Jon E. Dougherty, NewsMax.com
Thursday, Oct. 21, 2004

With the election just days away, the Democrats have amassed a sack of loot of more than $300 million that they hope will help them capture the White House.

Story Continues Below

The Democrats also cleverly did not use the bulk of these funds on TV commercials, but have been spending the money to build a massive grassroots infrasture to get out the vote.

As one pro-Kerry group, America Votes, told the New York Times recently, its backers – "labor unions, trial lawyers, environmental groups, community organizations – will spend $300 million on registration and turnout in swing states, a sum that dwarfs the $150 million in public financing the two candidates together will receive for the entire fall campaign."

The Democrats gained the money advantage this year because they were the first to successfully exploit a loophole in campaign finance law that allowed them to boost support for Sen. John Kerry despite the McCain-Feingold law.

The loophole's vehicle was the so-called 527 political entity that allows individuals to make unlimited donations as long as the organization they're donating to does not coordinate with any specific candidate.

Wealthy Democratic donors stepped up to the plate – and the Democratic 527s already have collected more than $300 million.

Among these donors is billionaire financier George Soros. This week he claimed he's already spent $26 million of his own $7 billion fortune to see Bush defeated.

Others, like Peter B. Lewis, the longtime CEO of The Progressive Corp., also have donated heavily.

It works like this: The loophole essentially bypasses the most important part of the 2002 campaign finance reform law by allowing unlimited monetary donations to so-called 527 groups — tax-exempt organizations so-named for the section of the tax code that defines them.

In the end, though such groups are not allowed to name candidates, their advertisements and messages make it obvious whose policies and politics they're backing.

And in this area of the 2004 election cycle, Sen. Kerry has benefited the most.

Republican-leaning groups made a good run for it after a late start, but, according to published fund-raising statistics, they were hopelessly outclassed and outmatched.

Anti-Bush 527s

The Washington Times reported recently, "Anti-Bush 527s have been a political force this election cycle, with nine of the top ten fund-raising 527s being Democratic or anti-Bush groups, according to the Center for Responsive Politics."

"Among the top 50 fund-raising 527s, which CRP determined based on Internal Revenue Service records as of Monday, just a handful are working against Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry," said the paper.

NewsMax recently reviewed 527 filings and here's how the money game has stacked up so far:

Democrat Groups

1. Joint Victory Campaign 2004 $55,438,751
2. America Coming Together $51,045,621
3. The Media Fund $46,550,183
4. Service Employees International Union $26,510,106
5. American Federation of State, County, Municipal Employees $17,858,086 (97 percent to Democrats) 6. MoveOn.org $12,075,952
7. New Democrat Network $9,664,352
8. EMILY's List $6,274,978 (100 percent to Democrats)
9. AFL-CIO (no records available, but the union has endorsed Sen. John Kerry)
10. Voices for Working Families $5,424,211
11. Sierra Club $619,135 (96 percent to Democrats)
12. Democratic Victory 2004 $3,953,070
13. League of Conservation Voters (no records available for this cycle, but has been extremely critical of Bush-Cheney environmental policy)
14. Laborers Union (no records available for this cycle)
15. Partnership for America's Families $3,071,211
16. Nat'l. Assoc. of Realtors $7,209,281 (48 percent to Democrats)
17. Hotel/Restaurant Employees Intl. Union $680,128 (74 percent to Democrats)
18. America Votes $2,346,786
19. Grassroots Democrats $1,914,528
20. United Auto Workers $9,007,156 (98 percent to Democrats)
21. Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund $2,200,754 (100 percent to Democrats)
22. National Education Assn. (no figures available, but the nation's foremost teachers union has endorsed Kerry)
23. Sheet Metal Workers Union $2,686,292 (96 percent to Democrats)
24. Environment 2004 $538,885 (100 percent to Democrats)
25. Ironworkers Union $1,722,821 (89 percent to Democrats)
26. Natural Resources Defense Council $842,507 (headed by anti-Bush actors Robert Redford and Leonardo DiCaprio)

Republican Groups

1. Progress for America $30,591,888
2. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth $9,067,823
3. Club For Growth $7,720,907
4. College Republican National Committee $6,372,843
5. Nat'l. Assoc. of Realtors $7,209,281 (52 percent to Republicans)
6. Hotel/Restaurant Employees Intl. Union $680,128 (26 percent to Republicans)
7. GOPAC $1,626,494
8. Calif. Republican Convention Delegation $1,600,750
9. United Auto Workers $9,007,156 (2 percent to Republicans)
10. Sheet Metal Workers Union $2,686,292 (3 percent to Republicans)
11. America's PAC $1,095,955 (100 percent to Republicans)
12. Ironworkers Union $1,722,821 (11 percent to Republicans)

Editor's Note: