American Crossroads reports contributions of $3.8 million this year

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American Crossroads, the Republican group that spent more than any other Super PAC in the 2010 elections, has raised $3.8 million since January for the 2012 election cycle, according to a report submitted to the FEC on Thursday.

The group had to file the report because it spent money in the special election for New York's 26th District House seat. Crossroads spent about $690,000 on independent expenditures there, almost all of it against the opponents of the Republican candidate, Jane Corwin. Democrat Kathleen Hochul won the race. American Crossroads also spent money on Tea Party candidate Jack Davis.

As Bloomberg Government analyst Greg Giroux pointed out on Twitter, 92 percent of the money raised by American Crossroads so far this year has come from only three contributors:

  • The Jerry Perenchio Living Trust gave $2 million. Perenchio is a former chairman and CEO of Spanish-language television network Univision. Perenchio gave $1 million to Crossroads last year and was also a large donor to the California Republican Party.
  • Robert Rowling gave $1 million. Rowling, who gave $2.5 million to American Crossroads last year, is the CEO of TRT Holdings, which owns Omni Hotels and Gold's Gym.
  • Bob Perry gave $500,000. Perry, a Texas homebuilder who was a major funder of 527 group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth in 2004, contributed $7 million to American Crossroads in the 2010 cycle.

American Crossroads, whose founders included former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove, was among the first groups to register as an independent-expenditure-only committee, or Super PAC. Super PACs may raise unlimited amounts from individuals, corporations and labor unions as long as they do not coordinate with or contribute directly to candidates.