Most extensive study of influence of Cuban-American campaign donations finds targeted donations to members who switched position and an overall shift to Democrats

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Rick Bielke, 202-293-0222, x12

Washington, DC — A report released by Public Campaign today found that a network of hard-line Cuban-American individual contributors and a like-minded Political Action Committee (PAC) pumped $10.8 million into federal campaigns since the 2004 election cycle. The report, “Cold Hard Cash, Cold War Politics,” is the most extensive look at how the community targets campaign contributions to those in power and to members of Congress who switched their votes toward the hard-line position.

“In many ways, what we have here is the age-old story of the influence of campaign money in the political process,” said David Donnelly, national programs director for Public Campaign, a national nonpartisan watchdog group that advocates for public financing of elections. “This report documents, with indisputable facts, that donations were delivered to a significant number of members of Congress who changed their position on Cuba policy. Whether we call that a reward or a campaign donation, it’s an indictment of our current pay-to-play system of campaign financing.”

The report found that hard-line Cuban-Americans:

• Gave to at least 337 federal candidates through the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC since 2003, 53 percent of whom received reinforcing individual donations from hard-line Cuban-American donors
  
  
• Vastly increased Cuban-Americans’ donations to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), and shifted donations to Democrats overall
  
  
• Targeted donations to recipients whose voting record shows a shift in their position on Cuba policy, including seven who took money and switched their positions on dates that were in close proximity to one another
  
  
• Provided, through the PAC and the network of donors, more than $850,000 to 53 members of Congress who recently publicized their opposition to changes in the policy just weeks before a key committee hearing on travel to Cuba

“No one should begrudge the ability of all Americans to fully participate in our democracy,” said Donnelly. “Yet we should recognize that those with the ability to make large donations have more say over what happens in Washington, D.C. That is precisely what is happening here. And that is precisely why we need Congress to pass the Fair Elections Now Act.”

The bipartisan Fair Elections Now Act (H.R. 1826 and S. 752), introduced by House Democratic Caucus Chair John Larson (D-Conn.) and Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), would reduce the fundraising pressures on members of Congress. The bill would allow candidates to voluntarily opt out of the escalating fundraising race and run vigorous campaigns relying on small contributions and limited public funding.

The full report is available online at http://www.publicampaign.org/cuba.

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Based in Washington, D.C., Public Campaign is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing comprehensive reform of America's election laws