The 15 Biggest Congressional Recipients Of Wall Street Campaign Cash

Reforming Wall Street is a hot topic on Capitol Hill these days. Congress is currently weighing two financial reform bills that would, to varying degrees, reshape the way the financial system is regulated.

Still, Wall Street's influence in Washington appears to be as strong as ever. After all, it was just last spring that Senator Dick Durbin, frustrated by pushback on bankruptcy reform, denounced the financial sector's influence on the Senate: the banks, he said, "they frankly own the place." The Center for Responsive Politics, a research group that tracks money in politics, reports that financial industries -- the finance, insurance and real estate sectors, specifically -- have been one of the biggest benefactors to Congress over the past two decades:

"The finance, insurance and real estate sector has given $2.3 billion to candidates, leadership PACs and party committees since 1989, which eclipses every other sector. Nineteen percent of total contributions from the employees and political action committees across all sectors came from the financial sector."

And while campaign contributions don't equate to wrongdoing, it's worth noting that, while lawmakers ponder reforming the financial sector, the industry's campaign contributions have remained strong:

"Even with a number of large financial institutions folding or merging since last fall, the sector has still given more to federal candidates and party committees than any other sector this year at $78.2 million. Current lawmakers have brought in $661.6 million from the sector through their candidate committees and leadership PACs, with Democrats collecting 53 percent of that."

We took a look at the Center for Responsive Politics's database, OpenSecrets.org, to see which members of Congress have so far received Wall Street money for the 2010 election cycle. The answers may surprise you. Check out our slideshow of the top 15 recipients and choose which politician may be taking too much money from Wall Street.

#15 Barney Frank (D-MA) -- $387,749

Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank has received $387,749 in contributions from the financial sector. Frank, who is Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, received more donations from hedge funds than any other House member.

comments(507)

Rate This Photo (Current Rank: loading...)

Too Close To Wall Street The Contributions Aren't An Issue

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Now Make Your Own Top 5

And Share with Your Friends

Average rating: loading... out of 10

Current Top 5 Slides

loading...

Share Your Top 5 Slides

 | Become a fan

Picked These as the Top 5 Slides in the Slideshow

Share Your Top 5 Slides

Users Who Voted on this Slide

loading...

loading...

HuffPost Community Top 5 Slides:

«»

 | Become a fan

Share Your Top 5 Slides

 

Comments

[loki]

12:10 AM on 11/20/2009

funny, I do believe Pelosi is a major recipient, and being Hufpo buddy, she isnt listed.

[yourmonscalling]

10:24 AM on 11/19/2009

and EVERY ONE OF THESE BACKSTABBING PILES OF %^&* SHOULD BE VOTED OUT OF OFFICE

THEY ARE THE BIGGEST CROOKS IN THIS HUGE PONZI SCHEME

ELECTION DAY IS COMING

[capitalismisevil]

08:25 AM on 11/19/2009

Notice the lack of liberal comments on this one.

[mmonarch]

10:10 PM on 11/19/2009

hahahaha

[mtt04]

05:00 AM on 11/19/2009

WHAT PART OF THIS IS A SURPRISE TO YOU DOPES.

READ MUCH.

THEY WORK FOR THE LITTLE GUY - THESE DEMOCRATS.

BLANKFEIN, DIMON, ETC. ARE THE LITTLE GUYS

[dieselis]

06:44 PM on 11/18/2009

Oh my!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[chlamor]

04:31 PM on 11/18/2009

Supporting Democrats is a serious political disorder, like alcoholism or returning again & again to an abusive spouse who repeatedly lies to you. It's easy to fall off the wagon, to make excuses & rationalizations for it.

Even many whose views are developed enough to recognize such truths as the fundamental rottenness of the 2-party system & the complicity of Democrats in all of the Republicans' major crimes, are still unable to draw the logical consequences of these insights. (Those so naive that they still conceive of Democrats as being the "opponents" of Republicans are another case altogether.)

The central point is this: capitalist society permits the Democrats to be one of the 2 allowed parties for a very definite reason. It's not because the Democrats "serve the people." It's because in a subtle but effective way, they help the capitalists keep the populace under control by providing them with the illusion of possible change. TPTB don't want the people "served." They want them managed, or controlled.

It is the job, the central social function of the Democrats to always be dangling before the people's noses vague pseudo-hints of possible change, so as to keep them from bolting from bourgeois politics altogether. It is the Democrats' intention to never deliver meaningful change, but rather to keep dangling hints of it alluringly forever. This produces control -- a populace habituated to remain safely within the lines required by ruling class interests.

[Stop Wall Street]

03:09 PM on 11/18/2009

Once again, Obama fails to make progress with anything. All this traveling is a waste of tax payer dollars and never brings any resolution. We need less free trade and more manufacturing in America.

hat tip to http://financeopinionss.blogspot.com
Meanwhile, wall street makes record revenues and profits while unemployment shows no signs of abating. What a joke.

[getoffmedz]

02:05 PM on 11/18/2009

Return no incumbent to Congress.

[LeftyFrizzell]

11:57 AM on 11/18/2009

Wow 11 of 15 are Democrats including all top 5 recipients.

This is the end result of decades of progressives pandering to "the lesser of two evils" at the voting booth.

[mmonarch]

10:12 PM on 11/19/2009

This is what they were doing when they were the minority party. Keeping busy. Making friends.

[fredamae]

10:29 AM on 11/18/2009

I called the DNC today for, hopefully, some Answers as to How We, the People can "do something" about this Conflict of Interest. Not Only did they say, there is Nothing WE can do...We only support the Presidents Agenda...Nothing else...But REFUSED to commit to an answer to a simple Question: "Do You Support The People? Your Democrats?"

I was referred to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. I called reids office. A Very nice man explained that I should "fact-check" using Open Secrets (obviously does Not know about this article) and "Legistorm".

So, folks...Get YOUR Dem Leaders under Control Or Else this will be "Historical Elections part Tres".

Thats IT Dems. It Is OVER. You can RETURN THE CONTRIBUTIONS Or...Welcome in your opponents Post 2010 Elections.

[fredamae]

10:31 AM on 11/18/2009

http://www.opensecrets.org/index.php

http://www.legistorm.com/

sorry, I forgot the Links.

[pattithepolitico]

09:37 AM on 11/18/2009

This is the reason there is no REAL change! These people are bought, sold, and recycled. It makes me so mad. There will never be REFORM of anything ever if this continues, and, of course, it will continue since these are the people in charge of it all. Where do we go from here?

[TRUTHHURTZ]

09:27 AM on 11/18/2009

if it were 11 Repubs on the take, the lamestream media would be screaming it from the rooftops - media bias, anyone?

[mmonarch]

10:11 PM on 11/19/2009

bingo

[sailor71]

09:25 AM on 11/18/2009

To highlight these issues- every congress representative Republican or Democrat should have added to the record how they voted on a bill and how much money they have received from lobby groups or special interest. It will give us a better understanding as to their motives and dispel the notion - Politics as Usual.

[Notrepublicrat]

08:11 AM on 11/18/2009

What? Our politicians are either corrupt or stupid? Horrors!

Still, why are we paying attention to political corruption when we could be focusing on the key issue - Palin wrote a book.

[Matrsnot]

07:39 AM on 11/18/2009

Vote them all out of office. And those voting democrat just because the person is a democrat, open your eyes!! They are at least as corrupt as those you already accuse.