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.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R)–who had been on the short list for a vice president pick–and a long guest list of lobbyists mingled this afternoon at a fete sponsored by the travel industry in the Carlson Hangar at the St. Paul Airport this afternoon. (Pawlenty is pictured here doing photo ops with attendees.)

They munched on doughnuts, Philly cheese steaks, popcorn, roast peanuts and enjoyed the open bar as they mingled. Around the venue were signs proclaiming, “Vote for travel! Vote for hospitality! Vote for real estate!” Sponsors included the American Hotel & Lodging Association, National Real Estate Organizations, Carlson, International Franchise Asssociation, Marriott, Starwood, and the Travel Industry Association.

And Party Time was there, thanks to our intrepid communications director, Gabriela Schneider. She  found an invitation to this event at another party the other night. We breezed right through the five checkpoints as we drove through a maze of roads at the private airport.

Inside we recognized Robert Dibblee, a lobbyist for the National Association  Real Estate Investment Trusts, who is the host of many congressional fundraisers back in Washington, D.C., why the industry hosted this event and a similar one in Denver.

He said that it was an opportunity to educate people about the tourism industry. I asked him what sort of audience they were aiming at, hosting events at political conventions. He said that it was a chance to talk to lawmakers, although there was “nothing specific” that they were discussing. I mentioned that these events were closed to the public. He said that was for “security concerns” but that they could give out inviations to the public, and that there were regular Minnesotans in attendance. (We have all this on tape but the audio is far from perfect.)