Who's Paying For Those Political Ads?

Along with a bulk mail ad for the Hamblen County Republican seeking a seat in the state legislature, Don Miller, there was another ad mailer which called Miller's opponent, Larry Mullins, the Democratic candidate, a "democrat" who was to blame for all the ills of the nation. Gasp! Democrats!!! In East Tennessee??

This ad says it was paid for by a group called the Republican State Leadership Committee Inc.

Who are they and where does their funding come from? Not Hamblen County - the group is based in Alexandria, VA. They're backed by major Wall Street firms and PACs who seek to protect the status quo.

A web search via The Virginia Public Access Report lists some 8 pages of donors (none by individual names, just by the corporations which send them cash). Here's a sample from the first page, dating donations from 2009 to 2010:

$250,000	American Justice Partnership	Washington, DC	06/26/2009
$175,000	American Justice Partnership	Washington , DC	10/21/2009
$150,000	American Justice Partnership	Washington , DC	09/22/2009
$150,000	American Justice Partnership	Washington, DC	10/09/2009
$150,000	Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America	Washington , DC	10/14/2009
$130,000	Reynolds American	Winston Salem , NC	10/14/2009
$100,000	American Justice Partnership	Washington, DC	09/25/2009
$100,000	Devon Energy Corporation	Oklahoma City , OK	10/02/2009
$100,000	Living Essentials	Novi, MI	08/11/2009
$80,000	Exxon Mobil Corporation	Houston, TX	06/12/2009
$70,000	Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation	East Hanover , NJ	10/23/2009
$65,000	Monsanto Company	St. Louis , MO	10/26/2009
$65,000	UST Public Affairs Inc.	Stamford, CT	05/15/2009
$65,000	Verizon	Folsom, CA	07/02/2009
$55,000	AT&T Services, Inc.	Dallas, TX	01/16/2009
$55,000	General Electric Company	Fort Myers, FL	05/29/2009
$50,000	Ace Cash Express, Inc.	Irving, TX	08/14/2009
$50,000	AT&T Services, Inc.	Dallas, TX	01/09/2009
$50,000	Edison Electric Institute	Washington, DC	01/09/2009
$50,000	Entertainment Software Association	Washington, DC	04/30/2009
$50,000	Hewlett Packard	Colorado Springs, CO	08/14/2009
$50,000	ServiceMaster	Memphis , TN	10/23/2009
$50,000	The Home Depot USA	Atlanta, GA	04/17/2009
$45,000	Community Financial Services Association	Alexandria	03/06/2009
$45,000	Intuit	San Diego, CA	02/06/2009
$40,000	Allergan Inc.	Austin, TX	02/27/2009
$40,000	Allstate Insurance Company	Northbrook, IL	09/22/2009
$40,000	AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP	Wilmington, DE	01/23/2009
$40,000	AT&T Services, Inc.	Dallas, TX	02/13/2009
$40,000	eBay Inc.	San Jose, CA	03/13/2009
$40,000	Fox Group	Beverly Hills, CA	09/03/2009
$40,000	Great Southern Wood Preserving, Inc.	Abbeville, AL	05/21/2009
$40,000	Kraft Foods Global, Inc.	Northfield, IL	07/24/2009
$40,000	Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company	Springfield, MA	08/21/2009
$40,000	National Restaurant Association	Washington, DC	04/03/2009
$40,000	Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation	East Hanover, NJ	03/13/2009
$40,000	Pfizer Inc.	New York, NY	03/26/2009
$40,000	Purdue Pharma L.P.	Stamford , CT	10/15/2009
$40,000	Select Management resources LLC Operating Account	Alpharetta, GA	04/03/2009
$40,000	State Farm Automobile Insurance Company	Bloomington , IL	10/09/2009
$40,000	VISA U.S.A. Inc.	San Francisco, CA	09/14/2009
$40,000	Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.	Bentonville, AR	03/13/2009
$40,000	Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.	Bentonville, AR	03/13/2009
$40,000	Yahoo! Inc.	Sunnyvale, CA	09/14/2009
$35,000	ACLI Political Activity Fund	Washington, DC	04/17/2009
$35,000	Best Buy Purchasing LLC	Minneapolis, MN	07/02/2009
$35,000	Dominion Resources Services, Inc.	Richmond	05/29/2009
$35,000	Pitney Bowes Inc.	Stamford, CT	02/20/2009
$35,000	Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.	Bentonville , AR	10/14/2009
$30,000	BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina	Columbia, SC	06/12/2009

Why so much money from out of state aimed at our small county? Because next year the state will be re-drawing political districts based on the most recent census, and more Republicans in the legislature will help create political districts. The Wall Street Journal reports:

"The three main Republican groups that focus on state-wide races plan to spend more than $100 million on the November elections. That's about double the $44 million they spent on state races in 2006.

Groups supporting Democratic candidates in state races will spend about the same amount. The Democratic governors group and the state-legislative entity are on pace to spend a total of $62 million.

"The fortunes of Democratic state legislators are truly the firewall for Democrats this year," said Michael Sargeant, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee's executive director.

The Republican State Leadership Committee created the Redistricting Majority Project, whose sole purpose is "dedicated to keeping or winning Republican control of state legislatures that will have the most impact on Congressional redistricting in 2011." The group is on pace to raise and spend $40 million to help GOP candidates in state races.

The state races can be critical in determining control of Congress."

Here's Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander talking about campaign donations back in 1999 (via HuffPost):

"I support campaign finance reform, but to me that means individual contributions, free speech and full disclosure," said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) declared, back in 1999. "In other words, any individual can give whatever they want as long as it is disclosed every day on the Internet. Otherwise, you restrict free speech and favor super-rich candidates -- candidates with famous names, the media and special interest groups, all of whom can spend unlimited money."