Wednesday, April 22, 2009 5:51 PM
Reid: No Lobbyist Money At Obama Fundraiser
When President Obama headlines a fundraiser in Nevada for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., next month, lobbyist and political action committee donations will be barred.
"There will be no lobbyist or PAC money" permitted at the fundraiser, said a Reid spokesman.
The president has agreed to attend a May 26 fundraiser in Las Vegas on behalf of Reid, who may have a tough re-election fight in 2010. The trip reflects the close ties the president and the Senate leader have developed, the New York Times reported.
The Reid campaign decision not to accept lobbyist or PAC donations at the Obama fundraiser follows the decision of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this week to forgo lobbyist and PAC money at their annual dinner in June, which Obama will also host.
The Democratic National Committee last year stopped taking lobbyist and PAC donations after Obama became the party's nominee.
In the 2008 election cycle, lobbyists gave $34.4 million in campaign contributions to federal candidates and parties, with 57 percent going to Democrats and 43 percent to Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
--Bara Vaida

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