Related Coverage: Candidate & Race Profiles | Virginia Notebook | Latest Headlines | Virginia Politics Blog
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% |
| Va Assn of Realtors - Nova | $14,750 | 70% | $46,500 | 77% |
| Apartment & Office Building Assn | $11,950 | 30% | $15,950 | 72% |
| Va Education Assn | $50,850 | 64% | $34,815 | 61% |
| National Distributing Co | $18,250 | 33% | $10,500 | 60% |
| Check into Cash of Va | $3,050 | 33% | $13,250 | 59% |
| Nova Electric Cooperative | $6,000 | 38% | $3,500 | 57% |
| Patten Wornom Hatten & Diamonstein | $3,500 | 79% | $19,300 | 57% |
| Dominion | $269,972 | 44% | $222,648 | 57% |
| SunTrust | $3,350 | 8% | $11,497 | 56% |
| Va Optometric Assn | $111,950 | 28% | $37,500 | 56% |
| Va Manufactured & Modular Housing Assn | $42,550 | 35% | $5,700 | 54% |
| Va Petroleum Convenience and Grocery As | $26,650 | 24% | $14,950 | 50% |
| LogistiCare Solutions LLC | $27,650 | 36% | $20,000 | 49% |
| CSX Corp | $25,060 | 25% | $7,900 | 48% |
| Advance America Cash Advance | $8,850 | 45% | $26,250 | 48% |
| Nova Technology Council | $35,367 | 34% | $35,750 | 48% |
| LeClair Ryan | $6,650 | 55% | $30,588 | 47% |
| Reynolds American | $14,374 | 30% | $20,693 | 46% |
| Nova Building Industry Assn | $20,500 | 66% | $18,500 | 46% |
| Va Trial Lawyers Assn | $85,552 | 34% | $146,750 | 45% |
| GlaxoSmithKline | $20,000 | 38% | $16,000 | 45% |
| Seven Eleven Inc | $31,000 | 33% | $40,350 | 45% |
| Old Dominion Highway Contractors Assn | $35,700 | 37% | $31,500 | 44% |
| DIAGEO North America Inc | $48,750 | 34% | $22,750 | 44% |
| Va Assn of Health Plans | $33,750 | 13% | $39,550 | 43% |
| Home Builders Assn of Va | $118,678 | 38% | $97,525 | 42% |
| Va Assn of Electric Cooperatives | $19,350 | 25% | $15,050 | 42% |
| Va Credit Union League | $79,190 | 34% | $64,300 | 42% |
| Va Health Care Assn | $85,750 | 34% | $90,750 | 42% |
| Reed Smith LLP | $44,629 | 32% | $52,212 | 41% |
| EPIC PharmPAC | $18,125 | 19% | $16,500 | 41% |
| Va Bankers Assn | $120,700 | 30% | $210,780 | 41% |
| AOL Inc | $39,750 | 37% | $40,750 | 40% |
| Commercial Development PAC | $28,950 | 32% | $25,700 | 40% |
| Wachovia | $25,650 | 26% | $31,050 | 40% |
| Smithfield Foods | $19,250 | 22% | $25,150 | 39% |
| Va Auto Dealers Assn | $241,330 | 35% | $285,490 | 39% |
| Coca-Cola Bottling Co Consolidated | $11,950 | 29% | $7,000 | 39% |
| Consol Energy Inc | $9,000 | 33% | $30,250 | 39% |
| Va Assn of Realtors | $96,051 | 20% | $236,660 | 39% |
| Appalachian Power Co | $23,475 | 25% | $35,700 | 39% |
| Totals | $4,533,692 | 31% | $4,661,655 | 38% |
| Va Poultry Federation | $4,750 | 22% | $8,100 | 38% |
| Bank of America | $40,050 | 23% | $37,500 | 38% |
| McGuire Woods | $47,871 | 34% | $41,692 | 38% |
| Va Hospital & Healthcare Assn | $148,229 | 45% | $143,307 | 37% |
| Anthem | $59,250 | 10% | $47,750 | 36% |
| Va Sheriffs Assn | $23,813 | 26% | $40,475 | 36% |
| Va Cable Telecom Assn | $65,205 | 24% | $68,796 | 36% |
| 409 Group | $4,400 | 40% | $13,250 | 36% |
| Va Society of Ophthalmology | $15,000 | 22% | $15,250 | 36% |
| Miller Brewing Co | $6,000 | 18% | $7,800 | 36% |
| Abbott Laboratories | $11,900 | 23% | $7,750 | 36% |
| Troutman Sanders | $60,542 | 26% | $47,965 | 36% |
| Hunton & Williams | $27,350 | 27% | $40,849 | 35% |
| Va State Police Assn | $47,490 | 22% | $46,797 | 35% |
| Northrop Grumman | $26,300 | 29% | $46,125 | 34% |
| Va Beverage Assn | $61,200 | 31% | $62,500 | 34% |
| Va Medical Society | $100,794 | 27% | $96,167 | 34% |
| Va Assn of Realtors - Richmond | $22,125 | 29% | $15,000 | 33% |
| Va Dental Assn | $198,700 | 36% | $115,250 | 33% |
| Va Taxicab Assn | $31,750 | 36% | $34,500 | 33% |
| Va Society of Anesthesiologists | $37,050 | 34% | $28,750 | 33% |
| Allen Allen Allen & Allen | $92,000 | 32% | $73,500 | 33% |
| Va Physical Therapy Assn | $5,500 | 41% | $3,950 | 32% |
| Nationwide Insurance Co | $27,500 | 26% | $11,750 | 32% |
| Verizon | $73,662 | 27% | $124,900 | 32% |
| Norfolk Southern Corp | $33,800 | 34% | $30,300 | 32% |
| US Tobacco | $14,250 | 12% | $21,000 | 32% |
| Kemper Consulting Inc | $16,899 | 12% | $35,812 | 32% |
| Wyeth Pharmaceuticals | $5,200 | 24% | $6,500 | 31% |
| Sands Anderson Marks & Miller | $4,150 | 6% | $6,550 | 31% |
| Williams Mullen | $58,073 | 31% | $52,050 | 31% |
| Columbia Gas of Va | $18,225 | 37% | $17,700 | 31% |
| United Parcel Service | $22,750 | 9% | $29,750 | 30% |
| Equitable Resources Inc | $13,970 | 13% | $9,950 | 30% |
| Va Coal Assn | $50,750 | 26% | $52,500 | 30% |
| Eli Lilly & Co | $20,500 | 22% | $16,828 | 30% |
| Va Wine Wholesalers Assn | $107,530 | 32% | $110,620 | 30% |
| Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce | $10,917 | 30% | $10,000 | 30% |
| Va Beer Wholesalers Assn | $115,589 | 30% | $85,234 | 29% |
| Genworth Financial | $18,750 | 23% | $49,300 | 29% |
| Waste Management Inc | $43,750 | 33% | $27,000 | 28% |
| American Institute of Architects - Va S | $14,200 | 31% | $8,750 | 27% |
| Citigroup | $17,500 | 20% | $28,000 | 27% |
| Delta Dental Plan of Va | $11,500 | 15% | $12,250 | 27% |
| Motorola Corp | $15,000 | 25% | $11,000 | 27% |
| VMS Inc | $23,000 | 13% | $10,250 | 27% |
| Va Motorcoach Assn | $5,000 | 20% | $3,800 | 26% |
| Professional Insurance Agents of Va | $10,845 | 18% | $5,300 | 26% |
| Va Natural Gas | $3,100 | 8% | $38,173 | 25% |
| IDI Management Corp | $9,950 | 53% | $13,250 | 25% |
| Christian & Barton | $5,475 | 13% | $12,900 | 25% |
| AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals | $14,500 | 31% | $4,000 | 25% |
| Associated Builders & Contractors - Va | $7,750 | 16% | $10,000 | 25% |
| Associated General Contractors | $33,100 | 14% | $14,250 | 25% |
| FutureLaw LLC | $3,725 | 8% | $5,575 | 25% |
| Va Independent Insurance Agents | $12,150 | 28% | $5,225 | 24% |
| AT&T | $21,868 | 17% | $15,354 | 24% |
| Coors Brewing Co | $12,350 | 24% | $10,159 | 24% |
| Sprint Nextel | $45,785 | 26% | $24,250 | 23% |
| Altria | $61,922 | 20% | $57,447 | 23% |
| Willcox & Savage | $10,250 | 22% | $15,000 | 23% |
| Va Oil & Gas Assn | $15,875 | 18% | $11,450 | 22% |
| American Insurance Assn | $23,421 | 31% | $11,050 | 21% |
| Va Retail Merchants Assn | $14,825 | 19% | $9,500 | 21% |
| Associated Distributors/The Charmer Sun | $13,175 | 29% | $40,550 | 21% |
| Va Law Enforcement Assn | $6,000 | 25% | $7,500 | 20% |
| HCA for Good Government | $51,150 | 29% | $40,500 | 20% |
| Hoffman Beverage Co | $4,000 | 0% | $6,750 | 19% |
| Retail Merchants Assn of Hampton Roads | $8,250 | 19% | $26,175 | 19% |
| Va Maritime Assn | $10,100 | 3% | $24,500 | 18% |
| NRA Political Victory Fund | $7,150 | 11% | $17,450 | 17% |
| Va Transportation Construction Alliance | $51,650 | 18% | $23,500 | 17% |
| Va Society of Certified Public Accounta | $27,450 | 21% | $17,476 | 17% |
| Va Outdoor Advertising Assn | $16,491 | 19% | $14,400 | 16% |
| Service Distributing Inc | $22,650 | 24% | $22,750 | 15% |
| Va Coalition of Motorcyclists | $4,450 | 34% | $3,300 | 15% |
| Fluor Daniels | $4,500 | 50% | $21,000 | 14% |
| Retail Merchants Assn of Richmond | $4,545 | 22% | $7,350 | 14% |
| Vandeventer Black LLP | $8,000 | 9% | $21,500 | 13% |
| Medical Facilities of America | $36,950 | 22% | $23,000 | 11% |
| Va Trucking Assn | $20,950 | 22% | $8,750 | 11% |
| Anheuser-Busch | $29,800 | 30% | $7,689 | 10% |
| GEICO | $9,200 | 4% | $9,750 | 7% |
| 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.
© The Washington Post Company
