Top corporate PACs heavily favor Republicans

WASHINGTON – The top-giving corporate political action committees didn’t hedge their bets in the fall elections despite the narrow division between the GOP and Democrats in Congress.

They favored Republican candidates 10-to-1.

Of 268 corporate PACs that donated $100,000 or more to presidential and congressional candidates from January 2003 through the middle of last month, 245 gave the majority of their contributions to GOP hopefuls, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the nonpartisan Political Money Line campaign finance tracking service.

Twenty-three corporate PACs made more than half their donations to Democratic candidates, according to the study, based on the most recent campaign finance reports available.

The five most Republican-leaning corporate PACs include:

* Cooper Industries PAC: All $208,000 to Republicans. Cooper Industries, based in Houston, makes hardware and electrical and automotive products.

* Flowers Industries PAC: All $131,500 to GOP candidates. Flowers Industries, a bakery company, is based in Thomasville, Ga.

* The PAC of Phillips International, a publishing company based in Potomac, Md.: All $113,500 to Republicans.

* Harris Corp. Federal PAC: $168,500 to Republicans, $4,000 to Democrats. Harris is an international communications equipment company.

* Illinois Tool Works for Better Government Committee: $139,500 to Republicans, $5,000 to Democrats.

The five most Democratic-leaning PACs include:

* Cablevision Systems Corp. PAC: $88,000 to Democrats, $24,500 to Republicans.

* The PAC of MWH Americas, a construction and engineering firm based in Broomfield, Colo.: $69,334 to Democrats, $48,000 to Republicans.

* The PAC of Chicago-based LaSalle Bank Corp. and its Standard Federal Bank subsidiary: $65,250 to Democrats, $47,500 to GOP candidates.

* New York Mercantile Exchange PAC: $200,500 to Democrats, $148,000 to Republicans.

* Harrah’s Entertainment casino company PAC: $75,767 to Democrats, $57,793 to Republicans.