American Medical Association’s Last-Minute Contributions Top $835,000 for Congressional Candidates

Over the past two weeks, the American Medical Association's political action committee has spent approximately $835,000 on television and radio ads in support of congressional candidates, more than any other organization spent in the same time period, CongressDaily reports. According to Federal Election Commission records, the AMA last week contributed $262,000 to Sen. Wayne Allard's (R-Colo.) campaign and this week donated $166,000 each to Rep. Dennis Cardoza's (D-Calif.) and Rep. Phil Gingrey's (R-Ga.) campaigns. In addition, the group has contributed $126,000 on behalf of Rep. Greg Ganske (R-Iowa), who is running for the Senate, and was expected to give Ganske's campaign another $25,000 yesterday, according to CongressDaily (Cargo/Jordan, CongressDaily, 10/30). Republicans earlier this year criticized the AMA, citing the organization's shift in support from the Republican to the Democratic party. Until recently, the AMA had "sterling GOP credentials," but in the past several years, as doctors have become "increasingly upset with the rising power" of managed care organizations, the AMA's party "allegiance" has shifted "dramatically" to the Democrats. The group is "issue-oriented," not partisan, the AMA Chair Timothy Flaherty said (American Health Line, 8/8).