Lobbying

Lobbyists, lawmakers rake in cash for Hillary

by Megan R. Wilson - 07/15/15 9:01 PM ET

More than 100 individuals each helped bundle together $100,000 or more for Hillary Clinton’s presidential run since April, according to an announcement from the campaign Wednesday evening.

Reps. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) and Joaquín Castro (D-Texas) made the list, in addition to lobbyists David Jones of Capitol Counsel and Steve Elmendorf of Elmendorf|Ryan.

The website does not include the exact amount that individuals raised.

{mosads}Former Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), who now works as a partner at McGuireWoods, also appears. Bayh, his wife and the firm’s political action committee hosted a fundraiser for Clinton last month.

“We had a fantastic turnout and the event was a huge success raising more money than we had expected,” L.F. Payne, president of McGuireWoods Consulting, said in a statement.

The Clinton campaign says it raised about $47.5 million in the second quarter, which spans from April to June. It spent about $18.7 million and still has $28.9 million cash on hand.

Bundlers play an important role, especially in presidential races, proving to a candidate that they can bring in much-needed cash needed to keep the expensive operation running.

Campaigns are not required to disclose their bundlers unless they are registered lobbyists, although Clinton and GOP contender Jeb Bush vowed to do so.

Also on Clinton’s big bundler list: abortion rights group EMILY’S List, billionaires M.K. and J.B. Pritzker; her campaign’s treasurer, José Villarreal, who also works at top law and lobby firm Akin Gump; Morgan Stanley executive and former deputy Secretary of State Tom Nides — and many others.

More than 250,000 individuals donated to the Clinton campaign, it said in a release Wednesday evening, and 94 percent of those people gave $250 or less.

In the release, campaign manager Robby Mook blasted Republican candidates, saying they had relied on “billionaire backers for unlimited sums of money.”

“We are glad to be able to have such broad support to be able to show why Hillary Clinton is the only candidate who will fight for policies that allow everyday Americans to get ahead and stay ahead,” he said.

Clinton has two super-PACs raising money to support her — Ready PAC and Priorities USA — but they have not yet released the amount they have raised.

The superPAC supporting the bid of Bush, the former Florida governor, for the White House recently announced $103 million in donations.

Bush raised $11.4 million in the second quarter, according to newly released reports.

Tags Hillary Clinton