The story of Election 2014, after President Obama, is money. Gobs of money. Super money.
Here’s a report from USA Today on the sobering fact that 42 people — FORTY-TWO PEOPLE — put $200 million into super PACS, accounting alone for almost a third of super PAC spending in the mid-term elections.
Those 42 major political players include two from Arkansas — Warren Stephens, the CEO of Stephens Inc., has put $3.035 million into super PACS and Ron Cameron, the Mountaire poultry magnate, has contributed $2.35 million. Stephens is the 11th biggest contributor, just behind George Soros.
A couple of the heavy hitters on the list — Robert McNair of Houston and Seth Klarman of Boston — -put $600,000 in to the Arkansas Horizons PAC that is hammering Mark Pryor in behalf of Tom Cotton. The recently deceased Little Rock industrialist Ed Ligon also contributed $10,000.
Remember this is JUST super PAC money, The 501c4 “educational” nonprofits are spending huge sums, too, and far less disclosure is required of them. These wealthy people also make direct contributions, PAC contributions and political party contributions. Top employees of such people also know to follow suit with similar giving. If Warren Stephens appears on a campaign list in Arkansas, you can bet his family and Stephens employees and contractors will turn up as well.
The Arkansas people listed above tend to uniformly back Republican candidates.