Sunlight Foundation

It is hardly surprising that Democratic chairmen would raise more money after their party took power, since chairmen wield enormous influence over the content and passage of bills. But the Democratic chairmen raised double the amount from PACs that their Republican counterparts did in the first quarter of 2005, federal campaign records show.

"It's a breathtaking demonstration of the power of money in this town," said Ellen Miller, director of the Sunlight Foundation, a non-partisan anti-corruption group.