Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Chris Dodd set off a firestorm of criticism last week when he suggested that Hollywood would withhold campaign money from President Obama and lawmakers who don’t toe the Hollywood line on online piracy.

Losing support of the entertainment industry would not be insignificant for the president: In 2011, DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg gave $2 million to Priorities USA, the super PAC backing Obama. Another major bankroller is Harvey Weinstein, co-founder of Miramax Films, who along with Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour last August co-hosted a $71,600-a-couple fundraiser for Obama at his New York home.

But so far at least, Party Time hasn’t detected any slowdown in the entertainment industry’s enthusiasm for the president, despite the White House’s decision to put the brakes on the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA). Just a few days before the White House raised concerns about the legislation, which is being enthusiastically backed by the entertainment industry, Obama was raising funds at  the New York City  home of director Spike Lee.

In addition, Party Time records show a Feb. 7 Runway to Win fundraiser scheduled for the Obama Victory Fund 2012. Hosts for the event include: Wintour, actress Scarlet Johansson,  hip-hop moguls Sean Combs and Russell Simmons, singer Beyonce, and fashion designers Diane Von Furstenberg, Marc Jacobs and Vera Wang. Party Time records also show a Jan. 9 reception fundraiser in DC featuring featuring singer-songwriter Sarah Bareilles. Both the fashion and music industries support SOPA.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, the SOPA debate has set off a $100 million lobbying war. Both the entertainment companies who back SOPA and the tech giants who oppose it have lined up blue-chip lobbyists who are regulars on the Party Time circuit.

Former Rep. Victor Fazio, D-Calif., now a lobbyist at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, represents AT& T, a proponent of SOPA. He was one of the hosts at a dinner fundraiser benefiting Democrats Win Seats, the leadership PAC of Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., a SOPA supporter and the Democratic Party’s national chair. Reps. Karen Bass, D-Calif and Ted Deutch D-Fla., both SOPA supporters, and Reps. Adam Smith, D-Wash., and Bruce Braley, SOPA opponents, were listed among those scheduled to attend. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Senate Judiciary Committee member and one of the four co-sponsors of PIPA, has had several  fundraisers featuring lobbyists from tApple (has not formally stated a position on SOPA), the Motion Picture Association of America, Time Warner and Time Warner Cable.

And as we’ve previously told you in this space, companies backing SOPA have held several fundraisers benefitting Reps. Howard Berman, Adam Schiff, Joe Baca and Mary Bono Mack of California .

Not to be outdone, the tech industry, which sent a powerful message Jan. 18 about its distaste for SOPA on popular websites such as  Google, Wikipedia and Craigslist, has been well represented on the Party Time circuit.

Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Ark., a member of the Judiciary Committee is one of the 27 co-sponsors of SOPA; on the day of the online protest, he issued a press release withdrawing his support, saying his constituents have “made clear” their opposition to legislation.   Alex Vogel of Mehlman, Vogel and Castagnetti, who once worked for then-Republican Senate Leader Bill Frist, was one of the four hosts for Griffin’s reception in early December of last year. Vogel clients include CC Media Holdings, eBay Inc., Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and Yahoo! Inc.  Yahoo! and eBay are opponents of SOPA. Also hosting the fundraiser were other lobbyists representing a range of communications interests, including some on both sides of the SOPA debate:  Marc Lampkin, who represents AT&T, Microsoft Corporation, Sony Corporation and Visa Inc. Kathryn Lehman, who represents Google Inc. and Verizon Communications, and Susan Hirschmann, who represents Comcast Corporation, National Cable & Telecommunications Association, Recording Industry Association of America; US Chamber of Commerce and Visa Inc.

Sen. John Cornyn R-Texas, the chairman National Republican Senatorial Committee and a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee member, is another former backer of anti-piracy legislation who shifted his position.  Cornyn’s Alamo PAC had two fundraisers featuring a lobbyist from Clear Channel, Verizon Communications and AT&T, all supporters of SOPA. But after the online protest, the Texan took to  Facebook to share misgivings about the legislation those companies are backing.“Better to get this done right rather than fast and wrong. Stealing content is theft, plain and simple, but concerns about unintended damage to the internet and innovation in the tech sector require a more thoughtful balance, which will take more time,” Cornyn wrote.

Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., also once supported the anti-piracy bill but now opposes it. According to Party Time records, he had a fundraiser hosted by lobbyists Doyle Barlett and Becky Relic. Barlett represents clients such as Comcast Corporation, eBay, and the US Chamber of Commerce. Relic represents eBay. Another supporter-turned-opponent, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., had a fundraiser in which three of the hosts are lobbyists who represent Comcast, National Cable and Telecommunications Association, Time Warner Cable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

There are a few lawmakers who have not formally expressed a stand on SOPA. One example is House Oversight Committee member Rep. Ed Towns, D-N.Y. At his 25th Annual Taste of New York fundraising event,  Towns had lobbyists representing both sides of the SOPA debate as hosts. Paul Braitwaite, a lobbyist for the Podesta Group represents Google, Time Warner Cable and the National Association of Broadcasters is listed as one of the hosts. The list of hosts for Towns event also included Roger Mott with Verizon Communications, Lyndon Boozer of AT&T, Matt Gelman of Microsoft and Jesse McCollum, a lobbyist with the Eris Group representing the Comcast Corporation.

As the Republican presidential contest heats up, the focus is on the close finish last week’s Iowa caucuses and Tuesday’s all-important New Hampshire primary. But the candidates have been lavishing plenty of attention elsewhere.

From fundraisers at donors’ residences and corporate offices to fancy receptions, they’re making time to show in states that historically have produced the most campaign donations, including California, Florida, Illinois, New York and Texas.

Click here for a list of fundraisers we’ve collected from these states.

The “ATM states” as pols sometimes dub their favorite cash cows, are proud of their status as candidate magnets.

“California is home to the largest Republican donor base upon the planet, and any well-organized candidate who’s going to work to raise money must include California,” Ron Nehring, former chairman of the state GOP told the Los Angeles Times.

One leading candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, has attended multiple fundraisers in California including one at the home of Sun Microsystems founder Scott McNealy. On Sept. 26, literary agent and now Romney adviser and finance chair, Jillian Manus Salzman hosted a lunch fundraiser for Romney at her residence.

Despite spending a lot of time prepping for the New Hampshire primary, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman hosted a luncheon at a restaurant in North Hollywood and a VIP Reception and luncheon in Los Angeles.

Florida and New York are also popular stops on the political money trail. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is scheduled to be the guest speaker at The Orange County Republican Executive Committee 2012 Lincoln Day Dinner on Jan. 28.

Party Time records show Romney holding a breakfast reception and an evening reception in New York City, a lunch reception in Orlando, Fla., and an evening event Tampa, Fla., starting last summer.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry held his Sunshine State Kickoff during the month of September, holding events in Miami, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Palm Beach.

Candidates also have been active in South Carolina, which hosts the South’s first primary on Jan. 21.

Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., was the guest speaker at several events and fundraisers in Lake Wylie, Greenville and Berkeley. On Sept. 15, he was the guest speaker at the South Carolina Republican Party fundraiser. He also attended an Oct. 26 fundraiser that benefited the Spartanburg Republican Party.

A few days after announcing his presidential candidacy, Perry, was the special guest at the “First in the South” luncheon hosted by the South Carolina Republican Party.

Please help Sunlight build our presidential fundraising database! Submit any invitations, fundraising fliers or event information anonymously here or via email at partytime@sunlightfoundation.com

Five Republican candidates hope to be the GOP pick in the race for the Senate seat currently held by Evan Bayh in the May 4 Indiana Primary. Bayh announced in February that he would not seek re-election because he no longer loves congress; polling data suggested the two-termer faced an uphill battle for reelection.

Many of the Republican candidates have received endorsements from current members of Congress. Rep. Mike Pence, of Indiana’s 6th congressional district, endorsed former Indiana Sen. Dan Coats for the job; Coats was recruited by national party officials to run. So far, Coats is the Republican front-runner, and has raised nearly $500,000–mostly from individual contributions, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. His most recent fundraiser in Party Time’s database was a $2,400-per-person reception and dinner at Bobby Van’s Grill on March 22.

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., made headlines by backing Indiana State Senator Marlin A. Stutzmann, who displays the endorsement prominently on his website. Stutzman has raised a little more than $250,000, according to CRP.

Other GOP candidates include former 8th congressional district Rep. John Hostettler, financial adviser Don Bates Jr., and businessman Richard Behney. Hostettler, who has raised about $52,000, has received the endorsement of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas.

The winner of the GOP primary will face Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth, of Indiana’s 8th Congressional District, who has raised more than $1 million; Ellsworth does not face a primary opponent–he was chosen by officials in Indiana’s state Democratic party.

Though he won’t run again, Bayh has held two fundraisers; one on April 2, hosted by the high-profile law and lobbying firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer, and one on March 10th, for a concert hosted by the staff of the National Association of Federal Credit Unions.

We just went by the Epic nightclub, where a party for the Republican Governors Association (RGA) was underway, sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute, the National Mining Association, and the American Gas Association.

Yet again, we were turned away by a pleasant gatekeeper, who did confirm that it was Mississippi Governor “Haley Barbour’s party” that we were not allowed to attend. “I’m sorry, but you’re not on the list.” Who was on the list? I looked while she paged through it and saw some company names leap out: Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and the lobbying firm the Dutko Group.

Meanwhile, there was a lot of energy on the streets. Outside the RGA party protestors rallied. We saw some folks from Code Pink and some people who described themselves as “lobbyists for lobbyists” protesting what they said were Sen. John McCain’s and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s ties to big oil.

A few blocks away a different crowd gathered in front of the Target Center. It was a group of Ron Paul supporters, who had attended a “Rally for the Republic” featuring Paul. Paul had tried and failed to get a speaking role at the Republican National Convention. The event’s organizers claimed they sold over 10,000 tickets.