Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) does hers dog sledding style.
Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) prefers his with candles.
And Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) simply lets the booze flow.
As politicians crank their fund-raising machines ahead of 2010 midterm elections, OpenSecrets.org is now tracking the often lavish gatherings through which they raise their dough.
The information, provided by the Sunlight Foundation's Party Time project, appears within OpenSecrets.org's hundreds of congressional member candidate profiles. This allows OpenSecrets.org readers to not only follow who's spending and receiving political cash, but how -- and in real time.
You'll learn, for example, that Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) is ringing in his 50th birthday tonight with a swank party in downtown Washington, D.C., at the Associated General Contractors of America's townhome. Tickets cost $1,050 (political action committee) or $550 (individual), with the money benefitting Lucas' reelection committee.
And the Associated General Contractors? The party hosts aren't exactly small fry in the world of federal lobbying.
Neither is Cornerstone Government Affairs, one of the more notable lobbying firms in the nation's capital.
The group, which boasts lobbying clients ranging from Wal-Mart to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, on Monday hosted a $1,000-per-ticket luncheon for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
In no way are politicians required to disclose or publicize their big-dollar bashes. So, in the name of transparency, help us by notifying Party Time of politicians' fund-raisers by clicking here.
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