Brooks Jackson: A hard count of 'soft money' donations

By Brooks Jackson/CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The world's largest hog grower and pork producer recently lost an appeal to the Supreme Court, which upheld a $12.6 million penalty against the company for polluting Virginia rivers --- one of the largest ever levied by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Just days earlier, the company -- Smithfield Foods -- made a $300,00 contribution to the Republican National Committee.

Who gets to appoint the next administrator of the EPA? Or the next Supreme Court justice? Smithfield's money is backing Republican presidential nominee George W. Bush.

Democratic rival Al Gore is getting plenty of big money, too -- especially from labor unions. In fact, both parties are reaping a record-breaking harvest of huge political donations from corporations and wealthy individuals known as "soft money."

Big contributors to the Republican National Committee this election year include Columbus, Ohio, hockey team owner John McConnel --- but his $150,000 gift is peanuts these days. The RNC has received at least 140 donations of $200,000 or more since the first of last year.

Last month, Amway Corp. founder Richard M. DeVos and his wife Helen gave $500,000. The couple, who pulled up to this summer's Republican convention in a yacht, have donated $600,000 to the party --- placing them third on the RNC list of top soft money donors.

Tobacco giant Phillip Morris is tops on the list with more than $800,000 in contributions, followed by the National Rifle Association, which has given $725,00. Fourth on the list is AT&T, with just over $590,000.

The Democrats' big money list is dominated by labor unions. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has given $800,000 to the Democratic National Committee over the past three months. Since the first of last year, AFSCME has given $1.7 million to the Democratic National Committee, easily putting the union atop the party donor list.

The Service Employees Union has given just over $1 million to the party, followed by the Communication Workers Union, which donated $995,00 and the International Brotherhood of Painters, which gave $900,000.

Trial lawyers are also high on the Democratic donor list. Baltimore lawyer Peter Angelos and Houston lawyer John E. Williams have each donated $450,000 -- placing them 10th on the list. Further down is San Francisco venture capitalist William Hambrecht, who has given $250,000 over the past three months.

Altogether, the DNC has received 55 donations of $200,000 or more, a list half as long as its RNC counterpart.

Some of the big spenders are hedging their bets. Global Crossings, a company that lays fiber optic cable underneath the ocean, gave $150,00 to the Republican National Committee last month. A month earlier, the company was one of the major underwriters of the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.