The New Democrat Coalition cracked the $1 million mark in donations to its political action committee, highlighting the group’s new prominence in Congress.
The New Democrat Coalition Action Fund, the PAC for the grouping of centrist Democrats, raised $1.1 million in the first quarter, up from the $861,860 they raised in the comparable 2017 first quarter.
Those numbers come as the pro-business arm of the House Democratic Caucus is boasting a record number of members at 101.
{mosads}The group’s leaders also received donations from several prominent lobbyists, pointing to their strengthening relationship with K Street, even as progressive voices in the party have pushed lawmakers to disavow PACs and lobbying money.
The fiscally conservative New Democrats regularly meet with CEOs and representative from think tanks to discuss policy ideas.
Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), the chairman, received $3,000 in donations from at least seven lobbyists in the first quarter, according to Federal Election Commission filings. That’s up from the first quarter of 2017, when he received $2,000 from four lobbyists.
Kilmer’s donors included Todd Bertoson, principal at Capitol Hill Policy Group; Damian Kunko, consultant to SMI; Erin Neal, who was with the Signal Group at the time of the donation; Gregg Rothschild at Glover Park Group; and Letitia White at Innovative Federal Strategies, as well as Michael Herson and Van D. Hipp Jr., from American Defense International, Inc.
Another member, Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D-N.H.), the coalition’s vice chair for communications, had contributions from 18 individual lobbyists, bringing in $8,000. In the first quarter of the 2017 funding year, she had five lobbyists donate just over $1,300 total.
Big names for Kuster include Thorn Run Partners’ Andrew M. Rosenberg, Jason Rosenstock and Stuart Chapman, Alpine Group’s Courtney Johnson, Lauren Bazel, Jared Weaver, and Joseph Hogan and Cynthia Brown from Forbes Tate Partners, among others.
Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), the New Democrats’ vice chair for member services, received a donation from lobbyist Christopher Porter, vice president at Retrophin.
Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), who was chairman of the coalition in the last Congress, received $2,000 from lobbyists including Andrew Lewin, vice president at BGR Group, and Josh Raymond at Venable.
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), the coalition’s whip, received a donation from Steven Palmer with Van Scoyoc Associates.