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Congressman Blunt’s Big Name Donors Show His Loyalty to Exxon, Halliburton Among Others
For Immediate Release: October 21, 2009 Contact: Ryan Hobart (573) 636-5241 Ext. 125 Congressman Blunt’s Big Name Donors Show His Loyalty to Exxon, Halliburton Among Others Big oil, lobbyists come through in a big way for fellow DC insider Blunt Jefferson City, Mo. – With hopes of keeping one of their own in Washington, Big Oil, Halliburton, and other industry and DC insiders are doubling down their bets on Congressman Roy Blunt’s campaign, according to the most recent campaign finance reports. In fact, among non-incumbent Senate candidates, he raised the most money from the Political Action Committees (PACs) that dole out campaign donations on behalf of corporations and interests groups. Overall, he received $358,700 from PACs during the last fundraising quarter. (The Hotline, 10/19/09) Some of the more notable PAC donors include Halliburton and Exxon Mobil. Both of these companies contributed $2,000 to Blunt’s campaign. In addition, Marathon Oil donated $5000, Occidental Petroleum donated $1,000 and Chevron donated $3,000. (Friends of Roy Blunt, October Quarterly Report) Also, according to www.opensecrets.org, Congressman Blunt has taken $421,098 from oil and gas companies over the course of his career. “This is a perfect example of how Washington, DC insiders play the game,” said Democratic Party Executive Director Brian Zuzenak. “All the work Congressman Blunt has done in Congress on behalf of big oil and other special interests is followed by their massive campaign contributions. When you look at how many lobbyists and corporations are funding his campaign, it becomes obvious that he has been in Washington too long. For all his time in Washington, he has certainly mastered the system that keeps insiders in power and the rest of us with higher energy prices, no health care reform, and deficits as far as the eye can see.” Early this month, USA Today noted that Congressman Blunt has taken more money from lobbyists than any other candidate this year. During the first six months of 2009, Blunt took $310,534 from lobbyists, putting him ahead of both the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee. (USA Today, 10/4/09) Congressman Blunt faces State Senator Chuck Purgason and Kansas City auto consultant Mark Memoly in the August 2010 primary for the Republican nominee for US Senate. --30--
