Lobbyists, PACs Donate More to Democrats

09-29-2009 • WSJ

Democrats’ share of corporate PAC money is also climbing. Democrats now receive 65% of PAC donations, including a majority of the donations from all nine industry sectors. In the first six months of the 2005-06 election cycle, Democrats received 44% of the donations from corporate PACs, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Only one of the nine industries tracked by the Center -– lawyers and lobbyists -– gave a majority of its money to Democrats. Take health care. Since Democrats took over Washington, the health care industry has nearly doubled the share of PAC donations it gives to Democrats. This year, Democrats have received 66% of the donations from health care PACs. Pfizer Inc. has donated 69% of its PAC donations to Democrats this year, up from 31% in 2006. The PACs of other pharmaceutical companies have followed a similar trend. Spokesmen for the companies say they donate to politicians who support their priorities. Ron Rogers, a spokesman for Merck, said that the company donates more to Democrats now because “there are more Democrats that there used to be.”