Top 20 House Recipients

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.