Kentuckians expect their representatives in Washington to look after their interests, especially with so many serious issues – including health care, housing and education – facing them every day. Having “clout” isn’t enough; you’ve got to use it on behalf of your constituents, not out of state special interests or lobbyists.
Yet time and time again, Sen. Mitch McConnell has not only deferred to the needs of corporate lobbyists above those of ordinary Kentuckians, but he also has championed the agenda of special interests that don’t represent Kentucky at all. He supported health insurance donors and lobbyists in opposing a patient’s bill of rights.[1] He voted in favor of the interests of the Wall Street banking, and securities interests when he supported privatizing Social Security and making it harder to declare bankruptcy,[2] while raking in millions from Wall Street firms and securities interests. And he’s been a consistent supporter of big oil, voting for huge tax breaks and fewer environmental regulations.[3]
A close look at his campaign finance records may show why McConnell is so interested in the concerns of large corporations located outside Kentucky. Of the $30,516,911 McConnell has raised since 1989, two thirds ($20,513,161) has come from out of state. He is one of the Senate’s top recipients of lobbyist money, with $738,866 in campaign cash donated from registered lobbyists to his campaigns and leadership PAC. With so much money flowing into McConnell’s coffers from out of state and from lobbyists, it’s hard to believe that he’s using his “clout” for Kentucky.
1. Roll Call 220, 2001
2. Roll Call 44, 2005
3. “Dem Challenger: GOP Sen. McConnell Close to Big Oil,” Associated Press, August 8, 2008.
4. Campaign finance and lobbying figures are based on Campaign Money Watch analysis of data obtained from the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan organization that tracks and codes campaign finance data by industry and tracks lobbying. Campaign finance data include individual contributions ($200+) and from Political Action Committees (PACs) to campaign committees and leadership PACs. Data for the 2008 cycle were downloaded in October 2008.
