Communications Companies Favor Democrats in Q1 Contributions

Federal filings show communications companies are getting started early in donating to 2008 congressional and senatorial campaigns. Qwest gave 22% more to Democrats($67,584) than Republicans ($55,133), FEC filings show. The company gave about equally to 6 senators whose terms are up in 2008 -- $5,000 to 3 Republicans and $5,500 to 3 Democrats. Senate Commerce Committee Ranking Member Stevens (R-Alaska) received $1,000, and the parties’ senatorial campaign committees each got $15,000.

Political analyst Larry Sabato rates Stevens as a “safe bet” for reelection., but he qualifies that with a reminder that the “coattail effect” of the presidential campaign can affect Senate races. “It is easy to forecast how this unpopular war could weigh Republican candidates down, just as in 2006,” Sabato said in a recent article for the U. of Va. Center for Politics. The Senate is likely to still be a “squeaker” contest, he said, Democrats holding a slight advantage. After 4 months running Congress, Democrats are showing party unity, a shift from past practices, political analysts said: “Hill Democrats really aren’t behaving like Democrats; they're behaving like a party that wants to stay in power,” said pollster Charlie Cook.

AT&T contributed to individual candidates and political and industry PACs including CTIA’s, which received $5,000. Recipients spanned the country and included members on the House and Senate Commerce Committees active on telecom issues. Typical individual contributions were about $1,000. Some exceptions: $10,000 to Rep. Emanuel (D-Ill.), $5,000 to Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) and $5,000 to McCain’s PAC, Straight Talk America. AT&T gave $15,000 each to the Democratic and Republican Senatorial and Congressional Campaign PACs.

NAB contributed $87,000 to candidates Q1, giving 67% more to Democrats ($54,500) than Republicans ($32,500), FEC filings show. House Telecom Subcommittee Chmn. Markey (D- Mass.) received $3,000; Rep. Walden (R-Ore.) $1,000; Sen. Pryor (D-Ark.) $5,000; Minority Whip Blunt (Mo.) $2,500; Rep. Bono (D-Cal.) $2,500; and Rep. Stupak $2,500. All are active on media issues.

Comcast spent $65,000 on Democrat candidates and $17,000 on Republicans, according to FEC filings. NCTA and Verizon didn’t file Q1 reports. CTIA, like AT&T, favored Republicans, giving $7,500 to GOP candidates in the quarter, compared with $4,000 to Democrats.

Of the 33 Senate seats up for reelection, 12 are held by Democrats and 21 by Republicans. Besides Stevens, Sen. Sununu (R-N.H.) is up for re-election and significantly involved in communications issues. Many Democrats believe his seat is vulnerable because of his position on the Iraq war. Sununu represents a Democratic state, Sabato said, and “2008 could turn out to be a year that encourages straight- party voting because of the intensity of Democratic dislike of the Iraq war and President Bush.” Others up for re- election and involved in communications include Sens. Durbin (D-Ill.), Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), Pryor (D-Ark.), Collins (R-Me.) and Smith (R-Ore.)

Communications companies have a foothold among the top 10 corporate PACs, thanks to AT&T and Comcast, which ranked No. 5 with receipts of $378,839 in the first quarter. Joining them at the top were the PACs of FedEx, 3 financial services firms, Wal-Mart, UPS, Pfizer and an energy company. -- Anne Veigle

(Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of reports on the 2008 elections.)