Deseret News | PACs helping Utah senators give to friends

PACs helping Utah senators give to friends

By Lee Davidson
Deseret Morning News

Published: Sunday, Dec. 16, 2007 12:09 a.m. MST

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'Tis the season to give. So how would you like more than a quarter-million dollars to give to friends, who someday may be able to return the favor?

How would you like the heads of such organizations as Overstock.com, Sinclair Oil, Morton's restaurants, Amway and Humana, among many others, to line up to give you that money?

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, is enjoying almost exactly that situation. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, is, too, but to a lesser extent. In fact, 88 of the 100 U.S. senators enjoy it to some degree.

They have what are called "leadership political action committees." Through them, they raise money to give to fellow politicians. That could curry favor if they ever run for Senate leadership positions, or if they need general favors.

Such PACs can be controversial. The watchdog groups Common Cause and Democracy 21 charged in a letter last year to the Federal Election Commission that, "Leadership PACs operate as a means to subvert the contribution limits in federal law."

How? The watchdog groups complain that donors who give the maximum amount to a senator's re-election fund can then still donate into the tens of thousands of dollars more during his or her term through his leadership PAC.

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While money from the leadership PAC cannot legally be used to directly help re-elect its sponsoring senator, the watchdog groups said donors to it are still currying extra favor with the sponsor and trying to further his or her political power. (For example, Hillary Clinton complained this month that Barack Obama used his leadership PAC to spread money among influential politicians in early presidential primary states.)

The Deseret Morning News noticed a possible second way the PACs may help evade limits. Many donors who bump into donation caps for other senators also gave to the PACs for Hatch and Bennett. The Utah senators in turn then gave to those other senators, using money from limit-capped donors to help them receive beyond what limits may otherwise have allowed.

Big money

Hatch's organization is called ORRINPAC. This year, it raised $286,450 through the end of October. It gave $191,000 to fellow politicians and political groups.

By comparison, the PAC raised more — in a nonelection year for federal officials — than the $263,000 that Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, spent on his entire most recent re-election campaign.

Bennett's organization is called Snow PAC (in honor of Utah's famous snow and skiing). It had raised $153,000 this year through the end of October, about half of what Hatch raised. It gave $135,000 this year to other politicians and political groups.

By comparison, that was significantly more than the $101,000 spent by all Salt Lake City Council candidates combined in this year's municipal election.