Heavy Hitters: Top All-Time Donors, 1989-2014
This list includes the organizations that have historically qualified as "heavy hitters" — groups that lobby and spend big, with large sums sent to candidates, parties and leadership PACs. Individuals and organizations have been able to make extremely large donations to outside spending groups in the last few years. While contributions to outside groups like super PACs do not factor into an organization's designation as a "heavy hitter" (a listing of about 150 groups), those numbers are included for the roster below.
For example, this list does not include casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. He and his wife Miriam donated nearly $93 million in 2012 alone to conservative super PACs — enough to put him at No. 2 on this list. Similarly, the list excludes former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has donated more than $19 million in the past two years, largely to groups that support gun control. Neither Adelson nor Bloomberg — or the organizations they report as their employers — qualifies as a "heavy hitter" under our current definition. It's also important to note that we aren't including donations to politically active dark money groups, like Americans for Prosperity, a group linked to the Koch brothers, or the liberal group Patriot Majority — because these groups hide their donors; see a list of top donors that we've been able to identify to such groups. We are working to revise this list to take into account the new realities of campaign finance created by the Citizens United decision, but as it currently stands, there are significant omissions.
It is also worth noting that certain organizations, such as ActBlue and Club for Growth, are included although they function for the most part as pass-through entities: individual donors give to them with the contributions earmarked for specific candidates.
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% as money can be given to third party
candidates or outside spending groups and PACs not affiliated with either party.
Rank
Organization
Total '89-'14
Dem %
Repub %
D R
1 ActBlue $124,142,516 99% 0%
2 National Education Assn $73,795,236 47% 3%
3 American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees $66,986,218 77% 0%
4 National Assn of Realtors $64,805,267 37% 39%
5 AT&T Inc $59,456,031 41% 58%
6 Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $48,593,414 90% 1%
7 Goldman Sachs $47,497,295 52% 44%
8 American Assn for Justice $45,216,290 85% 7%
9 Carpenters & Joiners Union $45,093,750 67% 9%
10 United Auto Workers $43,364,375 71% 0%
11 Laborers Union $41,402,639 82% 7%
12 Service Employees International Union $40,652,457 83% 2%
13 Communications Workers of America $38,450,995 85% 0%
14 American Federation of Teachers $38,050,160 91% 0%
15 AFL-CIO $37,855,693 52% 2%
16 United Food & Commercial Workers Union $37,473,121 82% 0%
17 Teamsters Union $36,373,152 91% 5%
18 United Parcel Service $34,216,308 35% 64%
19 Citigroup Inc $33,910,357 48% 50%
20 National Auto Dealers Assn $33,904,010 31% 68%
21 American Bankers Assn $33,903,955 35% 63%
22 JPMorgan Chase & Co $33,752,009 47% 51%
23 Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union $33,235,197 98% 1%
24 EMILY's List $33,004,994 99% 0%
25 Newsweb Corp $32,536,871 31% 0%
26 Blue Cross/Blue Shield $31,978,236 36% 63%
27 American Medical Assn $31,805,912 39% 59%
28 National Beer Wholesalers Assn $31,647,210 36% 63%
29 Microsoft Corp $31,226,914 55% 44%
30 General Electric $30,392,306 47% 52%
31 National Assn of Home Builders $29,412,978 34% 65%
32 Lockheed Martin $29,405,272 42% 57%
33 Bank of America $28,758,273 40% 57%
34 Verizon Communications $27,959,803 40% 59%
35 Plumbers & Pipefitters Union $27,495,430 79% 4%
36 National Assn of Letter Carriers $27,495,345 85% 9%
37 Morgan Stanley $27,259,224 42% 56%
38 Deloitte LLP $26,936,093 35% 63%
39 Credit Union National Assn $26,036,705 47% 51%
40 Ernst & Young $25,517,378 41% 57%
41 Operating Engineers Union $25,029,507 82% 14%
42 Koch Industries $24,725,058 6% 76%
43 International Assn of Fire Fighters $24,605,570 79% 16%
44 American Hospital Assn $24,399,366 52% 47%
45 PricewaterhouseCoopers $24,088,411 35% 63%
46 Time Warner $23,868,345 73% 25%
47 Sheet Metal Workers Union $23,709,978 95% 2%
48 Boeing Co $23,384,102 46% 53%
49 Comcast Corp $23,377,002 56% 43%
50 American Dental Assn $23,265,678 43% 54%
51 Honeywell International $22,863,402 43% 55%
52 UBS AG $22,831,420 40% 58%
53 Northrop Grumman $22,155,638 42% 57%
54 Union Pacific Corp $21,620,839 27% 72%
55 United Steelworkers $21,390,007 80% 0%
56 Air Line Pilots Assn $21,358,047 81% 17%
57 AFLAC Inc $21,239,764 43% 56%
58 Natl Assn/Insurance & Financial Advisors $20,897,224 41% 58%
59 Pfizer Inc $20,797,610 35% 64%
60 National Rifle Assn $20,546,357 16% 82%
61 Altria Group $19,517,664 31% 68%
62 Raytheon Co $19,352,358 43% 56%
63 Club for Growth $19,130,053 0% 96%
64 New York Life Insurance $18,982,629 49% 50%
65 American Postal Workers Union $18,550,936 86% 2%
66 Ironworkers Union $18,473,240 92% 5%
67 National Rural Electric Cooperative Assn $18,433,715 46% 53%
68 United Transportation Union $18,040,750 87% 11%
69 General Dynamics $17,934,309 45% 53%
70 Credit Suisse Group $17,931,593 41% 57%
71 Akin, Gump et al $17,724,558 62% 37%
72 Chevron $17,513,007 18% 61%
73 National Air Traffic Controllers Assn $17,305,925 77% 21%
74 American Institute of CPAs $17,297,929 40% 59%
75 National Cable & Telecommunications Assn $17,223,710 47% 52%
76 Wal-Mart Stores $16,931,991 32% 64%
77 Exxon Mobil $16,573,994 13% 86%
78 FedEx Corp $16,418,158 39% 60%
79 Anheuser-Busch $16,183,913 47% 51%
80 KPMG LLP $16,088,399 34% 64%
81 CSX Corp $15,850,480 35% 64%
82 DLA Piper $15,641,774 67% 31%
83 GlaxoSmithKline $15,177,443 30% 69%
84 Indep Insurance Agents & Brokers/America $15,072,096 34% 65%
85 Wells Fargo $15,036,496 36% 62%
86 American Society of Anesthesiologists $15,036,187 41% 58%
87 Merrill Lynch $14,965,708 37% 62%
88 Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance $14,939,195 39% 59%
89 Walt Disney Co $14,870,626 68% 30%
90 American Health Care Assn $14,759,600 51% 47%
91 University of California $14,556,383 89% 9%
92 Associated Builders & Contractors $14,456,632 1% 98%
93 American Crystal Sugar $14,445,205 61% 38%
94 American Financial Group $14,247,205 15% 73%
95 Prudential Financial $14,091,293 49% 50%
96 Home Depot $14,045,596 24% 71%
97 Southern Co $14,022,861 28% 71%
98 WPP Group $13,960,754 54% 45%
99 National Restaurant Assn $13,314,945 16% 82%
100 MetLife Inc $13,126,153 51% 48%
101 Securities Industry & Financial Mkt Assn $13,085,023 39% 59%
102 American Optometric Assn $13,074,858 57% 42%
103 Human Rights Campaign $13,006,010 89% 8%
104 United Technologies $12,891,614 45% 52%
105 News Corp $12,861,418 59% 40%
106 American Academy of Ophthalmology $12,721,708 49% 49%
107 National Assn of Broadcasters $12,544,655 44% 55%
108 Eli Lilly & Co $12,189,105 31% 67%
109 Natl Active & Retired Fed Employees Assn $12,168,200 77% 21%
110 Painters & Allied Trades Union $12,144,080 85% 12%
111 General Motors $12,141,849 39% 60%
112 Saban Capital Group $12,075,072 87% 0%
113 Associated General Contractors $11,777,907 13% 85%
114 Ford Motor Co $11,686,454 39% 59%
115 Exelon Corp $11,597,195 41% 57%
116 American Maritime Officers $11,544,581 46% 53%
117 Independent Community Bankers of America $11,435,685 42% 57%
118 Blackstone Group $11,314,814 46% 51%
119 Amway/Alticor Inc $11,191,113 0% 94%
120 Reynolds American $11,130,613 25% 74%
121 Skadden, Arps et al $11,122,789 77% 22%
122 UST Inc $11,117,093 21% 78%
123 Seafarers International Union $10,871,105 83% 16%
124 National Cmte to Preserve Social Security & Medicare $10,816,998 82% 17%
125 American Physical Therapy Assn $10,705,723 49% 50%
126 AIG $10,650,830 49% 50%
127 American Airlines $10,605,150 43% 56%
128 MBNA Corp $10,485,363 16% 83%
129 American Trucking Assns $10,435,042 27% 72%
130 Freddie Mac $10,309,829 43% 55%
131 Transport Workers Union $10,303,399 95% 4%
132 National Fedn of Independent Business $10,250,191 6% 93%
133 Amalgamated Transit Union $10,242,368 93% 5%
134 Aircraft Owners & Pilots Assn $10,054,188 43% 56%
135 Harvard University $10,028,807 87% 12%
136 Greenberg Traurig LLP $9,989,361 61% 37%
137 American Council of Life Insurers $9,923,377 38% 61%
138 Lehman Brothers $9,822,659 52% 46%
139 MGM Resorts International $9,708,160 45% 50%
140 BellSouth Corp $9,655,156 43% 56%
141 Archer Daniels Midland $9,598,817 42% 57%
142 National Rural Letter Carriers Assn $9,536,100 72% 27%
143 Fannie Mae $9,161,460 53% 46%
144 Wachovia Corp $8,678,914 30% 69%
145 National Cmte for an Effective Congress $8,519,690 99% 0%
146 Interpublic Group $8,483,110 65% 33%
147 Marine Engineers Beneficial Assn $8,399,079 73% 25%
148 Bristol-Myers Squibb $8,100,807 23% 75%
149 MCI Inc $7,794,636 45% 54%
150 Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp $7,707,239 31% 67%
151 Bear Stearns $7,384,173 55% 43%
152 BP $7,174,613 30% 69%
153 Enron Corp $6,694,443 28% 71%
154 Andersen $6,495,970 37% 62%
155 Vivendi $6,173,218 60% 33%
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