Even before he was elected last November to represent Chicago's southern exurbs in the House, Illinois Democrat Bill Foster decided to sell his stake in Electronic Theatre Controls, a company he founded with his brother. Foster jettisoned the shares -- worth at least $5 million -- "to minimize potential conflicts of interest when voting on legislation that might impact his personal finances," according to his press secretary.
Among this year's congressional freshmen, Foster stands out as a noteworthy exception.
Now that President Barack Obama's inaugural festivities are over and the 113th Congress is getting down to serious business, Sunlight ...
Continue readingAmericans for Tax Reform drops $2 million in one day
Dark money group Americans for Tax Reform just dropped close to $2 million to influence competitive House races.
Victories for the 501(c)4 non-profit lobbying organization, founded by conservative lobbyist Grover Norquist in 1985, would undoubtedly complicate efforts to reach a deal to avert the so-called "fiscal cliff" because the group "opposes all tax increases as a matter of principle." ATR's central tenet -- the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which requires lawmakers to "solemnly bind themselves to oppose any and all tax increases," enjoys the backing most Republicans in Congress and all but one of this year's GOP presidential ...
Continue readingRich kids in the freshmen class
Nearly two-fifths of the lawmakers swept into the House two years ago on a tide of populist anger appear to millionaires or near-millionaires.
Continue readingProfile: Dan Benishek
| Party: Republican |
| State and District: Michigan, 1 |
| Born: April 20, 1952 Iron River, Mich. |
| Campaign cash raised: $2,629,497 |
| Money from businesses that lobby: $552,450 |
| Money from leadership PACs: $214,400 |
| Money from in-state / out-of-state: $366,264 / $100,731 |
| At-risk in November? Yes |
| Outside group spending: $1,846 in support/ $39,858 in opposition |
| Net worth in 2010: $3,335,080 to $7,956,000 |
Benishek's Capitol Words profile
How we compiled this information
Continue readingProfile: Jim Renacci
| Party: Republican |
| State and District: Ohio, 16 |
| Born: December 3, 1958 Monongahela, Pa. |
| Campaign cash raised: $4,554,671 |
| Money from businesses that lobby: $678,134 |
| Money from leadership PACs: $158,025 |
| Money from in-state / out-of-state: $868,232 / $123,633 |
| At-risk in November? Yes |
| Outside group spending: $46,735 in opposition |
| Net worth in 2010: $32,345,756 to $51,775,662 |
Renacci's Capitol Words profile
How we compiled this information
Continue readingProfile: Rick Crawford
| Party: Republican |
| State and District: Arkansas 1 |
| Born: Jan. 22, 1966, Homestead Base, FL |
| Campaign cash raised: $2,342,833 |
| Money from businesses that lobby: $320,270 |
| Money from leadership PACs: $147,800 |
| Money from in-state / out-of-state: $399,192 / $50,368 |
| At-risk in November? Yes |
| Outside group spending: $10,000 in support/$14,941 in opposition |
| Net worth in 2010: $101,003 to $215,000 |
| Net worth in 2011: -$349,998 to $669,995 |
Crawford's Capitol Words profile 
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Profile: Lou Barletta
| Party: Republican |
| State and District: Pennsylvania, 11 |
| Born: Jan. 28, 1956, Hazelton, PA |
| Campaign cash raised: $2,270,918 |
| Money from businesses that lobby: $383,927 |
| Money from leadership PACs: $146,900 |
| Money from in-state / out-of-state: $273,194 / $62,852 |
| At-risk in November? No |
| Outside group spending: $387 in opposition |
| Net worth in 2010: $169,105 to $2,613,998 |
| Net worth in 2011: -$5,603,898 to $1,867,993.00 |
Barletta's Capitol Words profile 
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Profile: Kevin Yoder
| Party: Republican |
| State and District: Kansas, 3 |
| Born: Jan. 8, 1976, Cleveland, Ohio |
| Campaign cash raised:$3,468,543 |
| Money from businesses that lobby: $595,699 |
| Money from leadership PACs: $109,900 |
| Money from in-state / out-of-state: $679,873 / $310,963 |
| At-risk in November? No |
| Outside group spending: None reported |
| Net worth in 2010: -$228,993 to $44,996 |
| Net worth in 2011: -$449,992 to $29,995.00 |
Yoder's Capitol Words profile
Profile: David Schweikert
| Party: Republican |
| State and District: Arizona, 5 |
| Born: March 3, 1962 Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Campaign cash raised: $3,221,285 |
| Money from businesses that lobby: $500,399 |
| Money from leadership PACs: $121,599 |
| Money from in-state / out-of-state: $498,374 / $165,540 |
| At-risk in November? No |
| Outside group spending: $8,676 in support / $386,342 in opposition |
| Net worth in 2010: $1,480,029 to $10,849,994 |
| Net worth in 2011: $290,014 to $5,299,996 |
Schweikert's Capitol Words profile
House freshmen project: Reporting team
Sunlight's series on the House freshmen was reported and researched by a team from our Reporting Group, Sunlight Labs and Communications shop:
Bill Allison: Bill is the Editorial Director at the Sunlight Foundation. A veteran investigative journalist and editor for nonprofit media, Bill worked for the Center for Public Integrity for nine years, where he co-authored The Cheating of America with Charles Lewis, was senior editor of The Buying of the President 2000 and co-editor of the New York Times bestseller The Buying of the President 2004. He edited projects on topics ranging from the role of ...
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