Dems Shedding Rangel Cash
Charities around the country stand to gain thousands of dollars as House Dems begin to unload tainted donations from embattled Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), according to a Hotline OnCall survey.
So far, Dems who received contributions from Rangel have pledged to donate $320K to charity, according to spokespeople and news reports. Members will give back at least another $86K.
The ethically challenged Rangel, who was admonished last week by the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, has donated millions over the years to Dem candidates and causes. But now that he has surrendered his Ways and Means gavel, at least temporarily, the GOP is showing no signs of letting up their attacks on Dems who accepted his campaign cash.
And there is no shortage of members who will take heat: In office since '71, Rangel has never won re-election with less than 89% of the vote. That means he uses the millions he raises every year goes to his colleagues facing far more difficult election campaigns.
Incumbent members of Congress seeking another term have accepted nearly $1.58M from Rangel, according to filings made with the FEC. That doesn't include the millions Rangel has contributed to the DCCC throughout the years; as chairman of a major committee, Rangel's dues are set at $500K this cycle, though he has given just $150K.
Though an increasing number of Dems have given contributions back to Rangel, or donated the money to charity, some members have only handed over a portion of the money they've received from the Ways and Means chairman. Reps. Larry Kissell (D-NC) and Dina Titus (D-NV) each made a show of giving back some of the money, but they have not returned all of it.
Titus, for example, has received $15K from Rangel since she began running for the House in early '08. Titus returned just $1K of that money -- equal to the amount given this year. Aides to several members said the rest of the money had already been spent in previous elections.
Hotline OnCall is keeping track of members who have benefitted from Rangel's generosity, either through direct donations, money from Rangel's PAC or joint fundraising committees and who GOPers are pressuring to return the money.
Check out our full chart after the jump.
We contacted offices of each member of Congress who took money from Rangel. Those who members who remained silent did not respond to phone or email messages. We'll continue to update this list as we hear from more members.MONEY FROM MEMBER RANGEL RETURNED? Altmire (D-PA) $21K Arcuri (D-NY) $14K Charity Barrow (D-GA) $33K Bean (D-IL) $28K S. Bishop (D-GA) $6K T. Bishop (D-NY) $15K Money has been spent Boccieri (D-OH) $59K No decision yet Boswell (D-IA) $53K Boyd (D-FL) $9K Braley (D-IA) $7K Bright (D-AL) $14K Cardoza (D-CA) $7K Carney (D-PA) $21K Chandler (D-KY) $10K Connolly (D-VA) $7K Costa (D-CA) $2K Courtney (D-CT) $26K Cuellar (D-TX) $8K Charity Dahlkemper (D-PA) $14K No comment L. Davis (D-TN) $15K Donnelly (D-IN) $21K Charity
Driehaus (D-OH) $12K Edwards (D-TX) $42K Foster (D-IL) $14K Charity Giffords (D-AZ) $21K Charity Hall (D-NY) $21K Halvorson (D-IL) $60K Charity Heinrich (D-NM) $12K Herseth Sandlin (D-SD) $17K Higgins (D-NY) $11K Hill (D-IN) $26K Himes (D-CT) $16K Charity Holden (D-PA) $19K Israel (D-NY) $9K Kagen (D-WI) $21K Kanjorski (D-PA) $21K Kilroy (D-OH) $22K Returning Kirkpatrick (D-AZ) $14K Charity Kissell (D-NC) $23K Partly returning Klein (D-FL) $9K Charity Kosmas (D-FL) $14K Charity Larsen (D-WA) $24K Maffei (D-NY) $82K No^ B. Markey (D-CO) $7K Marshall (D-GA) $29K Massa (D-NY) $74K Matheson (D-UT) $45K McMahon (D-NY) $70K McNerney (D-CA) $21K Charity Michaud (D-ME) $12K Minnick (D-ID) $55K Charity Mitchell (D-AZ) $28K Returning C. Murphy (D-CT) $21K Returning P. Murphy (D-PA) $19K Nye (D-VA) $14K Perriello (D-VA) $7K Charity Peters (D-MI) $16K Charity Pomeroy (D-ND) $30K Rodriguez (D-TX) $21K Ross (D-AR) $19K Schauer (D-MI) $14K Charity Schrader (D-OR) $7K Shea-Porter (D-NH) $14K Returning Shuler (D-NC) $14K Space (D-OH) $21K Charity
Spratt (D-SC) $18K Sutton (D-OH) $7K Charity Stupak (D-MI) $7K Teague (D-NM) $4k Titus (D-NV) $15K Partly returning Tsongas (D-MA) $7K Charity Walz (D-MN) $21K C. Wilson (D-OH) $12K Charity Wu (D-OR) $5K Yarmuth (D-KY) $12K Charity
Notes: A spokesperson for Rep. Dan Maffei (D-NY), a former aide to Rangel, says the campaign has no plans to return the money "at this time."
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) returned $1K Rangel gave her campaign this year. A spokesman told a Stephens Media reporter the $14K Titus received for her '08 campaign is spent and gone.
Update: Rep. Zack Space (D-OH) has donated the $21K he received from Rangel to charity. Rep. Debbie Halvorson's (D-IL) campaign will donate $16K to charity; that's the amount she received in direct contributions. Halvorson will keep money raised at a joint fundraiser with Rangel.
Update: Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-CA) has donated all the money Rangel gave him to charity.
It was very interesting for me to read this post. Thanks the author for it. I like such themes and everything that is connected to this matter. I would like to read more soon.
Sincerely yours
Great story as for me. I'd like to read something more about this theme. Thank you for sharing that data.
It was very interesting for me to read the post. Thank you for it. I like such topics and everything that is connected to them. I definitely want to read more soon.
Sincerely yours
I would like to know exactly what charities they are giving to. Would any of them have to do with ACORN? Lol, because I wouldn't put it past Jerry McNerney to invest right back into his own charitable political future...
Hey i think (very unusually) that it very important to be in harmony with others to make things works. With anything. Any field of life.