Group says Cantwell cashed in on lobbyists

By Katherine Pfleger

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Analysis from a campaign finance tracking group shows Sen. Maria Cantwell had received more money from lobbyists as of Oct. 1 than any other Congress member.

Cantwell’s spokesman said Monday that the figures aren’t noteworthy because the money is a tiny fraction of the total cost of her race.

The Center for Responsive Politics, which provided the analysis, said Cantwell received just over $50,000 from lobbyists during the first half of 2001, based on Oct. 1 figures from the Federal Election Commission. Cantwell, D-Wash., has been working to erase more than $4 million in 2000 campaign debt.

During Cantwell’s Senate race, she criticized her opponent, Republican Sen. Slade Gorton, for being too cozy with lobbyists. The Financial Times reported that Cantwell said she would put the "interests of constituents before those of powerful lobbyists."

Cantwell swore off large, unregulated soft money contributions and donations from political action committees. She instead spent about $13 million in cash and bank loans, part of a personal high-tech fortune that has since taken a tumble in the stock market.

The Washington state Republican Party says the senator is breaking the spirit of her pledge not to take special-interest money by taking lobbyists’ contributions.

"The whole premise of her campaign was that Slade Gorton was tied to special interests and she wouldn’t be," said Chris Vance, state Republican Party chairman. "It was all a lie."

Accepting contributions from lobbyists is a common practice for lawmakers. By law, any individual can give up to $1,000 for each primary and general election.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, lobbyists doled out more than $2.5 million during the first half of last year.

Larry Makinson, a senior fellow at the center, said freshman lawmakers like Cantwell often throw fund-raisers when they arrive in Washington, D.C. — and lobbyists show up to introduce themselves.

"I don’t think anyone likes to be identified as being the top recipient from lobbyists, but lobbyists give a lot of money," he said.

Cantwell’s spokesman Jed Lewison said the center’s figures aren’t meaningful because they are from a selective time frame and other candidates accept sums from lobbyists that are many times greater than Cantwell’s total. Lewison also pointed out that the lobbyist contributions amounted to 0.4 percent of Cantwell’s campaign expenses.

"The real point is that she kept her pledge not to take her money from PACs," or political action committees, he said. "She kept her pledge not to take soft money."

The senator’s efforts to eliminate her debt included a fund-raiser last year at Bill and Hillary Clintons’ Embassy Row home. President Clinton has also agreed to come to Seattle this month for a fund-raiser.

In the first six months of last year, Cantwell returned at least several thousand dollars of special-interest money offered by oil and gas, gambling and other interests.

As of June 30, she still owed $585,000 in campaign debt. New financial disclosure reports are due by month’s end.

Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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