By Emelie Rutherford
The defense industry is making healthy investments in this fall’s mid-term elections, boosting the campaign coffers of Democrats in Pennsylvania and congressional heavyweights, including the Senate majority leader, facing tough reelection bids.
Employees of military contractors are paying close attention to the Democratic primary for a Pennsylvania Senate seat, in which Senate Appropriations Defense subcommittee (SAC- D) member Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), a recent Republican-Democrat convert, is defending his post against Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.), a former three-star Navy admiral.
Sestak, a House Armed Services Committee (HASC) member serving his second House term, garnered $113,850 from the defense sector as of the end of 2009, according to campaign- finance data recently compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP). That beats the $96,750 Specter, a senator since 1981, raised from the industry, and overshadows the $250 in defense donations for Republican challenger Pat Toomey, a former congressman.
“Clearly both (Specter and Sestak) have close ties to the defense sector and would have a lot of sway over future defense-spending decisions,” said Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense in Washington, D.C. “With all of that on the line, no defense contractor wants to be caught flat-footed and not supporting them.”
Ellis noted that Sestak and Specter, unlike Toomey, both will be in office for the next year and thus can continue making decisions affecting the defense industry.
Overall, Specter had easily raised the most money in the Pennsylvania race as of the end of 2009, with $13.87 million, to Sestak’s $2.36 million and Toomey’s $4.88 million, according to CRP. And Toomey, the president of the Club for Growth limited-government advocacy organization, may have the edge in the race for now; A Feb. 8 Rasmussen Reports survey of Pennsylvania voters showed Toomey leading Specter, 47 percent to 38 percent. The telephone poll found Specter comfortably leading Sestak, and Toomey also ahead of Sestak–43 percent to 35 percent–if they were to face off.
Meanwhile, Cook Political Report and The Rothenberg Political Report, in mid-term election projections updated this month, both dubbed the Pennsylvania senate race a “toss up” in terms of the winning party.
One notable senator facing a tough reelection who is benefitting from the defense industry’s largesse is Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). He had raised $133,050 at the end of last year from the defense sector, out of a total $14.98 million haul from all donors; none of his bevy of GOP challengers had sizable defense-industry donations cited on CRP.
A Feb. 5 Rasmussen survey found Reid with what the pollster called “troublesome” numbers: he earned only 39 percent to 41 percent of the vote to any of his four GOP challengers at the time. Cook dubbed the race a “toss up” and Rothenberg labeled it a “lean takeover” by Republicans.
Meanwhile, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Readiness and Management Support subcommittee, announced yesterday he will not seek reelection to a third term this fall.
Before Bayh’s announcement, he was expected to be challenged by former Indiana Republican senator Dan Coats. While eyeing a Bayh reelection bid, Cook said the Indiana seat leaned Democratic and Rothenberg labeled the race as having a “narrow advantage for the incumbent party.”
At the end of last year Bayh had raised $46,300 from the defense sector, out of his total $8.91 million raised.
Several senators on defense panels also are facing challenging reelection bids this fall.
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Readiness and Management Support subcommittee, has at least two potential Democratic challengers. While Burr was ahead in a Jan. 29 survey, Rasmussen found his numbers weak, with him polling below 50 percent. Cook labeled the race “likely” Republican and Rothenberg found a “narrow advantage” for the GOP.
Burr raised $84,850 in defense-sector donations at the end of last year, while only one potential challenger–Democratic attorney Kenneth Lewis–having a notable amount in industry funding: $500.
On the House side, HASC Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) may not have a smooth path in his bid to be reelected for a 17th term. Cook and Rothenberg said the race “leans” Democratic, as opposed to being a sure bet. Skelton had raised $158,600 from the defense sector by the end of 2009, while none of his potential GOP opponents reported donations from the industry.
This year’s Senate retirees and departures include SAC-D members Sens. Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.), Christopher Bond (R-Mo.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), and Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), along with Senate Appropriations Homeland Security subcommittee Ranking Member George Voinovich (R-Ohio) and Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) members Sens. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) and George LeMieux (R-Fla.).
In the races for these open Senate seats, sizable donations from the defense sector, as of the end of 2009, include:
- in the close Missouri race, $24,300 to Republican Roy Blunt, a sitting congressman, and $10,500 to Democrat Robin Carnahan;
- in the also-close Illinois contest, $39,650 for Republican Mark Kirk, who now serves in the House and on the House Appropriations Committee (HAC);
- in the GOP-leaning Florida race, $61,200 for Democrat Kendrick Meek, $25,700 for Republican Charlie Christ, the state’s governor, and $3,600 for Marco Rubio, the former Speaker of the House for the state legislature, are vying for the Republican nomination; and
- in the Republican-favored Kansas contest, $64,925 for Republican Todd Tiahrt, a sitting congressman and House Appropriations Defense subcommittee (HAC-D) member.
In the House, contests are underway to fill the seats vacated by two defense heavyweights: former HAC-D Chairman John Murtha (D-Pa.), who passed away last week, and former HASC Air and Land Forces subcommittee Chairman Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), who is leaving Congress to run for governor of Hawaii. No sizable defense donations have been amassed in those races, according to CRP data.
For the fall elections, some of the biggest benefactors from the defense sector’s largesse are expected to easily win their seats; SASC Ranking Member John McCain (R-Ariz.) received $748,342, SAC-D member Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) raised $339,200, and SAC-D Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) garnered $296,450 in donations from the industry as of the end of last year. They all are projected to easily win reelection.