Shadowy anti-prop donors revealed

An Arizona-based non-profit corporation that figures significantly in ballot-measure campaigns here and in California drew at least some of its money from two other non-profits.

One of the groups is controlled by Sean Noble, an Arizona political consultant who has had ties to the Koch brothers, billionaires with a history of campaign spending targeted to push their conservative agenda.

The revelation of donors behind Americans for Responsible Leadership brought renewed criticism of the "dark money" allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling, which allows corporate donors to direct money for political purposes without disclosing contributors' identities. And it drew cries of foul from the two Arizona campaigns that have been targeted by the group, who say out-of-state interests are unfairly intervening in Arizona's election.

On Monday, Americans for Responsible Leadership released its donor list after a fast-paced legal battle with a California campaign-finance watchdog agency. The list consisted of a single donor, Americans for Job Security, which got its money through a second intermediary, the Center to Protect Patients Rights, according to a letter Americans for Responsible Leadership sent to the California Fair Political Practices Commission.

Americans for Responsible Leadership said that at least the $11million it sank into two California ballot measures came through these groups. It did not disclose the names of individuals who donated to the two groups.

Common Cause of California had asked the commission to investigate the group, accusing it of attempting to "manipulate" the state's election. Americans for Responsible Leadership is working in California to defeat a temporary tax increase and to promote an effort to drastically change the state's campaign-finance system, including banning the practice of political contributions by payroll deduction, which labor unions rely on to raise political money.

Common Cause spokesman Phillip Ung said the release of donor names was "a victory for Californians and our disclosure laws."

"I don't think we're going to get individuals' names," he said. "The best we can get right now is this disclosure until we strengthen our laws ? which is better than we were getting before."

The California campaign watchdog agency had alleged that Americans for Responsible Leadership's failure to disclose its donor groups amounts to money laundering under that state's Political Reform Act. The state's attorney general has vowed an investigation. The group could be subject to criminal penalties and civil fines up to the amount of the contribution.

Unlike California, Arizona law does not require non-profit corporations to disclose donors. And so it remains unclear whether the $1.5million the group has spent to fight two Arizona propositions also came from the two other non-profit groups.

Americans for Responsible Leadership has spent $925,000 opposing Proposition 204, which is promoting a dedicated sales tax for education. It has spent $600,000 opposing Proposition 121, which would replace Arizona's partisan primary-election system with a "top-two" primary.

Watchdog organizations said the emerging details highlight the even greater influence money has played in campaigns in the wake of the Citizens United ruling.

"Now we have donations that can be both unlimited and anonymous, and neither of those things were true prior to Citizens United," said Daniel G. Newman, president and co-founder of MapLight, a nonpartisan research organization in California that tracks financial influence on politics. "We have unlimited secret money that is flooding our democracy."

Viveca Novak, editorial and communications director at the Center for Responsive Politics, agreed. Citizens United, she said, made it "crystal clear" that it's OK for groups such as Americans for Responsible Leadership to spend on politics and go beyond their earlier mission of issue advocacy.

They can now create layers of non-profit corporations to put money directly into efforts to support or defeat a candidate or an issue, and to do it anonymously, she said.

Federal tax records show Noble is the executive director of the Center to Protect Patient Rights, based in Phoenix. It raised $61.8million in 2010, according to public filings. During the 2010 campaign cycle, the center sent money to another non-profit corporation, Americans for Job Security, to help elect Republicans to Congress. Tax records from 2011 were not readily available.

Noble also is founder of DC-London, the political-consulting firm that is running the Arizona campaign against Prop. 204.

Americans for Job Security is a registered "business league" under IRS regulations and is an independent committee registered in Alexandria, Va. It spent $9million in this election cycle, according to online Federal Election Committee records. Most of the money went to a Virginia media company, Crossroads Media LLC, in an effort to oppose President Barack Obama's re-election.

According to tax filings, Noble's Center to Protect Patient Rights in 2010 gave $4.1million to Americans for Prosperity, the Koch brothers' non-profit group, which contributes to political campaigns.

Critics also point to other cases that link Noble to the Koch brothers, although without disclosure of the center's individual donors, it's impossible to establish a firm link. Noble did not return a phone call seeking comment.

One of the center's founding board members, Heather Higgins, is a key presenter at Koch fundraisers and her Independent Women's Forum has received money from a Koch-controlled foundation, according to public filings.

Former Arizona House Speaker Kirk Adams is president of Americans for Responsible Leadership. He did not return a call seeking comment, but last week told The Republic he made decisions on where the group spends its money.

Robert Graham, a businessman running for state Republican Party chairman and listed on public records as an Americans for Responsible Leadership director, has told The Republic, "We have received contributions from all types of individuals and entities," in Arizona and out of state.

He did not respond to The Republic's questions about whether money to fight Arizona's two propositions came from the same non-profit groups.

Copyright 2012 The Arizona Republic|azcentral.com. All rights reserved.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.

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Money men: Who are top 5 donors to Romney?

WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON For a casino mogul worth an estimated $25billion, $34.2 million may sound like chump change. Yet that's how much money Sheldon Adelson has donated so far to aid Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and organizations supporting Romney this election, making him the donor of donors for the GOP.

Other top donors giving millions of dollars to aid Romney's campaign include Texas money moguls and the head of an energy conglomerate.

Political donations can open doors that are closed to most people. Big-dollar donors are often invited to state dinners at the White House and other events with the president.

Based on an examination of more than 2.3 million campaign contributions The Associated Press has ranked the top five financial supporters bankrolling the Republican presidential run:

No. 1

Sheldon Adelson, 79, owner of the Las Vegas Sands casino empire.

Total: $34.2 million

Adelson is the largest declared donor to the Romney campaign and supporting political committees, providing more than $34.2 million this election season. He and his wife, Miriam, have given $10 million to Restore Our Future, a super PAC backing Romney. Adelson also joined relatives to give $24million to committees backing former GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. And he has made public pledges vowing to give as much as $100million this election more broadly to the GOP. He would benefit from loosened trade restrictions.

No. 2

Harold Simmons, 81, owner of Contran Corp., a Dallas-based conglomerate worth an estimated $9 billion that specializes in metals and chemical production and waste management.

Total: $16 million

Simmons is a longtime backer of GOP and conservative causes. He has donated $16 million to the party's efforts this year, including more than $11million to American Crossroads and $800,000 to Restore Our Future. Simmons also gave $2.2 million to Super PACs backing former GOP presidential candidates Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Rick Perry. He also owns a majority stake in Valhi Inc., a Texas-based waste management company, and could benefit from a proposed Nuclear Regulatory Commission rule change that would allow the company's Texas facility to store spent uranium from nuclear power plants.

No. 3

Bob J. Perry, 80, head of a Houston real estate empire worth an estimated $650 million.

Total: $15.3 million

Perry has given about $15.3million to aid the Romney campaign and allied causes so far this election season. Long active in Texas and national GOP politics, Perry donated nearly $9 million to Restore Our Future and a total of $6.5 million to American Crossroads. Before backing Romney this year, Perry gave $100,000 to the super PAC backing Texas Gov. Rick Perry (no relation).

No. 4

Robert Rowling, 58, head of Dallas-based TRT Holdings.

Total: $4.1 million

Rowling has given at least $4.1 million to Republican Party and candidates this election. Most of his donations, $4 million, went to Rove's American Crossroads, both through personal donations and through his firm. Rowling also has given $100,000 to the pro-Romney Restore Our Future super PAC. Rowling's holdings are worth an estimated $4.8 billion and include Omni Hotels, Gold's Gym and Tana Exploration, his family's oil company.

No. 5

William Koch, 72, an industrialist whose South Florida-based energy and mining conglomerate is worth an estimated $4 billion.

Total: $3 million

Koch has given $3 million to the Restore Our Future, including a $250,000 personal donation and $2.75 million through his corporation, Oxbow Carbon LLC, and a subsidiary, Huron Carbon. Unlike his brothers, who are longtime supporters of Republican and conservative causes, Bill Koch has funded both GOP and Democratic Party candidates in the past. Koch's corporate interests have repeatedly battled against what company officials have decried as government interference. Oxbow spent $570,000 last year on lobbying in Washington, mostly aimed at mining, safety issues and climate change.

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Donors' push strengthens behind Romney

WASHINGTON – Republican donors rallied to Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in May. Scores of his allies wrote five-figure checks to fuel his joint fundraising with the Republican Party, and hundreds more contributed for the first time, newly filed campaign-finance reports show.

By Isaac Brekken, AP

Individuals who supported the failed campaign of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, right, donated to Mitt Romney's camp.

By Isaac Brekken, AP

Individuals who supported the failed campaign of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, right, donated to Mitt Romney's camp.

Their support helped the former Massachusetts governor surge past President Obama's fundraising totals for the first time last month, as donors rushed to unite behind the party's presumptive nominee.

More than 1,100 individuals who had donated to Romney's rivals in the battle for the GOP nomination contributed to his main campaign account last month, a USA TODAY analysis shows. The biggest share came from individuals who had backed the failed campaign of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, long a fundraising powerhouse in Republican politics.

In addition, more than 40% of the nearly $5 million raised by a pro-Romney super PAC came from first-time donors — more than a dozen of whom gave at least $50,000 each.

The Restore Our Future super PAC, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts, launched a $7.6 million advertising campaign in nine battleground states this week, attacking the president's economic record.

Romney, who survived a bruising and expensive primary fight, must sustain his pace to compete with Obama, who shattered political money records in 2008. Romney and his fundraising team, led by private-equity manager Spencer Zwick, have proved skilled at recruiting fundraisers — known as "bundlers" for their ability to bundle together contributions from relatives, friends and associates.

Romney will court and reward those bundlers this weekend at the exclusive Deer Valley resort in Utah, where they will have the chance to mingle with him, his top campaign aides and some of the party's biggest names.

"Overall, the fundraising leadership has been as well run and organized as I have seen," said Lewis Eisenberg, who chaired Sen. John McCain's presidential fundraising in 2008 and backs Romney. "The results of last month's fundraising tell the story."

Las Vegas businessman Bill Brady is among the new donors. He wrote his first check to Restore Our Future last month, donating $100,000 and gave $33,300 to Romney and the Republican National Committee in May, records show.

Brady, whose family owns companies that distribute janitorial cleaning supplies and hotel linens, said Obama's calls to end the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers has caused so much uncertainty that he's unwilling to make new business investments.

"We don't know where President Obama is going," he said. "But I have great confidence that the business community will be understood by President Romney."

Brady is among the mega-donors descending on Park City, Utah, this weekend, where donors who have contributed at least $50,000 each and the fundraisers who have collected at least $250,000 will be feted. The two-day gathering includes a cookout with Romney — along with an array of policy and strategy briefings.

Attendees include McCain and former Florida governor Jeb Bush, along with two former secretaries of State, Condoleezza Rice and James Baker. Potential Romney running mates, including Tim Pawlenty and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, also are slated to appear.

Rewarding top-flight donors with exclusive access is standard practice in presidential campaigns. McCain mingled with fundraisers in Aspen and at his ranch in Sedona, Ariz., during the 2008 campaign. President George W. Bush entertained fundraisers at his Texas ranch.

"This event will give Gov. Romney and the leaders of our party a chance to meet, or become reacquainted, with major donors and will leave them feeling good and motivated to go out and continue raising the money needed for victory," Eisenberg said.

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