Pow(d)er Fundraising
The snow is flying out west, where several lawmakers plan this week to fundraise while skiing:
- Rep. Ed Whitfield, Republican of Kentucky, will be welcoming donors to Vail on January 7-8; cost is $2,500 per PAC.
- Also in Vail on January 8 will be Democrat Rep. Diana Degette, for her annual fundraising event there. (Here’s last year’s invite.) She’s asking $5,000 per PAC, $2,400 per individual donor.
- In Park City, Utah this weekend is Republican Sen. Bob Bennett, who also hosts an annual ski fundraising event. He wants $5,000 for a “PAC sponsor,” $3,000 for a PAC, and $2,000 for an individual.
Weekend at the races
If the economic news has you a bit leery about investing, here’s more of a sure thing: a planned weekend at the races for Rep. Ed Whitfield. Horses, that is, in Kentucky, Whitfield’s home state. The ask is $1,500 for an individual, $2,500 per PAC per couple, and $5,000 to be a host.
Betting on Whitfield, a Republican, gives you access to a lawmaker who has a seat on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, where he is ranking member on the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection.
Whitfield is not facing a particularly tough race, so he’s a pretty sure thing. He’s already raised $709,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, compared to his opponent, who has taken in about $8,000. His top contributing sector, by far, is the health care industry. Although he doesn’t need much cash he does figure out how to make good use of it. His expenditure records show that he spent more than $17,000 on hotels in Vail, Colorado last winter.
2 CommentsPARTYFINDER™ Hints
Beneficiary: congressional candidate, lawmaker, or entity which collects funds raised at party
Host: person who is hosting party-often, but not always, a registered federal lobbyist
Venue Name: where the party is
Entertainment Type: type of gathering, such as "breakfast," "ski trip," "bowling"
Other Lawmakers Mentioned: lawmakers mentioned on invitation who are used as a draw for the event
Sunlight's Party Time is a project to track parties for members of Congress or congressional candidates that happen all year round in Washington, D.C. and beyond. (read more)
We also post information we receive about parties where members of Congress are expected to participate—such as convention or inaugural parties.
Since we don't hear about all the parties, you can also tell us if you know where the party is and we don't.
