Biggest Convention Donors Usually Need Favors

No limit to funds given to parties' gatherings

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 25, 2008 7:13 PM CDT

(Newser) – Major donors to the Democratic and GOP conventions this year either have business pending with politicians or have recently received a favorable ruling, the Los Angeles Times reports. From cable companies to a government union to an electric utility, millions of dollars have flowed into party coffers—but both sides deny any attempt to buy votes.

Meanwhile convention committees and Barack Obama have called for finance reform, but both conventions are in mid-size cities with limited donor pools—and cost $60 million apiece. "We ended the role of federal officeholders seeking huge unlimited contributions for the federal electoral process," said one campaign finance advocate. "This is the only place left where it continues."

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Michelle Obama, at the site of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Monday morning, Aug. 25, 2008. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

The Qwest company logo adorns the side of a repair truck while technicians work underground to repair a phone service outage in downtown Englewood, Colo. in this Oct. 27, 2006 file photo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)

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This is about civic pride for the state of Colorado. From our union's perspective, we are supporting the Democratic candidate and party, and it needs to have the money to run a good convention program. - Lawrence Scanlon, AFSCME

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Biggest Convention Donors Usually Need Favors