Behind the Big Haul
Who are the bundlers helping the presidential candidates shatter all those fundraising records?

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

THE SECOND-QUARTER fundraising totals show the presidential candidates once again raking in large -- in a few cases, astonishing -- sums. The click-and-pay ease of Internet giving accounts for some of the haul, but the big fundraisers known as bundlers also play a key role. Unfortunately, campaign finance rules don't require any disclosure of that role, and the campaigns so far have been disappointing in what they have voluntarily reported about the financiers to whom they are most indebted.

Some top-tier campaigns that pledged to disclose their bundlers haven't yet managed to do so: We're referring here to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) and Arizona Sen. John McCain (R), though, in truth, it feels a bit churlish at this point to ding Mr. McCain, who has less money in the bank than Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.). Mr. Romney's campaign says he plans to post a list of bundlers on his Web site around the time the latest fundraising reports are due, in mid-July.

In addition, some of the more long-shot campaigns have never bothered to answer our questions about plans to reveal their bundlers: Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.) and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), to name two. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) has released one list; given his key legislative position, such disclosure should be a regular occurrence. These candidates don't get the same scrutiny as the front-runners, but, particularly for elected officials, the identities of their bundlers matters, too.

Other candidates have revealed their bundlers but with scant detail and accessibility. During the 2004 campaign, President Bush provided the names of his "Pioneers," who had raised at least $100,000, and "Rangers," who collected $250,000 or more; Democratic nominee John F. Kerry listed donors at the $50,000 and $100,000 levels. But this time around, former North Carolina senator John Edwards (D) has released a list that does not distinguish between those who raise $5,000 and those who raise $500,000. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama lists his bundlers of $50,000 and more -- but, again, without making further distinctions to let the public know to whom he is most indebted. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) has tasked some bundlers with bringing in $1 million -- but whether any of them have, and who they are, isn't knowable from her bundler list, which features those raising $100,000 and more. Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani (R) has fundraisers who range from $50,000 "Sluggers" to $1 million "Team Captains," but there's no way to tell who's who from the campaign's list.

In the unlikely event that you could find that list, that is. In the Internet era, lists of bundlers ought to be posted, and findable, on candidates' Web sites. Every campaign has a handy button on its Web site for those inclined to donate. Information about bundlers ought to be just as accessible.