Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is about to step into the chairmanship for the Senate Committee on Finance, while Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) will take his place as chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The reshuffle at the top of the ladder comes as a result of President Obama’s recent selection of Sen. Max Baucus of Montana as the next U.S. Ambassador to China.

Both Wyden and Landrieu are ascending to sought-after chairmanships in the Senate, and their newly won positions will deliver to each a considerable amount of power over policy and legislative action in the chamber.

After spending years on their respective committees, Wyden and Landrieu are no strangers to the influence of interest groups, corporations, and individuals. The oil & gas industry has contributed nearly $1.3 million to Landrieu over the course of her career, while securities & investments interests have contributed more than $1.1 million to Wyden during the duration of his time in office.

However, the senators’ growing seniority on their panels has not fully dictated the sources of their political contributions in the past. Both have received the most in total contributions from lawyers and law firms during their careers, and their top donors do not necessarily reflect the interests fighting for their attention on their respective committees.

Which brings us to this week’s Politiquizz question:

“What company, organization, or individual donor has been Sen. Wyden’s largest career contributor? How about for Sen. Landrieu?”

The first to submit the entire correct answer to [email protected] will win a free OpenSecrets.org bumper sticker. The answers can be found somewhere on our website. Happy searching!

In our last Politiquizz , we asked:

Individuals in which industry have contributed the most to Sarbanes’ campaign committee over the course of his career? Which one comes in sixth? And what percentage of his funds came from small individual donors in the 2010 campaign cycle?

Congratulations to John Ray from Los Angeles, CA, who was the first to submit the correct answer: Lawyers and Lobbyists, Construction, and 3%.

Image: Sen. Ron Wyden at Senate Energy Hearing, July 30, 2013 (Flickr/Frank Fey)

Sen. Mary Landrieu at Small Business Bill Press Conference, Sept. 20, 2010 (Flickr)

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