1.4%
of donors = 54% of donations,
VCU's campaign data analysis shows
More than half of the donations
state lawmakers received for last year's elections came from just
150 groups and individuals, Virginia Commonwealth University's legislative
reporting students found in a computer-assisted analysis of campaign
finance data.
During the 1999 election
cycle, members of the Virginia General Assembly raised a combined
$17.7 million from about 10,500 donors, the analysis showed.
But the lion's share of
the money – $9.5 million – came a relative handful of contributors:
150 donors, ranging from political
party organizations and special-interest groups to large corporations
and individuals with deep pockets.
Here's a look at who gave
how much to whom, and why. How did the top donors fare during the
legislative session that ended in March?
BOTTOM
LINE: Money buys access
Money may not guarantee
campaign donors any influence with state legislators, but it certainly
buys access to the Capitol's corridors of the power, says Steve Calos,
executive director of the political watchdog group Common Cause of
Virginia. [Story by Lindsay Kastner]
An
ATM for lawmakers [By Chad Bernard]
Dialing
for dollars: Call Bell Atlantic
"We help people get
elected," said Hugh Stallard, Bell Atlantic’s recently retired
CEO. He said donations "enable us to gain access. It opens doors."
[Story by Tom Netherland]
Getting
lawmakers on deck [By A. Gordon]
The cable
guys and their legislators
Trigon's
healthy donations [By S. Hearney]
Theme
park opens money gates
Paramount’s Kings Dominion
theme park, which donated about $69,000 to General Assembly members,
won a legislative battle to keep public schools from opening before
Labor Day. [Story by Elana Simms]
NRA
targets lawmakers [By Sylvia Moore]
AOL:
'You've Got Money' [By C. Finkbeiner]
