Amidst talk that redistricting may diminish their numbers in Congress, the Republican Illinois congressional delegation will gather for a fundraiser tomorrow night. All eleven Illinois GOP House members and the state’s GOP Senator, Mark Kirk, will hold a communal fundraiser for their state party at the home of Bernie Robinson, a lobbyist for the Livingston Group.

Last month, the Democrat-controlled state legislature of Illinois released a redistricting map that could put as many as six Republicans in danger of losing their seats come next election. The map, which still awaits final approval from the governor, redraws several Republican-held districts to include areas that tend to vote heavily Democratic. A lawsuit may be in the works to challenge the bill when it becomes law, but until that happens the Illinois GOP is turning to fundraising to bolster their electoral chances.

Robinson, who’s hosting the fundraiser, has an Illinois connection. According to his profile page on the Livingston Group’s website, Robinson was the lead lobbyist for the state of Illinois from 1999 to 2001. Robinson was also once chief of staff to Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

All donations at the event will be made to the Illinois Republican Party, not to the members of Congress themselves, who are listed as special guests “not asking for funds.”

Listed contributions start at $50 for a young professional and top out at $2,000 for a PAC Host.

Tomorrow, on the day the House votes to repeal the health care reform law, Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., has booked a fundraising lunch specifically catering to health care industry donors.

And as the Republican-led repeal effort unfolds tomorrow, there are nine other fundraisers planned for GOP members of the Energy and Commerce committee such as Guthrie on Wednesday and Thursday alone, giving ample opportunity for health care industry lobbyists and PAC managers to find face time with the crucial players in the health care debate.

The committee will be working on changes to the health care law this Congress, as an all-out repeal is unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Other than these events, Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., also on the committee, has planned a duck hunt fundraiser on Friday, with suggested PAC donations of $2,000 or $5,000, in his home state.

Throughout the week, at least 29 fundraisers have been planned for House Republicans and Democrats, according to Party Time’s database.

John Shimkus, R-Ill., one of the top-ranking members on the Energy and Commerce panel, has booked a lunch at Sonoma Restaurant and Wine Bar in downtown D.C. tomorrow, asking PACs for as much as $2,000 at the event.

On Thursday morning, just before the House is scheduled to meet at 9 a.m., both Guthrie and Shimkus have early breakfasts scheduled at the Capitol Hill Club. That morning, the House will be considering a resolution to instruct relevant committees to report bills to replace the 2010’s health care overhaul law.

Asked about the timing of the events, Shimkus spokesman Steve Tomaszewski said, “They were set before the schedule was changed.”

A vote on the repeal was originally planned for last week but was postponed by House leadership after the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and 18 others in Tucson, Ariz.

Neither Shimkus nor Guthrie has confirmed that the events are indeed taking place.

Meanwhile, tomorrow morning, Ed Whitfield, R-Ky., another top-ranking Energy and Commerce member, will be holding court at the Capitol Hill Club, a few hours before Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., the panel’s vice chair of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, has planned a lunch there.

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, an advocate of health care repeal and the chair emeritus of the committee, is scheduled to be honored at a “Return to the ‘Hill’” dinner tomorrow night at Charlie Palmer Steakhouse.

Two other committee members — Tim Murphy, R-Pa. and Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., co-chairs of the GOP doctor’s caucus — have made Thursday at noon a convenient time for lobbyists and PAC managers by planning simultaneous fundraisers at the Capitol Hill Club. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Gingrey was one of the top recipients of health care professionals campaign contributions last election cycle; Murphy raked in more from the health industry than any other.

Other GOP House members with scheduled fundraisers Wednesday and Thursday include Reps. Charlie Dent, R-Pa., Thad McCotter, R-Mich., Devin Nunes, R-Calif., Jim Gerlach, R-Penn., Sam Graves, R-Mo. (with two events), and Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.

Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam, R-Ill., has also included a fundraiser in his schedule this week: a Thursday breakfast at the downtown lobbying firm BGR group.

On the Democrats’ side, Reps. Russ Carnahan, D-Mo., and Joe Baca, D-Calif., have scheduled shindigs. Of course, the usual disclaimer applies here: there are likely more events taking place as Party Time does not grab all of Washington’s fundraisers.

Correction: Originally, this post mistakenly stated that Rep. Russ Carnahan represents Kansas. As a reader pointed out, he represents Missouri.

Well before the midterms, a small group of GOP lawmakers, three quarters of whom serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee, were already looking towards the next fundraising campaign.

The four congressmen arranged for a “Post Election Trip in Miami” this weekend as early as Oct. 8, when a GOP fundraising firm sent out email invitations asking for $2,500 from PACs and $1,500 from individuals to benefit each member’s political action committee. Other invitations from the National Republican Congressional Committee mistakenly called for $5,000 PAC donations, as The Hill reported. All four won re-election easily.

One of the lawmakers, Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., was among the House’s top recipients of health care professionals’ campaign dollars for the midterm elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. At least for him, the retreat is on, according to his campaign’s finance director Elizabeth Rhodes.

Another trip planner, Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., who is vying to chair the Energy committee, is a favorite of the pharmaceutical and health products industry among his House colleagues, according to CRP.

The Energy and Commerce Committee may try to chip away at parts of the Democrats’ health care overhaul next year, and its ranking member, Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, has said he would investigate the decisions of the Obama Administration’s top health appointees.

Gingrey has said he wants to repeal the law because it would slash doctors’ salaries and discourage people from entering medical school.

The health sector leads all others in donations to Gingrey’s campaign and PAC, and his top donors include pharmaceutical company Abbot Laboratories, the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons and OB-GYN PAC, according to CRP. The Georgia lawmaker, a former practicing physician, and Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Penn., a former psychologist, founded the GOP Doctors’ Caucus last year.

Murphy, who also planned the Miami getaway, gets more donations from the health and energy sectors than any others.

Also going along, invitations show, is John Campbell, R-Calif., who does not sit on the committee and gets most of his donations from the Finance, Insurance and Real Estate sector, CRP’s data shows.

Calls to Murphy, Shimkus and Campbell were not returned by the time of posting.

To keep tabs on all committees’ fundraisers, visit Parties by Committee.

Musician Dave Matthews, Obama supporter and environment activist, might find it odd if he knew that tomorrow’s D.C. concert is being used to raise money for Obama critic John Shimkus, R-Ill.

Shimkus, who walked out early during President Obama’s joint address to Congress on healthcare reform out of frustration, and who once worried whether reducing carbon emissions would deprive plants of needed food, would not appear to be Matthews’ favorite politician.

The guitarist played free concerts for Obama during the campaign in Indiana and Virginia, and wrote a letter to fans endorsing him. He reportedly buys carbon offsets and just recently, he signed on to the Global Zero campaign to rid the planet of nuclear weapons. That campaign supports the passage of the Obama Administration’s new START treaty with Russia.

Dave Mathews’ own lyrics seem on point, “Just for tonight, one night…and tomorrow, say goodbye.”

Shimkus’s spokesman, Steve Tomaszewski,  said the campaign planned the Nationals Park concert because donors “determine that the politics of the performer doesn’t matter because they’re contributing to the congressman.”

Shimkus will not actually attend the concert, as he will be in his home district, Tomaszewski said. To host the event, the invitation requests $2,000 from PACs and $1,000 from individuals while to attend, PACs and individuals are asked to shell out $1,000 and $500. A luxury box for the concert goes for between $1,900 and $3,200, not including catering. Calls to Shimkus’ fundraising team to ask how the campaign obtained the tickets were not returned.

This is the only Dave Mathews concert in Party Time files, which mostly captures events in Washington. The Illinois Congressman has also used a concert by the Black Eyed Peas (who played at the 2008 Democratic National Convention) and a Billy Joel and Elton John show to raise money.

Shimkus has 44 fundraisers in Party Time records this year.

This weekend, California Republican Rep. Devin Nunes’ political action committee, New PAC, will host the 2010 Sideways Tour, which promises an “unforgettable weekend on the California Coast” for those who pay anywhere from $5,000-$2,500 can “enjoy great weather, wine tasting and more”.

The film from which the fundraiser takes its name featured middle-aged men with quietly desperate lives gathering for interminable drinking, convenient philandering, and the occasional smash down by a motorcycle helmet or a naked chase along a wine country road from an angry husband.

NewPAC’s agenda is a bit more sedate: it includes a wine tour and at least two group dinners with Nunes and other special guests including Republican Reps. Tom Latham of Iowa, John Shimkus of Illinois, Kevin McCarthy of California, Bill Shuster of Pennsylvania, and Mike Simpson of Idaho. Guests must pay for their own travel and lodging, and are encouraged to stay at the award-winning Cliffs Resort on Shell Beach.

The invitation also advertises contributions of $5,000 for the New PAC Max Team which allows donors to attend any or all of the four 2010 New PAC events:  A Las Vegas Super Bowl party, the California Sideways tour, a Boston Celtics game and a Washington Dinner.

Nunes’ New PAC mainly funds House Republican congress members, as well as two Republican senators and the National Republican Congressional Committee. In 2008, New PAC contributed $5,000 to the legal defense fund for retiring Rep. John Doolittle, who was under investigation for his involvment with imprisoned lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

The invitation does not say whether there will be any Merlot.

Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL) has planned another concert fundraiser. This time it’s for a Keith Urban concert on August 20th at the Verizon Center. However, Shimkus is already planning to skip it:

We have a suite for the event and it will be for Congressman Shimkus….Congressman Shimkus will not be able to join us, but we will be doing a thank you breakfast in September when he returns for those who can help out and join us.

Shimkus apparently skips a lot of concert fundraisers. We blogged here about how he was planning on skipping an Elton John concert in July, and how he didn’t attend another in 2005. The congressman had received questions about whether throwing a fundraiser around an Elton John concert conflicted with his record of opposing gay rights.

The invitation suggests donations of $1,000.

This weekend looks to be chock-full of a variety of congressional fundraisers–the events include golf, baseball, a birthday cruise, a weekend escape to a casino resort, and last but certainly not least, the Elton and Billy concert at Nationals Park.

Rep. Melissa Bean (D-IL) is hosting her 3rd All-American Chicago Weekend which includes a Cubs v. Cardinals game from the Wrigley Field Rooftops. The invitation doesn’t give an indication as to which rooftop, but I’d wager the Congresswoman’s events planner has at least considered the Wrigley Field Rooftop Club’s MVP Suite.

According to Wikipedia, the Honorable Tom Latham (R-IA) is turning 61 on the 14th. In honor of his birthday donors can chip in $250-$2,500 to putz around on a boat named “Celebrity.”

Next up, Rep. Joe Courtney (D-CT) is offering to whisk his donors away to the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. Maybe they’ll have time to get in on a poker tournament while they are there. What’s a few hundred bucks after contributing the requested $2,000-$5,000 anyway?

Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) will be spending his weekend golfing and raising money near the beach for his First State Leadership PAC. $5,000 gets you in on the fun.

Finally, Reps. John Shadegg (R-AZ), Jean Schmidt (R-OH) and John Shimkus (R-IL) will be fundraising at the Face2Face concert on Saturday. I don’t want to beat a dead horse, so I’ll just ask that anyone who finds tickets on Craigslist email me, because $2,000 a ticket is a bit too rich for my blood and I would really love to go.

At least two members of the House of Representatives–both of whom are on record opposing gay rights–will be hosting fundraisers at the upcoming Billy Joel/Elton John “Face2Face” concert at Nationals Park on July 11.

In July 2006, Reps. John Shimkus (R-IL) and Jean Schmidt (R-OH) both voted to define marriage in the Constitution as a one man-one woman affair, according to ontheissues.org and the Human Rights Campaign.

In November 2007, both representatives voted against a measure aimed at prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. And in June 2008, they co-sponsored a bill to amend the Constitution to prevent same sex couples from marrying. Shimkus voted to ban gay adoptions in DC in July 1999. (Ontheissues records of these votes can be found here and here).

Sir Elton John has been a vocal advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and for global gay rights (see his foundation here, and attempts to raise public awareness here).

This isn’t Shimkus’ first Elton fundraiser. In 2005 the Kentucky Democrat reported:

“A spokesman for Shimkus, Steve Tomaszewski, said his boss’s fund-raiser at the Elton John concert was neither an endorsement of the singer’s politics nor a betrayal of Shimkus’ stand on gay marriage. Shimkus won’t attend himself, however, because of a scheduling conflict, Tomaszewski said.”

Tomaszewski confirmed Thursday to Party Time that the congressman will most likely not be attending the fundraiser on July 11 either. Rep. Schmidt’s director of communications would only agree to answer questions by email, and has not yet responded to Party Time.