The PAC has raised a relatively modest $282,250 so far this election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The Congressional Black Caucus came under scrutiny recently by the New York Times as a “fundraising powerhouse,” which collected some $55 million between 2004 to 2008 for its political and charitable wings–of which only about $1 million flowed through the PAC, which is a separate legal entity.

The Times reported that the bulk of the Foundation’s money was spent “on elaborate conventions that have become a high point of the Washington social season, as well as the headquarters building, golf outings by members of Congress and an annual visit to a Mississippi casino resort.”

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the CBC PAC has spent some $111,000 this election cycle, the largest expense being $40,885 in payments to the PAC’s executive director, Jessica Knight. The PAC has distributed just $15,000 to lawmakers so far this election cycle. Most of the donors are other PACs for a variety of unions, companies and organizations such  as Eli Lilly & Co, the American Hospital Association, and Walmart.

Last year Roll Call reported that the chairman’s dinner “is considered an intimate event where donors get to spend one-on-one time with CBC members.”

Obey held a fundraiser one day after he announced the move to ban earmarks to private companies. Rep. Allen Boyd (D-FL) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) were among many other lawmakers who also held fundraisers after the decision was made.

Other events came before Obey’s announcement. Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX) and Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) both held parties. Their invitations boast their positions on the Appropriations Committee, one of the most powerful House committees responsible for keeping track of the governments’ expenditures.

On the other side of the aisle, Republican Appropriations Committee members like Rep. Kay Granger (TX) and Rep. C W Bill Young (FL) will also hold fundraisers in the coming weeks. Granger, who is throwing her 12^th annual three-day Fiesta Fundraiser, wrote an editorial for the Star-Telegram on March 17, stating that the moratorium is an “opportunity for House Republicans to lead with reform and re-establish a better process.”

A list of all fundraisers for Appropriations Committee members can be found here.

Levin will appear at a breakfast fundraiser for Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ken.) on March 22 at the National Democratic Club Townhouse.  A few days later on March 25, Levin will attend a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Business Council Breakfast fundraiser, where he will be joined by Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.), Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.). Party Time’s database shows only two other occasions when Levin hosted fundraisers for another lawmaker – once in the spring of 2008 and once in the summer of 2008 – but bear in mind that Party Time does not receive invitations to every fundraiser, and the Michigan lawmaker may well have hosted other events.

When it comes to raising money, Levin is overshadowed by his predecessor. Since he became chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in 2007, Rangel raised nearly $7 million for his campaign committee, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. In the 2008 election cycle, he donated nearly $1.3 million to Democratic candidates, making him the second biggest donor in candidate-to-candidate contributions. Since 2007, Rangel raised nearly $2.5 million for his leadership PAC, of which a nearly $900,000 was donated to other federal candidates.

In the current election cycle, Levin has raised more than $700,000 and has donated $26,000 to fellow Democratic candidates. He has also donated $140,000 to the DCCC. In the 2010 cycle, Levin’s leadership PAC has raised $18,000.

We are seeing pleas from fundraisers come over our transom saying things like, “Is there any way you can help out Congressman x before the end of the quarter?” and “As you know, Congressman Y has gotten off to a late start…she could use any help you could give her before the 31st.” (Language changed slightly to protect our sources.)

For candidates in competitive races, picking up fundraising at the end of the quarter is a way to boost numbers reported to the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) and thereby intimidate opponents. For those in safe seats, it’s also a way of brandishing power.

Consider the invite below for Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). “Come celebrate the end of the quarter with Sen. Chuck Grassley,” it says. While Grassley has said he won’t start campaigning formally until August, he’s been actively fundraising for since his last election. He’s already got $5 million cash on hand compared to $503,000 for  his Democratic opponent, Roslyn Conlin. While Grassley’s favorability ratings have slipped a bit lately, the race is still considered to be a solid win for Republicans.

In all, 19 lobbyists themselves have donated nearly $30,000 to Lungren’s campaign fund since 2004, based on Party Time analysis of federal campaign finance records. Their firms have also donated more than $133,000 through their Political Action Committees (PACs), and many of their firm’s clients have also donated to Lungren over the course of his career.

For example, one of the event’s hosts, Barney Skladany, of the lobbying firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld, represents high-profile clients including AT&T and Johnson & Johnson, two of Lungren’s top donors in this election. Skladany also represents The Dow Chemical Company, the Corrections Corporation of America, Delhaize Group, Liberty Mutual and PG&E Corp, all of which have donated to Lungren through their PACs.

Other hosts for tonight’s event include Shannon Campagna, who represents Safeway Inc., James Norton, who lobbies for General Dynamics, and Tom Boyd who represents DLA Piper. All of these companies are top donors to the Lungren campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Later this month, on March 18, Dupart will host yet another party for Colorado Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D). Perlmutter has secured more than $1.4 million in funding for the interchange. The construction project is currently in its final stage of completion.

The Normandy Group also represents Forest City Enterprises, the developer of a 184-acre bioscience park in Aurora, Colo. In this last election cycle, Forest City’s PAC has donated $2,000 to Perlmutter’s campaign. Also, in the 2008 election cycle, Forest City’s PAC contributed $2,500 to Markey’s campaign.

Albert Ratner, co-Chairman of the board of Forest City, donated $2,000 to Markey last year. James Ratner, chairman and CEO of the Forest City Commercial Group, and Ronald Ratner, an executive vice president and director of Forest City, each donated $500 to Perlmutter in 2006.

Lobbyists and Political Action Committees (PACs), some of whom represent Burr’s biggest donors, are hosts of many of these functions. One upcoming event—scheduled for March 17—lists 25 hosts alone. These include Robert Chamberlin of McBee Strategic Consulting, whose clients include FedEx Corp, a top donor to Burr’s campaign fund, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Ed Kutler, a lobbyist for Clark & Weinstock, represents another top campaign donor, AmerisourceBergen. Another host is Charles Symington, who represents the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America, a top donor to Burr’s leadership PAC, the Next Century Fund.

In all, half of the top 20 donors to Burr’s campaign from 2005-2010 are represented by lobbyists or PACs hosting fundraising events for the senator, including Reynolds American, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and GlaxoSmithKline. The records do not reveal whether employees of these companies or PACs actually attended the events. Though lobbyists and lobbying firms were frequently listed in Burr’s fundraising invitations, the campaign has not identified any bundled contributions raised by lobbyists to the Federal Elections Commission. The requirements for reporting bundled contributions are weak, and are easily avoided.

Of the 38 parties that raised money for Burr since January 2009, 33 of them were held in Washington, D.C., and featured 54 registered lobbyists and 21 PACs as hosts—all representing interests with business before Congress. These lobbyists and PACs have collectively given Burr’s campaign committee directly more than $106,000 in contributions, and provided opportunities for access for other donors.

Burr began 2009 as one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents, with low approval ratings in the Tarheel state, but recent polling numbers show him less vulnerable than he had been. Politico pegged Burr’s race a “bellwether” for the national zeitgeist—if things seem to be swinging the GOP’s way, he “shouldn’t have much trouble winning a second term.” A recent Rasmussen poll shows he leads both of his potential Democratic rivals by wide margins. Cook Political Report currently lists the VA race as “likely Republican.”

Though his political fortunes have changed, Burr continues to hold fundraising events at a prodigious pace, attracting a wide range of Washington insiders to his campaign events:

·    Last March, nine lobbyists from the Podesta Group broke from the Democratic proclivities of their boss, Tony Podesta, and were hosts for donors invited to a breakfast with Burr. Among the companies some of them represent, which are donors to Burr: Genzyme, Tyco International, and General Electric. Collectively, these lobbyists gave Burr $5,500, spread over the period from March to June. (The nine lobbyists are: Sharon Cohen, Kimberley Fritts, Randall Gerard, Lauren Maddox, David Marin, Elizabeth Morra, John Scofield, John Shank, and Missi Tessier.)

·    Four lobbyists from BGR Holding, whose president, Bob Wood, used to work for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, hosted this breakfast on June 11 for the senator. Together, the lobbyists represent a long list of clients, including such Burr top donors as GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer Inc. Of the four lobbyists–Bob Wood, Jennifer Larkin, Lukawski, Loren Monroe, Mary-Lacey Reuther–Lukawski and Reuther each contributed $500 to Burr on June 29, 2009.

·    On June 24, several lobbyists representing Con-way, the trucking firm, hosted a breakfast for Burr; also listed as hosts were the PACs for the lobbying firm hired by the company, Venable LLP, and the company itself, which have each given Burr $2,500. Jim Burnley and John O’Neil both represent Con-Way at Venable; Randy Mullett (see his bio here) is  vice president of government relations and government affairs for the company. The fourth host, Diann Howland, lobbies for the American Benefits Council, where she focuses on benefits issues. She’s listed as giving the senator $1,000 on June 29. Conway hired Venable in part to lobby on pension issues.

Burr’s office did not return phone calls seeking information about these fundraisers.

From press reports, we know we get see a slice of all the events where Boehner and Hoyer appear. CQ Politics recently wrote that Boehner had headlined 127 events around the country in 2009 and raised $13.7 million. The interactive map below shows 53, most of them in the shadow of the Capitol building. Click on the flags to see details about the events.

But as she runs for reelection, her campaign is relying on two lobbyists, Mary Anne Walsh and Jenny DiJames, who represent many drug makers and other health care concerns to host March 4 fundraiser for the Buckeye state freshman.

Many of DiJames’ clients are top tier drug companies, including Pfizer, in which Kilroy holds shares. DiJames’ firm, William & Jensen, lobbied on the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2009, a bill that Kilroy co-sponsored. The bill, opposed by the drug industry, would require the government to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies for lower prescription drug prices in a government-run prescription plan.

Walsh, the former chief of staff to Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), has donated $750 to Kilroy’s campaign since 2008. Other clients of hers include the Akron General Hospital Systems and the American Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers.

Kilroy is also a key player pushing, along with other members of Congress and the Federal Trade Commission, for an end to “pay for delay” drug settlements, in which pharmaceutical companies pay generic companies not to compete against their brand name products. These settlements delay the entry of lower-cost generic drugs on the market. A ban on “pay for delay” negotiations is contained in the House approved health care bill and is also in President Barack Obama’s recent health care proposal.

In 2008, Kilroy won the election over Republican Steve Stivers by less than one percent of the vote. Stivers is challenging her again this year for a seat that has been held by a Republican for more than 40 years. Stivers is holding a fundraiser with Gov. Arnold Schwarzeneggar on March 5. So far, Stivers has raised more than $500,000 on the campaign trail, with notable donors including leading drug makers and insurance companies like Abbott Laboratories and AETNA. Kilroy has surpassed Stivers with more than $1 million in donations.

DiJames and Walsh did not return calls asking for comment.