Big sums from lawmakers sitting pretty to those in need — but victory not a given

Sen.-elect Todd Young (R-Ind.) received more than any other candidate from lawmakers’ campaign committees and leadership PACs along with party committees. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) BY: NIV SULTAN With control of the Senate and possibly the House at stake — or so it seemed until close to Election Day — the word went out from the Democratic and Republican parties to lawmakers: If you’re not running this time, or if you’re sitting on a pile of cash, share the love. Priority races were flagged, and those who could were expected to ante up. Still, while being on the receiving end of those funds was far better than the alternative, it didn’t guarantee victory. In fact, less than 75 percent of the 15 House and Senate candidates who netted the most money from fellow candidates and party committees in 2016 won their races. In Nevada, GOP Rep. Joe Heck, for instance, who received almost $660,000, lost to incoming Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D), who claimed just over $437,000, in their battle over an open seat. But having that money certainly could be a plus. On his path to victory over former Indiana Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, incoming Sen. Todd Young (R) amassed more than $1 million in contributions from lawmakers, their leadership PACs and Republican party committees. In doing so, he topped the list of House and Senate candidates who received the most through candidate-to-candidate and party giving. RecipientPartyLeadership PACsCandidate CommitteesParty CommitteesTotalResultTodd YoungR$469,200$499,755$46,800$1,015,755WonRob PortmanR$591,106$27,900$46,800$665,806WonJoe HeckR$576,552$31,000$51,800$659,352LostBruce PoliquinR$443,782$162,665$5,000$611,447WonPat ToomeyR$533,600$28,000$47,486$609,086WonKelly AyotteR$505,300$22,400$48,800$576,500LostCarlos CurbeloR$420,000$109,050$5,000$534,050WonBob DoldR$430,400$82,500$5,000$517,900LostErik PaulsenR$440,200$74,463$0$514,663WonRoy BluntR$458,080$9,500$46,800$514,380WonPatrick Murphy*D$429,800$27,000$47,283$504,083LostRichard BurrR$440,100$15,500$46,800$502,400WonWill HurdR$384,020$108,278$5,000$497,298WonRon JohnsonR$434,100$10,500$46,800$491,400WonMarco Rubio*R$396,891$44,668$46,901$488,460Won *Patrick Murphy and Marco Rubio competed for the same Senate seat. The list’s party breakdown is noteworthy: 14 of the 15 candidates on it are Republicans, and no Democrat cracked the top 10. Florida’s Rep. Patrick Murphy, at No. 11 with $504,083, was the Democratic candidate who received the most through the aforementioned channels. He nonetheless lost to incumbent Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who ranked 15th with $488,460 raised. Part of the reason for the discrepancy between Republicans and Democrats could lie at the top of the ticket. Democratic presidential nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received a total of $806,591 from other candidates, while President-elect Donald Trump took in just $104,847. By opting not to back Trump, Republican candidates may have been able to commit larger sums to House and Senate races. Comfortable incumbents and others facing lesser threats often use their candidate committees and leadership PACs to shift money to challengers and incumbents in more competitive races. And party committee spending can “establish giving priorities,” said Brett Kappel, a government affairs and public policy lawyer at Akerman LLP. But Kappel also noted that whether or not members of Congress give according to party priorities is sometimes the result of personal relationships. A lawmaker might give to a friend, regardless of the party’s agenda, even if that candidate isn’t in real danger of losing. Total20002004200820122016$0$20,000,000$40,000,000$60,000,000$80,000,000 Comparing donations from candidate campaign committees and leadership PACs to other candidates over time shows the dominance […]

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