House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., plans to unwind from the stressful debt negotiations tomorrow evening by attending a “Day at the Park” to benefit his Every Republican is Crucial leadership PAC.

The fundraiser at Nationals Park, once known as the Cantor Carnival, seems to be an annual event for the Republican leader. In 2009, Party Time reported on the connections between Rep. Cantor and the real estate lobbyists who hosted the event.

The invitation for this year’s fundraiser does not list any hosts but does feature the allure of  a “batting cage, arcade games, arts & crafts, face painting, live music, and much much more.” The suggested contributions are $500 for an individual, $1,500 for a PAC, and $2,500 for a PAC Host.

Although the fundraiser is scheduled to take place at Nationals Park, there will be no game that night. On any day a game is not scheduled the space is available for rent. The price to rent a space at the park depends on which section of the stadium you want but unless the majority leader intends to engage in some on-field batting practice (a price of $20,000), a few attendees to the event should cover the cost.

The congressional district where President Barack Obama was born and raised could go to the G.O.P., according to a recently-leaked White House poll which found Republican candidate Charles Kong Djou tied with Democrat Ed Case. Democrat Colleen Hanabusa–who has backing from both Hawaii senators–runs a distant third.

The special election for Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District is an open race where candidates from all parties appear on the same ballot and the winner takes all. The election is mainly vote-by-mail and results will be announced on May 22. The seat was vacated by Democratic Rep. Neil Abercrombie in February, when he resigned to run for Governor of Hawaii. The winner would serve out the remainder of Abercrombie’s term.

Politico, which obtained the leaked poll, quoted a senior White House official who said that the data points to Case as the best chance for Democrats to maintain the seat.

The poll surveyed 500 likely voters and found Djou and Case in a virtual tie with 36 percent and 34 percent of the vote respectively, while Hanabusa trails at 20 percent.

Hanabusa, a Hawaii State Senator, has raised $716,000, the most of all candidates in the race, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Djou, a Honolulu City Council member and former member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, has raised $545,000, while Case, a former U.S. Representative for Hawaiis 2nd Congressional District, has raised $399,000.

Party Time has only one fundraiser on file for this competitive race; A fundraiser for Djou on March 10 at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington. For $2,500, a political action committee could have co-hosted the event while individual supporters could donate $250. Also listed on the invite were Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. The distribution was paid for by the National Republican Congressional Committee.

With the exception of former Republican Pat Saiki who had the seat for four years in the late 1980s, Democrats have held Hawaii’s 1st Congressional District seat since it was first established in 1971.

With the May 18 special election right around the corner, the race to snag former Democratic Rep. John Murtha’s seat representing Pennsylvania’s 12th district is heating up.

Both candidates, Republican Tim Burns and Democrat Mark Critz, a former aide to Murtha, held practical mirror-image fundraisers on the same day last week.

Burns held a reception at the Capitol Hill Club and was joined by Republican Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Republican Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., the National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions, and the Pennsylvania Republican Delegation.

Around the same time, Critz held a reception at Lounge 201, a bar the Washington Post calls “A Sinatra-style Capitol Hill martini lounge for those tired of the $2 Budweiser scene.” In attendance were Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen, and the Pennsylvania Democratic Delegation.

A recent poll by Public Policy Polling shows that Burns holds a small lead over Critz. Murtha was the first Democrat since 1942 to represent Pennsylvania’s 12th district, a position he held for more than 35 years. The Cook Political Report describes the race as a “toss up.”

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Burns also leads in fundraising. He has raised nearly $550,000, while Critz has raised less than $400,000. But Critz may have an ace in the hole: the Washington Post reports that Murtha’s earmarks for area defense contractors might continue paying dividends to Critz, the aide that used to request them. “Defense contractors, local business officers and lobbyists that relied on earmarked federal contracts from Murtha…recently chipped in $142,400,” the Post found.

Murtha was a central figure in the PMA Group scandal; the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct cleared him of wrongdoing. When he worked for Murtha, who served as chair of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Critz compiled the list of earmarks that Murtha would fund. According to the Post, Murtha “routinely approved the list his staff gave him without making any changes.”

This just came in from a trusted source: not an invitation, per se, but an invitation to be listed on an invitation from former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney–widely seen as a frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, which provides a window on to how these events are organized.

Romney was trolling (deadline was yesterday) for hosts and co-hosts for an event benefiting his Political Action Committee,  Free & Strong America PAC, on Feb. 11, for bowling at Lucky Strike Lanes. His ask: raise or contribute $1,000 to be a host, $500 to be a co-host.

Romney has used the PAC to contribute to such candidates as the new senator from Massachusetts, Scott Brown, (Romney takes credit for Brown’s win here) as well as GOP leaders such as House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.)

I want you to be among the first to know about an upcoming event for the Free and Strong America PAC, featuring Gov. Romney.  On Wednesday, February 17th, Mitt will be in DC and is doing an event for his PAC at 7:00 pm.

I hope you will consider being a Host or Co-Host for this fun event – Bowling with Mitt.  The money raised will go toward the important efforts of Mitt’s Free and Strong America PAC to promote conservative causes and help Republican candidates in 2010.

Are you able to serve as a Host or Co-Host (and have your name listed on the invitation) for the “Bowling with Mitt” event on February 17th? The price to attend will be $150/person, and we are asking Hosts to raise or contribute $1,000 and Co-Hosts to raise or contribute $500.  If you are interested, please e-mail Gretchen Moss at gretchen@gretchenmoss.com, and let us know how you would like your name listed on the invitation. The deadline for getting names on the initial invitation is Monday, February 1st at 5:00 PM.  Please also forward this e-mail to any others that you think may be interested in Hosting or Co-Hosting.  Complete Event details are below:

Bowling with Mitt

and Celebrity Bowlers

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

7:00 pm

Lucky Strike Lanes

Gallery Place

701 7th Street NW
Second Floor

Washington, DC, 20001

Host: Give or raise $1,000

Co-Host: Give or raise $500

Attend: $150

Contributions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Federal law requires us to obtain and report the name, mailing address, occupation and name of employer for each individual whose contributions aggregate in excess of $200 per calendar year. By law, the maximum amount an individual may contribute is $5,000 ($10,000 per couple) per calendar year. PACs may also contribute $5,000 per calendar year. Contributions by corporations, foreign nationals (non-green card holders), labor unions, federal government contractors, and minors under the age of 16 are prohibited.

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Rep. Eric Cantor has gone to bat for real estate lobbyists who party for him, supporting their legislative goals. Specifically he championed laws creating a government safety net for the commercial insurance industry to limit exposure for terrorist acts. He also backed legislation to ease tax laws for real estate
investment trusts, known as the REIT Investment Diversification and Empowerment Act.

Sandra “Sam” and Marty Depoy, the lead hosts for the Cantor carnival that Party Time analyzed for Harper’s Magazine (Click here to see it–payment required), lobby for the real estate industry.

Sandra is a vice president at the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), a trade group that represents the vacation ownership and resort industry.

Marty labors for the Bockorny group, a lobbying firm whose clients include ARDA and the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), where he used to work.

Another lobbyist listed on the invitation, Robert Dibblee, is vice president of government relations for NAREIT.

Cantor was one of the early supporters after the attacks on 9/11 for legislation to create a government safety net for the commercial insurance industry to limit exposure for future terrorist acts. He also voted for a recent extension of the program in late 2007, despite criticism from some conservatives who saw the bill as a handout to the insurance industry.

Sandra DePoy’s employer, ARDA, is an enthusiastic proponent of this legislation, through a group called the Coalition to Insure Against Terrorism. Martin DePoy has served as the coalition’s steering committee coordinator, and staffers for NAREIT, Dibblee’s employer, are listed as communications contacts for the group.

In 2007, Cantor also sponsored legislation to ease tax laws for real estate investment trusts, known as the REIT Investment Diversification and Empowerment Act. This was a key bill for NAREIT, Dibblee’s employer. A version of the legislation eventually was folded into the massive housing legislation passed in the summer of 2008, which bailed at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. (Protesting the provisions concerning Fannie and Freddie, most Republicans voted against the final version of the bill, as did Cantor.)

Cantor collects more cash from the real estate industry than any other, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Some 40 percent of his own personal holdings are in finance. Cantor earned a degree in real estate from Columbia University, and in his early career worked with his family’s real estate development business.

There’s the usual chicken-and-egg question here–does Cantor’s support for the real estate industry flow from his close connections with lobbyists and donors? Or does he enjoy the support of the real estate industry because he champions it? Most likely the answer is: both. Surely it doesn’t escape a top fundraiser like Cantor that the real estate sector, even the midst of the current economic meltdown, is one of the major sources of campaign cash to lawmakers, period.

Question: How does House Minority Whip Eric Cantor raise millions of dollars for himself and his GOP colleagues? Answer: Lots of partying. (You can read Party Time’s analysis of a carnival fundraiser Cantor’s leadership PAC hosted last summer in this month’s Harper’s Magazine, payment required.)

Here at Party Time we’ve got more than 60 events in our database–and counting more by the day –either hosted by Rep. Eric Cantor’s campaign committee (click here); his leadership PAC, Every Republican is Crucial (click here); or where he is featured as a draw (click here) to get others to pony up. This easily puts him in the upper rank of partying members of Congress according to our data, along with other leadership figures such as Democrat Rep. Steny Hoyer and GOP House Minority Leader John Boehner.

To help tell the story of how he does it, above is a word cloud made up of words found on his fundraising invitations. And here is a glossary to help understand it.

“CAPITOL HILL CLUB”: The Republicans’ club on the Capitol Hill, and one of the most popular partying spots in the city.

“STARBUCKS” and “COFFEE”: You can find Cantor about once a month at the Starbucks at 237 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, where, for $2,500 per PAC, you can “enjoy your morning cup of coffee with Congressman Cantor.”

“DINNER, RECEPTION,  LUNCH, etc.”: You get the idea. Cantor participates in fundraisers from dawn until dusk, often attending more than on on any particular day.

“DEPOY”: Marty and Sandra Depoy are the lobbyists, largely for real estate interests, who host fundraisers for many lawmakers–Democrats and Republicans alike.

“BOHENER, BLUNT, CAMP, etc.”: Names of GOP members of Congress who are also appearing at or are beneficiaries of fundraisers featuring Cantor.

Check out the June issue of Harper’s Magazine (see link here: alas, it’s a pay site) for your Party Time hostess’ analysis of this carnival thrown last summer by Rep. Eric Cantor’s leadership PAC, Every Republican is Crucial (ERIC PAC).

House Minority Whip Cantor earns his clout with his colleagues the old fashioned way–by raising millions of dollars for himself and other GOPers. In the first three months of this year alone, he raised more than $960,000, doubling his take from the comparable first quarter of the last non-election year, 2007, according to Congressional Quarterly. In 2006, when he led the GOP Battleground Program, the party took in some $25 million.

For his carnival shindig last summer, ERIC PAC rented a 15,000-square-foot party space at Nationals Park, a major league baseball stadium. His guests took batting practice, tossed balls at a dunking booth, hopped on the Moon Bounce, and played video games at the Sony PlayStation Pavillion.

Go to Harper’s to read the piece–and stay tuned here for tidbits that didn’t make it in.

American News Project journalist Harry Hanbury deserves some sort of award for his quest to go to every single congressional fundraiser held in Washington, DC in a single day. Check out this great video report in which he captures lobbyists, staffers, and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), one of the GOP’s biggest fundraisers, on tape. And we’re blushing that Hanbury relied on us truly to figure out where to party.