THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 15, 1994 TAG: 9408150227
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEC KLEIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long : 160 lines
Political action committees of all stripes have sent checks to U.S. Sen. Charles S. Robb's re-election campaign: The Home Shopping Network of St. Petersburg, Fla., has chipped in $1,000. New York cosmetics giant Avon has given $1,000, too. Even San Francisco's Wine Institute has contributed $2,000.
These groups, otherwise known as PACs, don't necessarily expect the Democratic incumbent to vote their way, watch their show or buy their line of makeup, political watchdogs say.
Despite the growing perception that elected officials are beholden to PACs, independent analysts say an individual PAC holds little sway over congressional action. Federal election laws limit each special interest group to a $5,000 con-tri-bu-tion.
``PACs give money not so much to buy a vote but to buy a seat at the table, to buy access,'' saidJoshua F. Goldstein, project director at the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research group in Washington.
Even when PACs give money in packs, Goldstein said, ``it's next to impossible to track'' how it affects a politician's decisions, particularly through subtle shifts in legislative language or bill amendments.
Still, Robb has drawn fire from his opponents for bankrolling his re-election on hefty PAC contributions.
``Time and again, Chuck Robb has demonstrated that his vote can be bought. These PAC contributions are further evidence,'' former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, an independent candidate, said in a recent written statement.
Robb spokesman Bert Rohrer retorted, ``It's typical in political campaigns to (criticize) money from wherever you're not getting it.''
Indeed, Robb leads the pack, records show. He collected more than $300,000 in PAC contributions from January to June 30 - nearly 10 times more than Republican nominee Oliver L. North. Independent candidate J. Marshall Coleman had reported $4,000 in PAC money through June, while Wilder had a single check for $1,000, which he returned.
And Robb's total doesn't include his latest drive: On Aug. 9, PACs were invited to a $5,000-a-head fund-raiser headlined by White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta. His opponents aren't amused.
``The reality is, Chuck Robb is raising tons of money from the Hollywood elite and the New York City wine-and-cheese crowd,'' said Dan McLagan, a North spokesman.
Actually, records show that Robb's main source of PAC support is a cross-section of industries, including finance, defense, telecommunications and labor.
The incumbent has also garnered support from a wide array of other PACs, including flight attendants, Alabama farmers, abortion-rights advocates, optometrists, air-traffic controllers, shoe distributors, railroad companies and bricklayers.
``It's the whole culture of Washington,'' Coleman said. ``The first rule of PACs is you support the incumbent.''
Coleman said he accepts PAC money. So does North, although his campaign asserts it is willing to return the money if Robb does the same. Wilder, however, has disavowed PAC money altogether.
``PACs wield a great deal of influence on Capitol Hill, and I know of no PACs that represent the people,'' said Glenn Davidson, Wilder's campaign manager.
Yet five years ago, Wilder accepted tens of thousands of dollars in PAC money in his victorious gubernatorial campaign. ``He's late in finding this new-found ethics,'' said Rohrer, the Robb spokesman.
Beyond the verbal sparring, Robb's record shows that he does not always line up behind contributing PACs. For instance, despite at least $4,000 in tobacco-related PAC support, Robb is the only candidate who has said he is willing to consider allowing the Food and Drug Administration to classify nicotine as a drug.
In other cases, however, PAC support closely reflects his committee assignments and record. For example, Robb, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who has fought deep defense cutbacks, has benefited from several defense-industry PACs. The tally includes $1,000 from the Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. PAC, $1,000 from the McDonnell Douglas Corp. PAC and $500 from the Boeing PAC.
``We believe PACs give contributions to get both access to elected officials and to gain influence over decisions that are being made,'' said Jennifer L. Lamson, director of grass-roots lobbying for Common Cause in Washington. But, she added, ``It's very difficult to prove a quid pro quo.''
What is more certain, analysts say, is that a PAC will give to incumbents because the officeholder already is making decisions that affect PAC interests.
Numbers show an even closer tie: PACs bet on the favorite. Incumbents usually win, which means they usually get PAC money. In 1992, the 28 Senate incumbents averaged $1.3 million in PAC contributions; challengers averaged $236,000, according to Common Cause. In 24 of the races, incumbents won.
PAC beneficiaries have Corporate America to thank. In the 1991-92 election year, businesses delivered the most PAC money - $127 million - to candidates for federal office, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Labor ranked a distant second at $43.1 million. Ideological PACs were third with $18.6 million. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
U.S. Sen. Charles S. Robb
ROBB'S FUND
A cross-section of contributions (Jan. 1 to June 30) from
political action committees to U.S. Sen. Charles S. Robb's
re-election campaign:
Defense:
Rockwell International Corp. PAC: $1,000
Boeing PAC: $500
Martin Marietta PAC: $2,000
Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. PAC: $1,000
McDonnell Douglas Corp. PAC: $1,000
Utilities:
Sprint Corp. PAC: $3,000
Cellular Telecommunication PAC: $500
GTE PAC: $1,000
American Electric Power PAC: $1,000
AT&T PAC: $4,000
Bell South Services Fed. PAC: $500
MCI PAC: $1,000
National Telephone Co-op Assn. PAC: $500
Rochester Telephone PAC: $1,000
United States Telephone Assn. PAC: $1,000
Washington Gas Light Co. PAC: $1,000
Labor:
Service Employees Intl. Union PAC: $1,000
Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen PAC: $1,000
AFL-CIO Political Education PAC: $5,000
Ironworkers PAC: $1,000
Transport Workers PAC: $2,000
UAW-V-CAP PAC: $4,000
United Food & Commercial Workers PAC: $5,000
United Mine Workers of America PAC: $5,000
United Steelworkers of America PAC: $2,500
Drive PAC - Local Union 2: $5,000
Transportation Communications International Union PAC: $1,000
Finance:
Golden Rule Financial Corp. PAC: $2,000
NationsBank Corp. PAC: $4,000
Goldman Sachs Partners PAC: $1,000
Morgan Stanley PAC: $1,000
Miscellaneous:
American Society of Travel Agents PAC: $200
Television and Radio PAC: $2,000
Viacom International Inc. PAC: $2,000
The Coca-Cola Co. PAC: $500
Nat'l Education Assoc. PAC: $4,000
ArchiPAC, The American Institute of Architects: $1,000
Auction Markets PAC: $1,000
Browning-Ferris Industries PAC: $500
National Abortion Rights Action League PAC: $2,000
Women's Alliance for Israel PAC: $5,000
Handgun Control Inc. PAC: $1,000
Sierra Club PAC: $1,000
KEYWORDS: U.S. SENATE RACE CANDIDATE by CNB