Lobbyists Donated $1.8M To State Officials’ Campaigns

June 11, 2012 · by fair_admin

Politics on the Hudson

6/11/12

Joseph Spector

http://polhudson.lohudblogs.com/2012/06/11/lobbyists-donated-1-8m-to-state-officials-campaigns/

Lobbyists and their employees donated $1.8 million over the past year to state candidates and the most, $423,278, went to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a report from the New York Public Interest Research Group found today.

The report showed that Cuomo got the most from lobbyists to his campaign account. Second was Attorney General Eric Schneiderman at $143,539, and third was the Senate Republican Campaign Committee at $91,192. Fourth was the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee at $51,097.

Eighteen states have bans on donations from lobbyists or place stronger limits on lobbyists’ donations, the report said. NYPIRG said that lobbyists contributed 4 percent of the total money raised during the year, but they donated nearly 70,000 times as much money per capita as other state residents.

The report also looked at the issue of bundling of campaign funds—an issue that has been raised recently about the contributions by business groups to the Committee to Save New York.

NYPIRG focused on the bundling of the powerful lobbying firm Featherstonhaugh, Wiley & Clyne, LLP. The firm and its clients, including the New York Gaming Association, a lobbying group of the state’s nine racetracks. The firm gave $1.5 million in contributions over the past year, the report said.

NYPIRG Pay to Play Analysis