For Immediate Release: January 12, 2006
Contact: Ned Wigglesworth

Blunt and Boehner Use PAC Cash to Buy Leadership Votes

Blunt and Boehner Have Contributed to Two-Thirds of Their Supporters

The leadership PACs of House Majority Leader candidates Roy Blunt and John Boehner have each contributed to roughly two-thirds of their announced supporters, according to an analysis by campaign watchdog TheRestofus.org.

Of the 62 Representatives that have announced their support for Rep. Blunt (as reported by The National Journal's Hotline), 42 have received a total of $438,788 in contributions from Blunt's leadership PAC, the Rely on Your Beliefs Fund. Of the 35 Representatives that have announced their support for Rep. Boehner, 26 have received a total of $382,999 in contributions from Boehner's leadership PAC, The Freedom Project.

"Despite all the talk of reform, the race to be the next House Majority Leader is shaping up as an homage to the tactics of the last Majority Leader, Tom DeLay," said Ned Wigglesworth, analyst for TheRestofUs.org.

While some of the announced supporters have received money from both Blunt and Boehner, both candidates have contributed considerably more to their supporters than the other candidate. Blunt has contributed $82,667 more than Boehner to Blunt supporters; Boehner has contributed $156,962 more than Blunt to Boehner supporters.

"Both Representatives Blunt and Boehner appear to be calling in the chits they've earned from the hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions they've doled out to colleagues over the years," said Wigglesworth. "And even worse, their colleagues appear to be heeding the call. Unless House Republicans step forward to demand that the election not devolve to whomever hands out the most cash, the only question left open is where the victory celebration will be held now that Signatures has closed up shop."

Sources:
-The National Journal's Hotline provided the list of announced supporters for Blunt and Boehner.
-Campaign contribution information was obtained from the Federal Elections Commission and the Center for Responsive Politics.

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TheRestofUs.org is a nonpartisan watchdog of the role of money in politics.