Report: “Blue Dogs” reaping fundraising rewards
The coalition of conservative congressional Democrats known as the “Blue Dogs” are becoming a key voting bloc and are leveraging their growing strength for more campaign cash, according to a new report from The Center for Public Integrity.
The Blue Dog Political Action Committee has raised $1.1 million in the first six months of 2009, more than the PAC raised for all of 2003 and 2004. The Center found, through an analysis of CQ MoneyLine data, that 54 percent of that total comes from health care, energy, and financial services interests.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America’s (PhRMA) Better Government Committee has donated over $10,000 to the Blue Dogs since 2005 after never donating before. Billy Tauzin, president and CEO of PhRMA, was a founding member of the Blue Dogs who left the Democratic Party to become a Republican in 1995.
Since organizing in 1995, the Blue Dogs have received more money than the year before. Between the 2005-2006 and 2007-2008 fundraising cycles, the Blue Dogs doubled their fundraising receipts as the National Republican Congressional Committee dropped 33 percent while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee only grew their fundraising efforts by 26 percent.