White House hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) brought in $168,000 from K Street in first-quarter fundraising, according to a campaign-finance watchdog. Yet none of her contributors identified themselves as lobbyists, instead listing their profession as attorney, company president or other titles that, while accurate, distance donors from the lobbying world.
Of all 2008 hopefuls, Clinton leads in contributions by employees of lobby firms, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group. By contrast, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) leads in contributions from self-identified lobbyists, as per PoliticalMoneyLine.com.
“I don’t think there are many lobbyists that have ‘lobbyist’ beneath their names on their business cards in this town,” the communications director at the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), Massie Ritsch, said.
With the broader definition in mind, the campaign-finance watchdog tallied contributions from employees of lobby firms to all presidential campaigns. According to an analysis of recent filings CRP released yesterday, donations to the six top 2008 contenders — Clinton, McCain, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) — totaled more than $530,000. Donations to all White House hopefuls by those who work at firms that lobby were about $700,000, the group said.
By contrast, according to PoliticalMoneyLine.com, the six presidential front-runners together raked in about $90,000 in 70 contributions from self-identified lobbyists.
The value of lobbyists’ support exceeds that of the cash they give. They also fundraise and bundle contributions for a campaign.
Yet the term “lobbyist” has become a loaded one in the public imagination, and the industry’s tarnished image is affecting how hopefuls campaign for the White House. Two 2008 presidential contenders — Obama and Edwards — so far have refused contributions from federally registered advocates. Obama has gone as far as to return $50,000 from lobbyists.
Donors identify themselves, including by occupation, on contributions to candidates. Of the major contenders, almost all report a few self-identified lobbyists on their donor rosters, including Obama. (While he has refused funds from federally registered lobbyists, he has accepted donations from lobbyists at the state level).
Two candidates have no self-identified lobbyists listed as contributors: Clinton and Edwards. Representatives for both campaigns said they have not discouraged donors from identifying themselves as lobbyists.
Steve Elmendorf of Elmendorf Strategies identified himself by his executive title — “president” — on his Clinton donation. “I would be happy if they identify me as a lobbyist. I would be happy if they don’t,” Elmendorf remarked.
“There are obviously a lot of titles they can choose from. Hence, ‘lobbyist’ is not the politically best available title,” he noted.
Clinton’s campaign has taken in the most money from employees of lobbying firms this quarter, more than $168,000, according to CRP’s report.
McCain reported the most contributions from self-identified lobbyists: 33 individual contributions totaling more than $40,000, according to FEC records compiled by PoliticalMoneyLine.com. CRP, however, counted more than $147,000 in contributions from lobby employees for the Arizona senator.
A McCain campaign official noted the small percentage of self-identified lobbyists in the overall number of contributors to the senator’s campaign, and said the campaign strives to get all the appropriate information from its donors, consistent with Federal Election Commission (FEC) rules.
Some K Streeters themselves note that their profession’s sullied reputation can give them pause when filling out contribution forms.
“There was an initial distancing with Abramoff and Ney, but people are coming to their senses now,” said Peggy Tighe, a partner at Strategic Health Care, a lobby firm. “Why obscure the truth? There is honor in this profession.”
Tighe donated to McCain’s campaign this quarter, and said she identified herself as a lobbyist on the contribution.
“There was an initial hesitation when I wrote it down. I could have put down ‘advocate’ or ‘government-relations expert,’” Tighe said. “I am a strong believer in transparency in contributions.”
Monica Notzon, a partner at Bellwether Consulting Group, a top Republican fundraising firm, said she believes lobbyists avoid listing themselves as such.
“Lobbyists are savvy enough to know that there is a stigma attached to the word ‘lobbyist,’” Notzon said. “They refer to themselves as ‘government-relations consultants’ or ‘public-affairs directors.’”
The fact that many lobbyists identify themselves as attorneys hints at the trade’s emerging professional status. Considered a niche business more than a decade ago, more and more law firms are expanding their advocacy today.
“You have a lot of law firms expanding their lobbying practice. It is obviously a growth area,” a partner at Ryan, Phillips, Utrecht & MacKinnon, Jeff MacKinnon, said. “They are all chasing the dollars.” MacKinnon contributed to several Republican campaigns and identified himself as a lobbyist.
Al Cardenas, one of the name partners for the law firm of Tew Cardenas, on the other hand, described himself as an attorney in his contributions to Romney, even though he is a well-known lobbyist.
“Eighty percent of our revenues are derived from the practice of law and 20 percent of our revenues are derived from our local, state and federal lobbying practice. Since I spend more time in the legal side of the practice: ergo the designation,” Cardenas wrote in an e-mail.
“However I do lobby, am proud of it and have (to my knowledge) always registered on behalf of [the] firm’s clients for whom I have personally done lobbying work,” Cardenas wrote.
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