Rep. Mike Rogers‘ (R-Mich.) announced retirement from Congress to become a national radio host puts him squarely in a sector that has been one of his biggest contributors.

In the 2012 election cycle, employees and PACs from the communications sector — which includes computer, internet, telecommunications, and the radio and broadcasting industry that Rogers is now entering — gave him $233,000, representing about 12 percent of the congressman’s total haul. The sector was the third-highest source of funds for Rogers, behind only health and finance.

In particular, the employees and PACs of companies in the telecommunications industry played a big role in financing Rogers’ 2012 campaign, giving him $61,000, inlcuding $21,000 and $17,500 from AT&T and Verizon, respectively. Rogers, who is on the House’s Communications and Technology subcommittee and is also chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, was the industry’s third-largest House benefactor last cycle.

The broadcasting industry that Rogers will now join has also been helpful to Rogers: The National Association of Broadcasters gave him $12,500 during the 2012 cycle, while companies like National Amusements Inc., owner of the Showcase Cinema chain, gave $6,500.

Over Rogers’ 14-year House career, the communications and electronics sector ranks as his fourth-largest source of donations, behind the finance, health, and business sectors.

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The auto industry also was a strong backer of Rogers due to his Michigan roots. The employees and PAC of the National Auto Dealers Association were Rogers’ second-biggest career donor, giving $68,700. Ford Motor Co. was Rogers’ third-largest source, contributing $68,300.

Rogers is leaving Congress to head to Cumulus Media, an Atlanta-based talk radio company that doesn’t have much of a Washington presence — despite being the second largest owner and operator of radios stations in the U.S., behind Clear Channel. Neither company has any registered lobbyists in Washington, though Clear Channel has an active PAC.



Rogers will join several other conservative — and sometimes controversial — hosts at Cumulus, including Don Imus, Mike Huckabee and Michael Savage. There’s little doubt that Rogers will be comfortable as a professional talker: In 2013 and so far this year, he has logged more appearances on Sunday news shows than any other member of Congress. As Rogers prepares to leave office at the end of the year, his campaign has nearly $1.3 million in cash on hand. That money can be used to support other campaigns of candidates or party committees, but it can’t be used by Rogers personally. Rogers also has a leadership PAC, the Majority Initiative to Keep Electing Republicans Fund (or the MIKE R Fund), but its account holds a paltry $14,700. Image: Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in June 2011 (Flickr/CSIS) Follow Robbie on Twitter at @robbiefeinberg



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