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REPUBLICAN DONALD TRUMP’S PAST AND CURRENT GENEROSITY TO DEMOCRATS: Billionaire real estate tycoon Donald Trump’s recent Billionaire real estate tycoon Donald Trump’s recent speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference excited a number of Republicans, many of whom applauded his statement that Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) has “zero chance” of winning.

It also fueled speculation that the mogul would run for president. Cries of “ you’re hired! ” to a Draft Trump 2012 website added to a growing sense of support among Republicans.

But that GOP support has not always been reciprocated by Trump.

According to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of Trump’s federal campaign contribution history, The Donald has been a prolific donor to both Democrats and Republicans during the past two decades.

In all, Trump has contributed to 96 candidates running for federal political office since the 1990 election cycle, the Center finds. Only 48 of the recipients — exactly half — were Republicans at the time they received their contribution, including ex-Gov. Charlie Crist (I-Fla.) and ex-Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), who both of whom received their Trump contributions as Republicans.

Since the 1990 election cycle, the top 10 recipients of Trump’s political contributions number six Democrats and four Republicans. Embattled Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.), who was censured last year by his U.S. House colleagues, has received the most Trump money, totaling $24,750. The most recent contribution from Trump to Rangel was a $10,000 gift during the 2006 election cycle.

In the most recent election cycle, Trump doled out $22,500 to political candidates, of which $16,200 benefited Democrats.

The top Republican recipient of Trump’s money is Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) who has collected $13,600 from the billionaire magnate, the second most of any politician. Trump did not contribute to McCain during the 2010 election cycle, during which the former presidential candidate was facing re-election.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) is the recipient of $12,000 in Trump contributions, including $10,000 for his 2006 re-election campaign.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has received the fourth-largest amount of Trump’s contributions, including $4,800 in the successful 2010 campaign against Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle . In total Trump has contributed $10,400 to Reid.

In 2010, Trump also contributed $4,000 to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who easily won re-election. Schumer has received $8,900 from Trump since the 1996 election cycle. Trump has also been generous to New York’s other Democratic U.S. senator, Kirsten Gillibrand , who’s received $5,850 in Trump money.

After McCain, the Republican with the largest amount of Trump’s contributions is former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who left office in disgrace in 2006 when his online solicitation of male House pages became known. Trump contributed $9,500 to Foley between the 1996 and 2006 election cycles.

Trump has also supported other notable politicians, including:



• $7,000 to former Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), the “liberal lion of the Senate”

• $7,500 to former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani (R)

• $5,500 to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) including $2,000 during his 2004 presidential run

• $5,000 to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.)

• $4,000 to former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.)

Trump’s donations to various political action committees and 527 groups also demonstrate his bipartisan checkbook.

However, of the nearly $420,000 Trump has donated to committees, the largest recipient has been the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee with $116,000 — or more than one fourth of his total contributions to all party and political action committees.

CLUB FOR GROWTH’S BUSY DAY: Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) recently proposed curtailing public employee collective bargaining rights to plug holes in the budget. According to Bloomberg, “under Walker’s immediate plan, all collective bargaining rights would be removed for state and local public employees starting July 1, except when it comes to wages.” : Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) recently proposed curtailing public employee collective bargaining rights to plug holes in the budget. According to, “under Walker’s immediate plan, all collective bargaining rights would be removed for state and local public employees starting July 1, except when it comes to wages.”

Predictably, unions were upset. Many Madison area teachers called in sick, forcing the schools to be shut down on Wednesday . On Tuesday, more than 10,000 people rallied in Madison to oppose Walker’s plan, and protests have continued on into Wednesday. Walker, for his part, responded by announcing that the “National Guard is prepared to respond wherever is necessary in the wake of his announcement.”

Walker, who was elected in November, has enjoyed significant support from Koch Industries , which routinely backs conservative political candidates. The large private oil corporation has contributed $43,000 to the Friends of Scott Walker organization. TDS Telecommunications also contributed over $8,000 to Friends of Scott Walker.

These recent events have drawn other players such as the left-leaning AFL-CIO and the conservative Club for Growth , both of which aired ads either in opposition or in support of Walker’s plan.

The Wisconsin AFL-CIO has been a relatively small contributing force in recent years, doling out $1,000 and $2,000 to exclusively Democratic candidates during the 2008 and 2010 election cycles, respectively.

The Club for Growth has been heavily involved in recent Wisconsin races. The 2010 Senate race that pitted former Sen. Russ Feingold (D) and Sen. Ron Johnson (R) saw more than $210,000 in Club money, most spent in opposition to Feingold. For example, the conservative PAC ran ads against Feingold.

As of late, the Club for Growth has busied itself in other states, as well. The organization raised more than $100,000 in a single day on behalf of Republican Senate candidate and Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.). Flake, who seeks to succeed the retiring Sen. Jon Ky l (R-Ariz.) has received Club money in the past, including more than $5,900 and $4000 during the 2008 and 2004 election cycles, respectively.

In the past decade, the Club for Growth has almost exclusively supported Republican candidates for political office, with the notable exception of Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) during the 2006 election cycle.

GROUPS CALL FOR FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION REFORM: A group of nine reform-minded organizations : A group of nine reform-minded organizations called on Congress to conduct hearings on the Federal Election Commission’s “failure to fulfill many of its basic statutory responsibilities to enforce existing campaign finance laws.”

The nine organizations include Americans for Campaign Reform, the Campaign Legal Center, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and Common Cause.

The groups were extremely critical of the FEC, writing in a letter to congressional leaders that “the status quo is unacceptable and the American public reasonably expects agencies charged with enforcing the laws to actually do so.”

OpenSecrets Blog noted that three new FEC commissioners had political ties, including Cynthia Bauerly, former counsel to Sen. Chuck Schumer, Back in 2008,noted that three new FEC commissioners had political ties, including Cynthia Bauerly, former counsel to Sen. Chuck Schumer, Caroline Hunter , Republican vice chair of the Election Assistance Commission and Donald McGahn , counsel for the National Republican Congressional Committee

Other commissioners have been a part of the Revolving Door. Matthew S. Petersen was a Republican counsel for the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and earlier an attorney in private practice. Ellen Weintraub worked at the lobbying firm Perkins Coie before being appointed to the FEC.

Have a news tip or link to pass along? We want to hear from you! E-mail us at [email protected]

Center for Responsive Politics senior researcher Doug Weber contributed to this report.



For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: Feel free to distribute or cite this material, but please credit the Center for Responsive Politics.For permission to reprint for commercial uses, such as textbooks, contact the Center: [email protected]

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