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Where does NAR political lobbying money go?

Want to know which candidates are receiving lobbying money from the National Association of REALTORS®?

You'll find this information on the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org website. The Center reports Federal Election Commission data for the current election cycle (actually a two-year period).

For the 2008 national election cycle (as of April 28, 2008), nearly sixty per cent of NAR lobbying contributions have gone to Democratic candidates, while just over forty per cent have been sent to assist Republican politicians.

NAR lobbying money to political parties

[Screenshot from the Center for Responsive Politics data on NAR political lobbying expenditures since 1990]

This year's lobbying figures are in sharp contrast to the 1996 election cycle, when roughly two-thirds of NAR's lobbying money went to Republican candidates.

Posted by Eric Kodner, Lake Minnetonka Homes & Madeline Island Real Estate on 06/18/2008 02:06 PM

Comments (12)

Post is included in group: Wrong Right Turn

12 Comments on Where does NAR political lobbying money go?

JUN

2008

Guess they are trying to balance out 1996? Yeah, Right!??

Eleanor,

NAR has contributed nearly $2 million to various campaigns so far in the current election cycle. And since 1989, they have provided over $32 million to various political candidates.

Eric--I have visited this website before...It is interesting to see who NAR supports. Nice easy to understand graphics so that everyone knows who is supported.

Haven't seen this site before, Eric. Interesting data. Thanks for sharing this.

Jeff

JUN

2008

Teri,

The analysis on that site says that NAR makes an effort to contribute to both parties "equally", but that hasn't been historically accurate according to the graph.

It looks like NAR was contributing more to Republican candidates when the good times were still a-rollin'. And now that the market has run aground, perhaps they're changing course and looking to Democratic candidates for change.

Jeff, there's lots of fascinating data on that site about lobbying and who gets the money.

I guess influence-peddling is the world's oldest profession.

..... second oldest profession :)

But sersiously, this is interesting info.

Stewart, I forgot. Agriculture is the world's oldest profession.

JUN

2008

Interesting information Eric. Thanks for posting.

Rich, I found it curious that I had to go to another site (not NAR) to obtain this information.

Rather than contributing to the Republicans when the good times were still a'rollin, NAR contributed more to Democrats in prior cycles, then started investing in Republicans just as their star was ascending, now they have shifted more in favor of Democrats as they will be the power in the legislature for the foreseeable. As Dick Gaylord is fond of saying, you make your friends before you need them and this pattern of investment clearly shows that. Their contributions to Maxine Waters ('well this liberal is all about socializing oil companies') and Laura Richardson, who walked away from a house in Sacramento after her Federal election, bother me more. I hate to have my money going to the likes of those 2, but I guess in the bigger picture...

The contributions to GOP candidates have been higher since the 1996 election cycle. The presumption, until recently, was that a GOP majority would be best for business.

"Best for business" hasn't turned out to be the case, and NAR is following what they perceive as the winds of change.

I watched the Wisconsin REALTORS' Association throw money behind Mark Green in the last gubernatorial election, only to see Green lose by a huge majority. Bush awarded him a "consolation prize" by sending him to Tanzania as an ambassador.

It pains me to see my state association send money to someone like that.

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