came, click here.
To return to the index of The Top 20 from the Top
20 study click here.