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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Totals | $4,533,692 | 31% | $4,661,655 | 38%  |
| Va Auto Dealers Assn | $241,330 | 35% | $285,490 | 39% |
| Va Assn of Realtors | $96,051 | 20% | $236,660 | 39% |
| Dominion | $269,972 | 44% | $222,648 | 57% |
| Va Bankers Assn | $120,700 | 30% | $210,780 | 41% |
| Va Trial Lawyers Assn | $85,552 | 34% | $146,750 | 45% |
| Va Hospital & Healthcare Assn | $148,229 | 45% | $143,307 | 37% |
| Verizon | $73,662 | 27% | $124,900 | 32% |
| Va Dental Assn | $198,700 | 36% | $115,250 | 33% |
| Va Wine Wholesalers Assn | $107,530 | 32% | $110,620 | 30% |
| Home Builders Assn of Va | $118,678 | 38% | $97,525 | 42% |
| Va Medical Society | $100,794 | 27% | $96,167 | 34% |
| Va Health Care Assn | $85,750 | 34% | $90,750 | 42% |
| Va Beer Wholesalers Assn | $115,589 | 30% | $85,234 | 29% |
| Allen Allen Allen & Allen | $92,000 | 32% | $73,500 | 33% |
| Va Cable Telecom Assn | $65,205 | 24% | $68,796 | 36% |
| Va Credit Union League | $79,190 | 34% | $64,300 | 42% |
| Va Beverage Assn | $61,200 | 31% | $62,500 | 34% |
| Altria | $61,922 | 20% | $57,447 | 23% |
| Va Coal Assn | $50,750 | 26% | $52,500 | 30% |
| Reed Smith LLP | $44,629 | 32% | $52,212 | 41% |
| Williams Mullen | $58,073 | 31% | $52,050 | 31% |
| Genworth Financial | $18,750 | 23% | $49,300 | 29% |
| Troutman Sanders | $60,542 | 26% | $47,965 | 36% |
| Anthem | $59,250 | 10% | $47,750 | 36% |
| Va State Police Assn | $47,490 | 22% | $46,797 | 35% |
| Va Assn of Realtors - Nova | $14,750 | 70% | $46,500 | 77% |
| Northrop Grumman | $26,300 | 29% | $46,125 | 34% |
| Va State AFL-CIO | $52,200 | 95% | $44,750 | 100% |
| McGuire Woods | $47,871 | 34% | $41,692 | 38% |
| Hunton & Williams | $27,350 | 27% | $40,849 | 35% |
| AOL Inc | $39,750 | 37% | $40,750 | 40% |
| Associated Distributors/The Charmer Sun | $13,175 | 29% | $40,550 | 21% |
| HCA for Good Government | $51,150 | 29% | $40,500 | 20% |
| Va Sheriffs Assn | $23,813 | 26% | $40,475 | 36% |
| Seven Eleven Inc | $31,000 | 33% | $40,350 | 45% |
| Va Assn of Health Plans | $33,750 | 13% | $39,550 | 43% |
| Va Natural Gas | $3,100 | 8% | $38,173 | 25% |
| Bank of America | $40,050 | 23% | $37,500 | 38% |
| Va Optometric Assn | $111,950 | 28% | $37,500 | 56% |
| Kemper Consulting Inc | $16,899 | 12% | $35,812 | 32% |
| Nova Technology Council | $35,367 | 34% | $35,750 | 48% |
| Appalachian Power Co | $23,475 | 25% | $35,700 | 39% |
| Va Education Assn | $50,850 | 64% | $34,815 | 61% |
| Va Taxicab Assn | $31,750 | 36% | $34,500 | 33% |
| Old Dominion Highway Contractors Assn | $35,700 | 37% | $31,500 | 44% |
| Wachovia | $25,650 | 26% | $31,050 | 40% |
| LeClair Ryan | $6,650 | 55% | $30,588 | 47% |
| Norfolk Southern Corp | $33,800 | 34% | $30,300 | 32% |
| Consol Energy Inc | $9,000 | 33% | $30,250 | 39% |
| United Parcel Service | $22,750 | 9% | $29,750 | 30% |
| Va Society of Anesthesiologists | $37,050 | 34% | $28,750 | 33% |
| Citigroup | $17,500 | 20% | $28,000 | 27% |
| Waste Management Inc | $43,750 | 33% | $27,000 | 28% |
| Advance America Cash Advance | $8,850 | 45% | $26,250 | 48% |
| Retail Merchants Assn of Hampton Roads | $8,250 | 19% | $26,175 | 19% |
| Commercial Development PAC | $28,950 | 32% | $25,700 | 40% |
| Firefighters - Local 2068 | $11,550 | 91% | $25,250 | 90% |
| Smithfield Foods | $19,250 | 22% | $25,150 | 39% |
| Va Maritime Assn | $10,100 | 3% | $24,500 | 18% |
| Sprint Nextel | $45,785 | 26% | $24,250 | 23% |
| Va Transportation Construction Alliance | $51,650 | 18% | $23,500 | 17% |
| Medical Facilities of America | $36,950 | 22% | $23,000 | 11% |
| DIAGEO North America Inc | $48,750 | 34% | $22,750 | 44% |
| Service Distributing Inc | $22,650 | 24% | $22,750 | 15% |
| Vandeventer Black LLP | $8,000 | 9% | $21,500 | 13% |
| Fluor Daniels | $4,500 | 50% | $21,000 | 14% |
| US Tobacco | $14,250 | 12% | $21,000 | 32% |
| Reynolds American | $14,374 | 30% | $20,693 | 46% |
| LogistiCare Solutions LLC | $27,650 | 36% | $20,000 | 49% |
| Patten Wornom Hatten & Diamonstein | $3,500 | 79% | $19,300 | 57% |
| Nova Building Industry Assn | $20,500 | 66% | $18,500 | 46% |
| Columbia Gas of Va | $18,225 | 37% | $17,700 | 31% |
| Va Society of Certified Public Accounta | $27,450 | 21% | $17,476 | 17% |
| NRA Political Victory Fund | $7,150 | 11% | $17,450 | 17% |
| Eli Lilly & Co | $20,500 | 22% | $16,828 | 30% |
| EPIC PharmPAC | $18,125 | 19% | $16,500 | 41% |
| GlaxoSmithKline | $20,000 | 38% | $16,000 | 45% |
| Apartment & Office Building Assn | $11,950 | 30% | $15,950 | 72% |
| AT&T | $21,868 | 17% | $15,354 | 24% |
| Va Society of Ophthalmology | $15,000 | 22% | $15,250 | 36% |
| Va Assn of Electric Cooperatives | $19,350 | 25% | $15,050 | 42% |
| Va Assn of Realtors - Richmond | $22,125 | 29% | $15,000 | 33% |
| Willcox & Savage | $10,250 | 22% | $15,000 | 23% |
| Va Petroleum Convenience and Grocery As | $26,650 | 24% | $14,950 | 50% |
| Va Outdoor Advertising Assn | $16,491 | 19% | $14,400 | 16% |
| Associated General Contractors | $33,100 | 14% | $14,250 | 25% |
| IDI Management Corp | $9,950 | 53% | $13,250 | 25% |
| 409 Group | $4,400 | 40% | $13,250 | 36% |
| Check into Cash of Va | $3,050 | 33% | $13,250 | 59% |
| Christian & Barton | $5,475 | 13% | $12,900 | 25% |
| Delta Dental Plan of Va | $11,500 | 15% | $12,250 | 27% |
| Nationwide Insurance Co | $27,500 | 26% | $11,750 | 32% |
| SunTrust | $3,350 | 8% | $11,497 | 56% |
| Va Oil & Gas Assn | $15,875 | 18% | $11,450 | 22% |
| American Insurance Assn | $23,421 | 31% | $11,050 | 21% |
| Motorola Corp | $15,000 | 25% | $11,000 | 27% |
| Pomoco Group Inc | $7,000 | 0% | $10,500 | 0% |
| National Distributing Co | $18,250 | 33% | $10,500 | 60% |
| VMS Inc | $23,000 | 13% | $10,250 | 27% |
| Coors Brewing Co | $12,350 | 24% | $10,159 | 24% |
| Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce | $10,917 | 30% | $10,000 | 30% |
| Associated Builders & Contractors - Va | $7,750 | 16% | $10,000 | 25% |
| Equitable Resources Inc | $13,970 | 13% | $9,950 | 30% |
| GEICO | $9,200 | 4% | $9,750 | 7% |
| Va Retail Merchants Assn | $14,825 | 19% | $9,500 | 21% |
| American Institute of Architects - Va S | $14,200 | 31% | $8,750 | 27% |
| Va Trucking Assn | $20,950 | 22% | $8,750 | 11% |
| Va Poultry Federation | $4,750 | 22% | $8,100 | 38% |
| CSX Corp | $25,060 | 25% | $7,900 | 48% |
| Miller Brewing Co | $6,000 | 18% | $7,800 | 36% |
| Abbott Laboratories | $11,900 | 23% | $7,750 | 36% |
| Anheuser-Busch | $29,800 | 30% | $7,689 | 10% |
| Va Law Enforcement Assn | $6,000 | 25% | $7,500 | 20% |
| Retail Merchants Assn of Richmond | $4,545 | 22% | $7,350 | 14% |
| Coca-Cola Bottling Co Consolidated | $11,950 | 29% | $7,000 | 39% |
| Hoffman Beverage Co | $4,000 | 0% | $6,750 | 19% |
| Sands Anderson Marks & Miller | $4,150 | 6% | $6,550 | 31% |
| Wyeth Pharmaceuticals | $5,200 | 24% | $6,500 | 31% |
| Va Manufactured & Modular Housing Assn | $42,550 | 35% | $5,700 | 54% |
| FutureLaw LLC | $3,725 | 8% | $5,575 | 25% |
| Professional Insurance Agents of Va | $10,845 | 18% | $5,300 | 26% |
| Va Independent Insurance Agents | $12,150 | 28% | $5,225 | 24% |
| AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals | $14,500 | 31% | $4,000 | 25% |
| Va Physical Therapy Assn | $5,500 | 41% | $3,950 | 32% |
| Va Motorcoach Assn | $5,000 | 20% | $3,800 | 26% |
| Nova Electric Cooperative | $6,000 | 38% | $3,500 | 57% |
| Va Coalition of Motorcyclists | $4,450 | 34% | $3,300 | 15% |
* 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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