Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) don’t agree on health care reform. They don’t agree on energy legislation, nor do they agree on immigration. Politically, they may not agree on much at all.

However, they do share one distinction.

Both have received nearly two-thirds of their campaign contributions from donors who contribute $200 or less, the Federal Election Commission’s threshold for itemized disclosure. By comparison, the average House member only received 7 percent of their contributions from such “small donors.”

Kucinich has long been a darling of liberals, a leading voice against U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and a strong proponent of single-payer health care. He has raised $460,000 this cycle, with around $310,000 coming from small donors.

Wilson gained notoriety when he shouted “You lie” during President Barack Obama’s health care address to Congress last September. The incident earned him a formal rebuke from the House, but also made him a hero of sorts among the conservative grass roots — which massively boosted his fund-raising. So far this cycle, Wilson has raised an impressive $3.7 million, nearly $2.5 million of which came from donors giving $200 or less.

“There are a lot of people who are not necessarily wealthy, but want to support him and what he’s doing, so they are willing to donate to his campaign,” Dustin Olson, Wilson’s campaign manager, told OpenSecrets Blog. “We would like to have as many people be a part of this campaign as possible.”

Only eight House members have received more than 35 percent of contributions from small donors. Of this group, six are Republicans.

Name Total

Raised % PAC % Indivs % Small

Indivs % Large

Indivs Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) $3,731,325 9% 91% 67% 24% Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) $463,578 9% 89% 67% 22% Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) $3,179,284 15% 83% 62% 21% Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) $490,889 17% 83% 49% 34% Rep. Thomas McClintock (R-Calif.) $1,243,276 8% 92% 45% 46% Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) $2,348,048 10% 90% 43% 46% Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.) $1,260,396 18% 81% 40% 41% Rep. Paul Broun (R-Ga.) $1,227,124 13% 86% 38% 47%

One of these Republicans is Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.). Cao represents a heavily Democratic district and is widely considered the most vulnerable House Republican. He has raised nearly $1.3 million this campaign cycle, with 40 percent coming from small donors. Contributions from political action committees account for only 18 percent of his campaign cash.

Cao’s office says the congressman’s small-donor support is no coincidence.

“His was a grassroots campaign, and so it’s not surprising that a large share of contributions would come from smaller contributors,” said Taylor Henry, Cao’s communications director. “Congressman Cao is proud to be a representative of people, and I think the campaign finance records would reflect that he is just that.”

The other Democrat on the list, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), gained heightened media attention during the health care debate with his controversial floor speeches, which gained a second-life on the Internet where they have often been used as a fund-raising tool. Small donors, in turn, rewarded Grayson, who has received 62 percent of his nearly $3.2 million war chest from small donors this campaign cycle.

“This is what ‘People Power’ looks like,” Grayson said in a statement e-mailed to OpenSecrets Blog. “We are succeeding because people are sick and tired of seeing Members of Congress for sale.

“When people with a conscience can actually out-raise the lobbyists and the special interests, that’s amazing,” he continued. “When ordinary people can put someone at the top who cares only about them, that’s extraordinary. And that’s the real change we need — government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Messages left with Kucinich’s office seeking comment on this story were not returned.

Candidate websites, fund-raising emails, YouTube and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have all enhanced politicians ability to raise funds from small donors.

Wilson’s campaign has also conducted live online chats, responding directly to supporters’ questions and asking them for support, according to Olson.

The average House Republican received more from small donors — 9 percent — than their average Democratic counterpart, who collected only 6 percent from small donors. The average House Republican also received more from large donors, 45 percent, compared to the 42 percent from individuals who give more than $200 to the average House Democrat.

% PAC % Indivs % Small Indivs % Large Indivs Average House Dem 49% 48% 6% 42% Median House Dem 49% 49% 4% 42% Average House GOP 41% 55% 9% 45% Median House GOP 43% 54% 7% 44% Average House Overall 46% 51% 7% 44% Median House Overall 46% 50% 5% 43%

Only a few members of Congress have raked in big money from small contributions; others have been far more reliant on PAC money.

For instance, Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) has received nearly 89 percent of his campaign contributions from PACs — almost twice the House average.

PACs have contributed around $270,000 to Stark this campaign cycle, with the majority of contributions — $175,000 — coming from the health sector. Stark is the chairman of the Health Subcommittee of the Ways and Means Committee. Labor PACs have contributed an additional $30,000 to his campaign.

The average House member received 46 percent of contributions from PACs, with the average Democrat taking in more PAC money than the average Republicans — 49 percent compared to 41 percent.

PAC money tends to favor the party in power.

Of the ten members who received the largest share of their money from PACs — all getting more than 75 percent of their cash from PACs — nine are Democrats.

Name Total Raised % PAC % Indivs % Small

Indivs % Large

Indivs Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) $304,088.50 89% 10% 4% 6% Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Calif.) $243,558.99 87% 13% 2% 10% Rep. Melvin Watt (D-N.C.) $234,855.02 85% 15% 2% 12% Rep. James Matheson (D-Utah) $1,000,967.99 83% 15% 2% 13% Rep. David Camp (R-Mich.) $1,370,195.06 82% 16% 3% 14% Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.) $609,325.68 81% 18% 1% 18% Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) $645,105.22 79% 19% 5% 14% Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) $530,385.24 79% 20% 0.1% 20% Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) $353,136.28 79% 21% 0.4% 21% Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) $431,360.58 78% 20% 0.1% 20%

Another California Democrat on this list, Rep. Laura Richardson, has received 87 percent of her cash from PACs — a total of $212,000 in contributions.

Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah), a Blue Dog Democrat who represents a heavily Republican district and who earlier this month failed to secure enough support from party activists to avoid a primary, has raised more than $1 million so far, with nearly 83 percent coming from PACs. His largest contributors have been the health sector, with $222,000 in contributions, and the energy and natural resources sector, with $100,000 in contributions.

In a statement e-mailed to OpenSecrets Blog Rep. Matheson said: “I am proud that people choose to make campaign contributions to my campaign from across the political spectrum. There is zero connection between the source of the contributions that I receive and how I vote. I make each decision based on what I believe to be the merits of the issue. I run every campaign based on my approach to this job and on my record. This primary election will be no different.”

The only Republican to make the top ten list of PAC recipients is Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.). Camp — the ranking member of the influential Ways and Means Committee — has raised nearly $1.4 million, with 82 percent coming from PACs. Camp has received over $200,000 each from the health and finance, insurance and real estate sectors.

Messages left with the offices of Stark, Richardson and Camp were not returned.

Methodological note: The campaign finance numbers used to calculate small-donor giving came from the Federal Election Commission’s candidate summary data downloaded on Friday, May 14, and are through the first quarter of 2010.



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