Souder war chest sports $70,000 for primary
WASHINGTON – Rep. Mark Souder, R-3rd, has a $70,000 down payment toward fending off fellow Republicans who want GOP voters to fire him in the party’s primary election next spring.
Souder has represented northeast Indiana in Congress since 1995 and is seeking a ninth two-year term.
Souder’s campaign account of $69,422 is based on raising $123,294 since Election Day 2008 – a modest amount compared with many other incumbents. But Souder typically waits until closer to the election before aggressively raising money.
However, during the last election he hired a professional fundraiser and has retained the firm to oversee the process of getting donations from political action committees and individual donors. PACs generally are organized by businesses and trade associations that have business before Congress.
From April through June, Souder collected $47,406 from PACs and $22,529 from individual donors. Since the end of the 2008 election, he has raised $67,328 from PACs and $50,939 from individual donors.
PACs may contribute $5,000 per election for a total of $10,000 for the primary and November contests. Individual donors may give up to $2,400 for each election.
Neither candidate who has announced a challenge to Souder has filed a campaign finance report with the Federal Election Commission. Candidates are not required to do so until they have raised or spent $5,000. Candidates’ reports covering April, May and June are due today, but Souder filed his early. According to the three-month report, Souder received $5,000 from Lockheed Martin; and $3,000 from the American Dental Association.
He received $2,000 each from the American Iron and Steel Institute; American Optometric Association; BAE Systems (for a total of $3,000 toward the 2010 election); Johnson & Johnson; Medtronic and Nucor ($3,000).
He received $1,500 from American Physical Therapy Association. Souder received $1,000 each from Ace Cash Express Inc.; AFLAC; AK Steel Corp.; AM General; American College of Radiology; American Electric Power; Airline Owners and Pilots Association; AT&T ($2,500); Boeing ($2,000); Cook Group Inc.; Dow Chemical; Kelley Drye Collier Shannon; Lincoln National Corp.; MacAndrews and Forbes Holdings; National Funeral Directors Association; College of Emergency Physicians; NiSource Inc. ($2,000); National Rifle Association; Physician Hospitals of America; Raytheon ($2,000); Sallie Mae Inc. ($2,000); U.S. Steel; and Zimmer Inc.
He received $500 each from American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists ($1,500); Boston Scientific Corp.; Committee on Pipe & Tube Imports; and UPS; and $907 from Conservative Victory Fund ($1,328).
During the spring, Souder received $1,000 each from Harold Jewett, chief executive officer of Auto-Collision Services; and Donald Gunden of Goshen, division general manager of Forest River Inc. (for a total of $2,100).
He received $500 each from Jeff Broin of Dell Rapids, S.D., chief executive officer of Broin & Associates; retiree Glen Cook of South Bend; Clayton Heil of Falls Church, Va., consultant with Ice Miller Strategies; Naomi Jewett, secretary-treasurer of Auto-Collision Services (for a total of $1,000); Marna Johnson, co-owner of Leisure Lawn; Bill Kolter of Warsaw, lobbyist for Biomet; Richard Murphy of Alexandria, Va., executive with RB Murphy & Associates; homemaker Bernadette Raffin of Valparaiso; and Zohrab Tazian, owner of ZK Tazian Associates.
