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RETIREES TOP CONTRIBUTORS TO GOP SENATORS WHO OPPOSED RYAN BUDGET: The controversial budget laid out by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was defeated in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, with four Republicans breaking ranks and voting against the budget because they had concerns with the scope of the changes it called for.



Sens. Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) all voted against the budget, which seeks to overhaul Medicare spending. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) also voted against the budget because he thought it didn’t go far enough.

Ryan’s budget proposal lays out a plan that would stop government payment of retiree bills beginning in 2022. At that point, those older than 65 would choose private plans and receive government subsidies. Democratic critics of the plan say it would ultimately cost many senior citizens an extra $6,000 per year compared to how Medicare is funded now, CNN reported.



Although a variety of factors likely went into each senator’s decision to vote down the Ryan budget, interestingly, retirees — who often lean Republican in their political contributions, as OpenSecrets Blog has previously noted — are among the top donors to all four Republican senators who voted against the bill.

Retirees gave $965,144 to Brown in 2010, ranking his No. 1 industry backer. He also ranked fourth among all members of Congress in terms of money received from retirees during the 2010 election cycle. Between 2005 and 2010, Snowe received $185,008 from retirees, ranking them as her No. 3 contributor.

Meanwhile, Collins received $512,299 from retirees, ranking them her No. 1 contributors. And Murkowski received $105,999, ranking retirees at No. 9 on her list of top industry contributors.

UNCERTAINTY IN ARIZONA: Both Democrats and Republicans are waiting to see if Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was shot in the head in January 2011 and is still recovering, will declare a bid for the U.S. Senate seat she had planned to pursue before her injury.

As early as February, when incumbent Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) announced his retirement, Democrats began suggesting a Giffords’ run, pending her recovery. Fellow Democrats have held fund-raisers for Giffords within the past week, including Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Roll Call reported Thursday.

Democratic strategist Mario Diaz told Roll Call that it is unlikely right now that Giffords will run for the Senate seat, and he suggested she’ll more likely run for re-election in the House instead. Either way, an announcement must come soon as fund-raising is crucial for potential candidates.



During the first quarter of the year, Giffords has raised $358,360, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics. During her 2008 and 2010 re-election bids, Giffords raised upwards of $3.3 million,and she raised about $2.6 million during her first bid in 2006.

Receiving support from fellow congressmen is nothing new to Giffords — leadership PACs ranked as her third largest source of funding during the 2010 election cycle.

Republicans Jesse Kelly, a former Marine, and Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) are likely major candidates for the GOP.

In his 2010 campaign for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, Flake collected $538,758, far below what Giffords raised in her race. But during the first quarter of 2011, Flake has already raised more than $1 million. Kelly, who ran against Giffords for her House seat in 2010, raised $1.7 million for his campaign, less than half of what Giffords raised.

Concerns about Giffords’ health and cognitive recovery underlie the assumption that she will choose not to run. But until an official announcement is made, many Democrats are holding out on launching their own candidacies.

EDWARDS INDICTMENT IN THE WORKS: The alleged violation of campaign finance regulations is just the latest headache in a series of events that have been plaguing former North Carolina senator and Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards since allegations of an extramarital affair began in 2008. And, ABC reports, an indictment by the Department of Justice for allegedly breaking campaign finance regulations is looming.

The DOJ has been investigating alleged donations of millions of dollars to Edwards by Fred Baron and Rachel Mellon to cover up Edwards’ affair and hide his mistress from the public eye during his 2008 presidential bid. (Edwards’ met with Mellon at her home Thursday, ABC reported.)



Mellon reportedly donated at least $4 million to organizations tied to Edwards, and about $700,000 specifically to keep Edwards’ mistress out of the spotlight, according to ABC.



Campaign finance law prohibits candidates from spending campaign money on personal expenses — in this case keeping Edwards’ mistress and child out of the media spotlight. The case will examine whether the alleged hush money, which Edwards denies knowledge of, is considered a campaign contribution because it was used to cover up something that would have wrecked Edwards’ chances at the presidency.

Baron, his wife and Mellon all contributed the legal maximum of $2,300 a piece to Edwards’ 2008 presidential campaign, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics.

Heading in to the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, Edwards’ fund-raising lagged behind fellow candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Edwards ultimately raised $57 million before dropping out of the race, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics. By comparison, Clinton raised $222 million, and Obama topped the three at $745 million, of which $409 million was raised for the extended primary fight against Clinton and the rest was used during his general election campaign.

Interestingly, women’s issues ranked 10th in the list of industries that contributed to Edwards’ campaign in 2008 — although he still received less money from these interests than either Clinton or Obama. Overall, women contributed at least $6.8 million to Edwards’ campaign, and men contributed at least $12.4 million, according to the Center’s research. After news of Edwards’ scandal broke, many women’s groups who had supported him expressed disgust and regret for funding such a candidate, OpenSecrets Blog previously reported.

Edwards and his attorney have not yet stated whether Edwards will fight the case or admit guilt and accept a plea deal, which could cost him his legal license and potentially send him to jail.

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