Will Roger Wicker return the dirty money?

Hat Tip to the Senate Guru who runs a fantastic blog that covers all things related to the Senatorial elections. The website is a true resource for political junkies.

We already knew Roger Wicker likes to associate with such outstanding persons as Republican Senator's Larry Craig and David Vitter. Well let's just say here we go again.

News breaks today that Senator Ted Stevens from Alaska is indicted on seven counts of corruption and fraud by the U. S. Justice Department. Senator Ted Stevens also runs a PAC called the Northern Lights. Roger Wicker received a nice $5,000 check from Stevens.

Many other Republicans are already returning the dirty money as I write this. Will Roger Wicker show the good people of Mississippi that he does not want Ted Stevens dirty money? We already know he will take money from any special interest group with a checkbook.

This election is real simple. Do we want a Washington insider already bought and paid for, or a man with a proven track record of independent thinking like Ronnie Musgrove? I might not always agree with Ronnie, but I know he is not on special interest contract like Roger Wicker.

More Special Interest Numbers Updated

I keep looking at the fundraising numbers for the Wicker Musgrove campaign with amazement. Roger Wicker has raised an absurd amount of cash in his bid to win Trent Lott's Senate seat. Of course he does not enjoy the luxury of being labeled as an incumbent, since he was appointed by Haley Barbour, not elected by the people.

Using the publicly available data courtesy of The Center for Responsive Politics I was able to compile this staggering set of numbers.

Total Raised for the 2008 cycle:
Ronnie Musgrove -- $1,269,605
Roger Wicker ------ $3,853,335

From the page that list contributions by special interests groups I had to break out my calculator and come up with these numbers.

Total Special Interest Money from Top Special Interest Sectors
Ronnie Musgrove -- $296,383
Roger Wicker ------ $1,582,555

Does Mississippi really want a Senator known for pork barrel projects, special interests, and political payoffs via pork to his special interest contributors?

Donate to Ronnie Musgrove now. If you donate for $25 or more I will send you a pair of Obama '08 buttons and Obama '08 bumper stickers courtesy of Cotton Mouth.

My contribution: $

Special Interest Money in the Mississippi Senate Race

The Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, non-profit, independent watchdog group, has an informative website call Open Secrets. Open Secrets is your source for campaign finance information for politician, individuals, PAC's, as well as donors. There is a wealth of information on just about any candidate you can think of.

They have a page or a series of pages on the Mississippi Senate race. One of these pages lists how much each industry has donated to the candidates. Several items are definitely worth mentioning upon initial review.

Lawyers and Lawfirms
Roger Wicker ------ $163,800
Ronnie Musgrove -- $72,433

Insurance
Roger Wicker ------ $90,400
Ronnie Musgrove -- $11,100

Lobbyists
Roger Wicker ------ $74,075
Ronnie Musgrove -- $12,250

Oil & Gas
Roger Wicker ------ $87,825
Ronnie Musgrove -- $5,600

Health Professionals
Roger Wicker ------ $131,325
Ronnie Musgrove -- $11,600


My thoughts:

I would have never guessed that Roger Wicker would have a 2-1 advantage over a Democrat in raising money from lawyers.

That is a lot of bread to take from Insurance companies, considering their recent history along the coastal region.

I am actually surprised that the lobbyist figure came in at only $74,075 for Roger Wicker. If I were gambiling, I would have bet the over.

When you hear Roger Wicker calling for more drilling, remember these numbers.

When you hear Roger Wicker talk negatively about health care reform, remember these numbers.