The Washington Post reports that the U.S. Supreme Court decision that removed the cap on individual political contributions has had the effect you would have expected.
More than 300 donors have seized the opportunity, writing checks at such a furious pace that they have exceeded the old limit of $123,200 for this election cycle, according to campaign finance data provided by the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research organization.
The fat cats include Ron Cameron, the North Little Rock poultry magnate and honored player in the Koch network of political influence machines. He’s 24th-ranked on the data compiled by the Center, with $229,000 in giving, all to Republican candidates.
Curt Bradbury, the Stephens Inc., executive, and Warren Stephens, the CEO of the company, also make the list, with $150,800 and $146,200 in contributions, respectively, all to Republicans. They ranked 141st and 161st on the list.
These givers trend heavily Republican overall, accounting for $33 million giving to Republicans and $15.6 million to Democrats.
The Republican fatcat tilt is good news for an Arkansas candidate:
But two GOP establishment candidates in hard-fought Senate races have been heartily bankrolled by these donors, too. Rep. Tom Cotton, who hopes to turn Mark Pryor out of his Arkansas Senate seat, has received $381,000 (making him the third largest recipient after Boehner and Markey).
