The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

State's corporations dig deep for GOP

By MATT GOURAS
The Associated Press
Oct 25 2004

NASHVILLE - Tennessee's largest corporations favor Republicans with their political donations, but none more so than Cracker Barrel and Corrections Corporation of America.

Federal campaign filings show the state's Fortune 500 companies gave anywhere from 62 percent to 75 percent of their donations from their political action committees to Republicans - with the rest mostly going to Democrats.

That's in line with national corporations, which use their PACs to send roughly two-thirds of their donations to Republicans and one-third to Democrats.

But even among these large Republican contributors, a few Tennessee companies stand out as particularly partisan donors.

The nation's largest private prison company, Corrections Corporation of America, and most of its senior officers, give nearly all their political money to Republicans, according to federal election filings through August.

CCA's political action committee has given 96 percent of its money to Republicans so far this election cycle.

''We are supportive, regardless of party lines, of those individuals that believe in the private sector playing a role in delivering government services,'' said Louise Chickering, a CCA vice president.

Only the restaurant chain Cracker Barrel has a similar record among Tennessee's largest contributors.

The Lebanon-based company also gave Republicans 96 percent of its donations, pouring a total of $77,100 into political campaigns.

CCA, the nation's largest private prison company, has credited the Bush administration's expansion of federal police for creating new business for the firm.

Three times, the Corrections Corporation of America Political Action Committee made $15,000 donations to the National Republican Senatorial Committee. A number of $5,000 donations went to the Bush-Cheney campaign, the New Republican Majority Fund, and other GOP money groups.

Of the $149,500 doled out by the company's PAC in the 2004 election cycle, 96 percent went to Republicans around the country.

The $5,000 spent on Democrats went to Tennessee politicians- Reps. Jim Cooper, Lincoln Davis, John Tanner and Harold Ford Jr., according to data from the Federal Election Commission.

Money was also doled out to candidates from states where CCA has deals to run prisons, such as Colorado, Georgia and Florida.

Dick Williams, state chairman for Common Cause of Tennessee, a Nashville-based government watchdog group, said it's obvious that CCA is trying to buy influence.

CCA wins when politicians from the local to federal level decide to send prisoners to its private jails, he said.

''We have a concern any time you have large campaign contribution from an interest that has a direct interest in the actions of politicians they are supporting,'' said Williams.

One notable exception at CCA is Thurgood Marshall Jr., the son of the first black Supreme Court justice. Marshall sits on the company's board of directors. His money focused on Democrats, including John Kerry, one-time presidential hopeful Wesley Clark, Ford, and other congressional candidates.

Cracker Barrel, recently indicted in what authorities say was a scheme to funnel illegal contributions into Texas campaigns, said it supports candidates who hold favorable positions on issues like workers' compensation and employment regulations.

''Cracker Barrel doesn't support a specific political party, but supports candidates that are in concert with the restaurant industry,'' said Julie Davis, a spokeswoman for Cracker Barrel. ''It's a matter of supporting positions that support the industry.''

The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Citizens for Political Action Committee gave money this election cycle to other GOP or conservative PACs, like the National Rifle Association, and a laundry list of Republican congressional candidates.

Memphis-based FedEx Corp., which has handed out $1.3 million, led Tennessee's largest corporations in overall donations, according to the FEC. It also favored Republicans, sending roughly 70 percent of its money on Republicans over Democrats.

The company said whichever political party is in power gets more donations, usually along a 60-40 split.

FedEx is among the largest corporate donors to political campaigns in the country, the FEC reports.

''We've always taken the position that being active in the political arena is an important part of the company,'' FedEx spokeswoman Kristin Krause said.

For-profit hospital chain HCA Inc. was next in overall donations from the group, according to the FEC, with the HCA Inc. Good Government Fund spending $179,200.

Dollar General, based in Goodlettsville, was the state's only Fortune 500 company without a PAC.

Williams said corporations will continue to pour money into campaigns until laws are revamped, such as with the public campaign financing his group promotes.

''All politicians are going to give some preference to the position of someone that gave them significant funds,'' he said.