Kansas GOP candidate for Congress Kevin Yoder, whose pro-gun and anti-abortion credentials have been put into question by some, courted a conservative crowd at a meet-and-greet event at National Rifle Association offices Wednesday.

Though the invitation did not expressly ask for donations, unlike the $1,000-per-PAC fundraising lunch he held earlier in the day, and there was no sign-up sheet soliciting donations, according to a lobbyist who attended, Yoder did make a pitch to potential donors.

Yoder has a commanding fundraising advantage against Democrat Stephene Moore, the wife of retiring Rep. Dennis Moore, D-Kan., and a registered nurse, in a race that leads slightly in his favor, according to the Cook Political Report.

Among the crowd at the event – attended by about 40 people, according to one participant – were representatives from a conservative group, anti-abortion groups, and lobbyists. Asked about the event outside of NRA headquarters, a few people said they attended because a friend invited them. Many also said they did not know much about the candidate.

Two participants were there to sniff out where Yoder stood on the abortion issue. In the GOP primary, Yoder got by former state Rep. Patricia Lightner despite her endorsement from Kansans for Life. She received $250 in anti-abortion contributions, according to CRP, while Yoder has received none.

Though the NRA endorsed Yoder, gave him an ‘A’ rating, and contributed $500 to his 2008 state campaign, the state representative got a ‘C’ back in 2006 and a ‘D’ in 2004. NRA’s PAC plans to spend about $20 million in this election, of which only about $3 million has been spent, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Last election, the vast majority of this bounty went towards advocating for or against candidates.

Before entering NRA offices, both George Melik of the National Pro-Life Alliance and Karen Cross, political director of the National Right to Life Committee, said they wanted to see where Yoder stood on the abortion issue. After the event, Melik said he would consider donating to the campaign. His group gave Rep. Dennis Moore’s 2008 opponent, Nick Jordan, $500, according to CRP. The National Right to Life Committee PAC spent over $4 million supporting GOP candidates through independent expenditures in 2008.

Thus far, Yoder has not received any contributions from ideological or single-issue donors, which includes gun rights and abortion organizations, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Also attending was lobbyist Larry Hunt of the American Conservative Union, a group which has given Dennis Moore a lifetime rating of 15.5 out of 100.

NRA lobbyist Jeff Freeman, a host at a fundraising lunch for Yoder earlier that day, was setting up the event in what looked like a conference room, with posters of celebrities like actor Tom Selleck and former basketball great Karl Malone defending the Second Amendment.

That’s all this reporter got to see before he was escorted out, as the event was “closed.”

But according to one lobbyist on hand, who preferred to remain anonymous, Yoder told the crowd he was not there for their cash, though he would not turn it down. He also touted that he has raised money largely without PAC help. However, the luncheon earlier in the day asked for $1,000 from PACs. Although only nine percent of Yoder’s contributions come from PACs, his biggest contributors are from the Financial, Insurance and Real Estate sector, according to CRP.

Yoder also told participants that Dennis Moore has not been fiscally or socially conservative, and that his wife would continue governing that way, the lobbyist said.

Click here to download spreadsheet of congressional fundraising events associated with NRA

For a $250 donation, partiers can cruise aboard a private yacht on the Potomac with Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa) and get access to three other GOP Appropriations Committee members:  ranking member  Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) and Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.).

These members of the powerful committee appear to scratch each others’ backs, often agreeing to show up at fundraisers for each other, according to several parties in the Party Time’s database. Just last month, Latham was billed as a special guest for Rehberg. Latham and Simpson were scheduled to attend Rep. Devin Nunes’s (R-Cali.) June “Sideways” wine tour weekend and their committee membership was listed on the invitation. (See below for other such back-scratching events.)

Tonight’s soiree — in celebration of Latham’s 62nd birthday — starts at 6 p.m. in Southwest Washington with a dockside reception, followed by a two-hour cruise, and then an “informal gathering” at Cantina Marina, advertised on its website as “the only restaurant on water in DC.”

To host the event, PACs are asked to shell out $2,500, individuals $2,400. To merely attend the event, a PAC can get two tickets for $1,000.

Renting the double-decker 100 foot yacht, dubbed “Celebrity,” from Capital Yacht Charters costs $2,100 (plus tax) for a two-hour cruise plus catering and beverage service, according to CYC’s website. Latham benefited from a similar event last year but it is unclear from his expenditure records how much the event cost him. His campaign hires Bellwether Consulting Group for its consulting, and has paid the group about $65,000 this election cycle. Latham reported paying Cantina Marina about $2,500 for fundraising meals last year, though the date listed is a month after the party.

Here is a list of all fundraisers for members of the the Appropriations Committee. And here are the recent invitations in Party Time records where one of these four amigos are listed as guests for fellow committee members:

*Simpson planned to bring cheer to Latham’s holiday party

*Lewis was billed as special guest for Simpson in March, and their committee membership was highlighted.

*Lewis was also a guest at Latham’s “Supper Club” series last year.

*In December, Latham and Simpson were draws on an invitation to fellow committee member Rep. Kay Granger’s (R-Texas) gathering.

The Huffington Post’s Arthur Delaney reports that at least two members of the House Committee on Agriculture chose to attend fundraisers instead of a derivatives hearing yesterday:

At noon Thursday, the House Committee on Agriculture was well into a hearing on the Obama administration’s plan to regulate over-the-counter derivatives.

But not every committee member attends such hearings in their entirety. And two lawmakers in particular had something more important to do: Reps. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.) and Kathy Dahlkemper (D-Pa.) were out raising money for themselves.

“She attended the bulk of the [agriculture committee] hearing, then left early to go vote” before showing up at the fundraiser, a Dahlkemper spokeswoman told the Huffington Post in a subsequent phone interview. (The hearing was still going on when Dahlkemper arrived at the fundraiser.)

When a HuffPost reporter outside Luetkemeyer’s lunch party identified himself to Luetkemeyer, the Missouri Republican feigned excitement. He said, “That’s wonderful!” — but not much else.

Luetkemeyer’s office did not return calls for comment, so no word on whether he attended even part of the derivatives hearing.

Full story here.

The Huffington Post’s Arthur Delaney takes a look at what happens when congressional fundraisers and committee hearings overlap:

As Rep. Mark Schauer (D-Mich.), a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, was leaving a fundraiser at a Capitol Hill townhouse, he said that earlier he’d made an appearance at a hearing on hazardous materials (which was ongoing).

HuffPost interns Julian Hattem and Elyse Siegel asked Schauer which guests attended the fundraiser to give him money. Schauer said it was “people for labor, the environment.” He added, “Even though health care is the big story, there are still lots of other issues.”

Also at Schauer’s fundraiser: “Special Guest” Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), who was missing out on a Judiciary Committee hearing on “Competition and Commerce in Digital Books”.

Read the full article here.

The Huffington Post’s Arthur Delaney attempted to attend a fundraising luncheon for Blue Dog Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) without success. (You can see the invite for the event here):

Alas, the congressman and whoever else showed up to the 10th floor meeting managed to escape without being greeted by the Huffington Post. (The building had multiple elevators and exits, and this reporter has been told that he is no James Bond.) Ross’ office did not respond to requests for details about the guest list.

Federal law does not require politicians to disclose who attends their fundraisers. The nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation posts invitations for upcoming events on its website, www.politicalpartytime.org, as it acquires them through Hill sources. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, health professionals are the top donors to Ross’ campaign and political action committee for the 2010 election cycle.

On Monday evening Ross declined to tell the Huffington Post what the Blue Dogs wanted from closed-door negotiations with Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who later announced that Tuesday’s markup would be canceled.

If they hailed from the health care industry, it’s no surprise Ross wouldn’t want to share info on his lunch guests, either. Fundraising is a touchy topic as the industry dumps money into politicians’ campaign coffers in hopes of heading off revenue-killing reforms.

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) skipped his ice cream fundraiser yesterday in favor of working on the health care reform bill, reports the Huffington Post’s Arthur Delaney:

The Huffington Post visited the event as part of its effort to cover totally normal, plain-vanilla lobbying around the Hill. Of the nine fundraisers known to be happening Thursday, this was the only one that held the possibility of vanilla ice cream. It was a really hot day.

This reporter was politely denied access to the event. Arriving guests, including a lobbyist for the Independent Community Bankers Association, and another from the United Auto Workers, refused to bring any ice cream outside.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the top donors to Becerra’s 2010 campaign committee are in the health care and insurance industries. Becerra is a member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health.

Freshman Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL) skipped a hearing today in the House Financial Services Committee about the Obama administration’s proposed new Consumer Financial Protection Agency, instead attending a fundraiser hosted by a financial lobbyist, reports the Huffington Post’s Arthur Delaney:

At the front door, the host, lobbyist Doyle Bartlett (no relation to Steve Bartlett), politely said a reporter would not be allowed in. He declined to provide details about the guest list.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Doyle Bartlett’s clients include the Mortgage Bankers Association, Morgan Stanley, the Financial Services Institute and the Federal Home Loan Bank. Bartlett, a former staffer for the House Committee on Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs and a former employee of Washington Mutual, also represents clients in the entertainment industry and not-for-profits.

About a dozen arriving guests declined to identify themselves. When the congresswoman arrived, the Huffington Post asked her who would be attending her fundraiser.

“This is not a fundraiser,” she said. Asked why an invitation said it cost $500 or $1,000 to attend, Kosmas said she didn’t know. “It’s a meet and greet.”

A Kosmas staffer later called to say the event was, in fact, a fundraiser, and that the congresswoman’s confusion was due to an error on her schedule.

Kosmas said she has not yet taken a position on the Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

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