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The Washington Post and Washingtonpost.com examined campaign contributions from 2003 and 2007 for all Virginia General Assembly races. With all 100 seats in the House and all 40 seats in the Senate up for election in November, dozens of Virginia special interest groups -- lobbyists, companies and trade associations -- have been giving a higher percentage of campaign contributions to Democrats, who some analysts expect to take control of the Senate and make inroads in the House.
The Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit which is partially funded by newspapers, isolated 127 non-ideological political action committees that gave to at least 10 different General Assembly incumbents in both calendar year 2003 and the first 8 months of 2007. Here is a snapshot of what the numbers show:
- The percentage of money given by the committees to Democrats jumped from 31 percent to nearly 38 percent.
- Of the 127 committees, 71 PACs increased their donations to Democrats by at least 5 percent.
- Of the 127 committees, 37 PACs didn't change their donations to Democrats by at least 5 percent in either direction.
- Of the 127 committees, only 19 PACs lowered their donations to Democrats by 5 percent or more.
Click on the column labels below to sort by donor, yearly total, or by percentage given to Democrats.
| Donor | 2003 Total | Percent to Democrats | 2007 Total* | Percent to Democrats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Va State AFL-CIO | $52,200 | 95% | $44,750 | 100%  |
| Firefighters - Local 2068 | $11,550 | 91% | $25,250 | 90% |
| Patten Wornom Hatten & Diamonstein | $3,500 | 79% | $19,300 | 57% |
| Va Assn of Realtors - Nova | $14,750 | 70% | $46,500 | 77% |
| Nova Building Industry Assn | $20,500 | 66% | $18,500 | 46% |
| Va Education Assn | $50,850 | 64% | $34,815 | 61% |
| LeClair Ryan | $6,650 | 55% | $30,588 | 47% |
| IDI Management Corp | $9,950 | 53% | $13,250 | 25% |
| Fluor Daniels | $4,500 | 50% | $21,000 | 14% |
| Va Hospital & Healthcare Assn | $148,229 | 45% | $143,307 | 37% |
| Advance America Cash Advance | $8,850 | 45% | $26,250 | 48% |
| Dominion | $269,972 | 44% | $222,648 | 57% |
| Va Physical Therapy Assn | $5,500 | 41% | $3,950 | 32% |
| 409 Group | $4,400 | 40% | $13,250 | 36% |
| Nova Electric Cooperative | $6,000 | 38% | $3,500 | 57% |
| Home Builders Assn of Va | $118,678 | 38% | $97,525 | 42% |
| GlaxoSmithKline | $20,000 | 38% | $16,000 | 45% |
| AOL Inc | $39,750 | 37% | $40,750 | 40% |
| Columbia Gas of Va | $18,225 | 37% | $17,700 | 31% |
| Old Dominion Highway Contractors Assn | $35,700 | 37% | $31,500 | 44% |
| LogistiCare Solutions LLC | $27,650 | 36% | $20,000 | 49% |
| Va Dental Assn | $198,700 | 36% | $115,250 | 33% |
| Va Taxicab Assn | $31,750 | 36% | $34,500 | 33% |
| Va Auto Dealers Assn | $241,330 | 35% | $285,490 | 39% |
| Va Manufactured & Modular Housing Assn | $42,550 | 35% | $5,700 | 54% |
| Va Trial Lawyers Assn | $85,552 | 34% | $146,750 | 45% |
| Va Coalition of Motorcyclists | $4,450 | 34% | $3,300 | 15% |
| Va Society of Anesthesiologists | $37,050 | 34% | $28,750 | 33% |
| Va Health Care Assn | $85,750 | 34% | $90,750 | 42% |
| Nova Technology Council | $35,367 | 34% | $35,750 | 48% |
| Va Credit Union League | $79,190 | 34% | $64,300 | 42% |
| Norfolk Southern Corp | $33,800 | 34% | $30,300 | 32% |
| DIAGEO North America Inc | $48,750 | 34% | $22,750 | 44% |
| McGuire Woods | $47,871 | 34% | $41,692 | 38% |
| Waste Management Inc | $43,750 | 33% | $27,000 | 28% |
| National Distributing Co | $18,250 | 33% | $10,500 | 60% |
| Check into Cash of Va | $3,050 | 33% | $13,250 | 59% |
| Seven Eleven Inc | $31,000 | 33% | $40,350 | 45% |
| Consol Energy Inc | $9,000 | 33% | $30,250 | 39% |
| Va Wine Wholesalers Assn | $107,530 | 32% | $110,620 | 30% |
| Allen Allen Allen & Allen | $92,000 | 32% | $73,500 | 33% |
| Reed Smith LLP | $44,629 | 32% | $52,212 | 41% |
| Commercial Development PAC | $28,950 | 32% | $25,700 | 40% |
| Va Beverage Assn | $61,200 | 31% | $62,500 | 34% |
| American Institute of Architects - Va S | $14,200 | 31% | $8,750 | 27% |
| AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals | $14,500 | 31% | $4,000 | 25% |
| Williams Mullen | $58,073 | 31% | $52,050 | 31% |
| American Insurance Assn | $23,421 | 31% | $11,050 | 21% |
| Totals | $4,533,692 | 31% | $4,661,655 | 38% |
| Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce | $10,917 | 30% | $10,000 | 30% |
| Anheuser-Busch | $29,800 | 30% | $7,689 | 10% |
| Va Bankers Assn | $120,700 | 30% | $210,780 | 41% |
| Va Beer Wholesalers Assn | $115,589 | 30% | $85,234 | 29% |
| Apartment & Office Building Assn | $11,950 | 30% | $15,950 | 72% |
| Reynolds American | $14,374 | 30% | $20,693 | 46% |
| Northrop Grumman | $26,300 | 29% | $46,125 | 34% |
| Va Assn of Realtors - Richmond | $22,125 | 29% | $15,000 | 33% |
| Associated Distributors/The Charmer Sun | $13,175 | 29% | $40,550 | 21% |
| Coca-Cola Bottling Co Consolidated | $11,950 | 29% | $7,000 | 39% |
| HCA for Good Government | $51,150 | 29% | $40,500 | 20% |
| Va Independent Insurance Agents | $12,150 | 28% | $5,225 | 24% |
| Va Optometric Assn | $111,950 | 28% | $37,500 | 56% |
| Va Medical Society | $100,794 | 27% | $96,167 | 34% |
| Hunton & Williams | $27,350 | 27% | $40,849 | 35% |
| Verizon | $73,662 | 27% | $124,900 | 32% |
| Nationwide Insurance Co | $27,500 | 26% | $11,750 | 32% |
| Va Coal Assn | $50,750 | 26% | $52,500 | 30% |
| Sprint Nextel | $45,785 | 26% | $24,250 | 23% |
| Wachovia | $25,650 | 26% | $31,050 | 40% |
| Troutman Sanders | $60,542 | 26% | $47,965 | 36% |
| Va Sheriffs Assn | $23,813 | 26% | $40,475 | 36% |
| Motorola Corp | $15,000 | 25% | $11,000 | 27% |
| Va Law Enforcement Assn | $6,000 | 25% | $7,500 | 20% |
| CSX Corp | $25,060 | 25% | $7,900 | 48% |
| Appalachian Power Co | $23,475 | 25% | $35,700 | 39% |
| Va Assn of Electric Cooperatives | $19,350 | 25% | $15,050 | 42% |
| Wyeth Pharmaceuticals | $5,200 | 24% | $6,500 | 31% |
| Service Distributing Inc | $22,650 | 24% | $22,750 | 15% |
| Va Cable Telecom Assn | $65,205 | 24% | $68,796 | 36% |
| Va Petroleum Convenience and Grocery As | $26,650 | 24% | $14,950 | 50% |
| Coors Brewing Co | $12,350 | 24% | $10,159 | 24% |
| Bank of America | $40,050 | 23% | $37,500 | 38% |
| Genworth Financial | $18,750 | 23% | $49,300 | 29% |
| Abbott Laboratories | $11,900 | 23% | $7,750 | 36% |
| Smithfield Foods | $19,250 | 22% | $25,150 | 39% |
| Willcox & Savage | $10,250 | 22% | $15,000 | 23% |
| Retail Merchants Assn of Richmond | $4,545 | 22% | $7,350 | 14% |
| Va State Police Assn | $47,490 | 22% | $46,797 | 35% |
| Eli Lilly & Co | $20,500 | 22% | $16,828 | 30% |
| Va Poultry Federation | $4,750 | 22% | $8,100 | 38% |
| Medical Facilities of America | $36,950 | 22% | $23,000 | 11% |
| Va Society of Ophthalmology | $15,000 | 22% | $15,250 | 36% |
| Va Trucking Assn | $20,950 | 22% | $8,750 | 11% |
| Va Society of Certified Public Accounta | $27,450 | 21% | $17,476 | 17% |
| Altria | $61,922 | 20% | $57,447 | 23% |
| Va Assn of Realtors | $96,051 | 20% | $236,660 | 39% |
| Citigroup | $17,500 | 20% | $28,000 | 27% |
| Va Motorcoach Assn | $5,000 | 20% | $3,800 | 26% |
| Va Retail Merchants Assn | $14,825 | 19% | $9,500 | 21% |
| Va Outdoor Advertising Assn | $16,491 | 19% | $14,400 | 16% |
| Retail Merchants Assn of Hampton Roads | $8,250 | 19% | $26,175 | 19% |
| EPIC PharmPAC | $18,125 | 19% | $16,500 | 41% |
| Professional Insurance Agents of Va | $10,845 | 18% | $5,300 | 26% |
| Va Transportation Construction Alliance | $51,650 | 18% | $23,500 | 17% |
| Miller Brewing Co | $6,000 | 18% | $7,800 | 36% |
| Va Oil & Gas Assn | $15,875 | 18% | $11,450 | 22% |
| AT&T | $21,868 | 17% | $15,354 | 24% |
| Associated Builders & Contractors - Va | $7,750 | 16% | $10,000 | 25% |
| Delta Dental Plan of Va | $11,500 | 15% | $12,250 | 27% |
| Associated General Contractors | $33,100 | 14% | $14,250 | 25% |
| Va Assn of Health Plans | $33,750 | 13% | $39,550 | 43% |
| Christian & Barton | $5,475 | 13% | $12,900 | 25% |
| VMS Inc | $23,000 | 13% | $10,250 | 27% |
| Equitable Resources Inc | $13,970 | 13% | $9,950 | 30% |
| US Tobacco | $14,250 | 12% | $21,000 | 32% |
| Kemper Consulting Inc | $16,899 | 12% | $35,812 | 32% |
| NRA Political Victory Fund | $7,150 | 11% | $17,450 | 17% |
| Anthem | $59,250 | 10% | $47,750 | 36% |
| United Parcel Service | $22,750 | 9% | $29,750 | 30% |
| Vandeventer Black LLP | $8,000 | 9% | $21,500 | 13% |
| SunTrust | $3,350 | 8% | $11,497 | 56% |
| FutureLaw LLC | $3,725 | 8% | $5,575 | 25% |
| Va Natural Gas | $3,100 | 8% | $38,173 | 25% |
| Sands Anderson Marks & Miller | $4,150 | 6% | $6,550 | 31% |
| GEICO | $9,200 | 4% | $9,750 | 7% |
| Va Maritime Assn | $10,100 | 3% | $24,500 | 18% |
| Hoffman Beverage Co | $4,000 | 0% | $6,750 | 19% |
| Pomoco Group Inc | $7,000 | 0% | $10,500 | 0% |
* 2007 data through August 31, 2007.
Credits: Laura Cochran and Derek Willis, washingtonpost.com. Data: Virginia Public Access Project.
Credits: Laura Cochran and Derek Willis, washingtonpost.com. Data: Virginia Public Access Project.
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