RGA, DGA reap riches from corporate donors

Introduction

The dust has barely settled on the 2012 election but the corporation-fueled fundraising engines of the Republican and Democratic governors associations continue to churn.

Between late November and the end of December, the Republican Governors Association pulled in nearly $2.7 million, while the Democratic Governors Association collected $910,000, documents filed Thursday with the Internal Revenue Service indicate.

Aiding the Republicans with their significant post-election haul were several large pharmaceutical companies.

Drug maker Pfizer donated $250,000 to the RGA in December, while Eli Lilly contributed $150,000 and Astrazeneca gave $100,000, records show. Pfizer also gave the same amount to the DGA.

Among the other notable donors?

Range Resources Corporation, a large natural gas company that has been involved with fracking the Marcellus Shale in Pennsylvania, gave $250,000 to the RGA, as did health insurance company Aetna.

Meanwhile, the Florida Power and Light and Comcast each donated $125,000 to the RGA, while Publix Super Markets and the BNSF Railway Company each gave $100,000.

In addition to Pfizer, only three other companies have made six-figure contributions to the DGA since late November: Aetna-subsidiary Schaller Anderson, which gave $250,000; computer technology company Oracle, which donated $100,000; and Virginia-based Maximus, a government contractor that provides services to health and human services agencies, which also donated $100,000.

This year, Republicans are defending their holds on the governors’ mansions in both New Jersey and Virginia. And in 2014, Republicans are slated to defend 22 seats, while Democrats are poised to defend 14.

Why is 2013 an important year for campaign finance? Dave Levinthal and Michael Beckel will answer that, and many other questions about the money-in-politics world in a live chat on Monday, Feb. 4, at 1 p.m. ET.