DeVos Family money fuels the Second and Third Congressional races

We reported last month on West Michigan residents that have given large sums of money to candidates and political parties in an attempt to influence the 2012 elections.

A new report from the Center for Responsive Politics shows that President Obama is ahead of all Presidential candidates in terms of PAC money raised and Obama has raised more than double than any GOP candidate, with $157 million at the last campaign finances reporting date on February 1^st.

In Michigan, there are candidates who have a commanding leading in terms of money raised so far. In the Senate race, the incumbent Debbie Stabenow has raised nearly $9 million, with the next closest candidate (Pete Hoekstra) raising just over $2 million.

Stabenow has raised the bulk of her funds from corporations such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield, DTE Energy, GM, Ford, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and the women’s PAC known as EMILY’s List. Hoekstra on the other hand is relying on money specific to West Michigan with major donors like Amway, Autocam, Meijer, Gentex and DP Fox Ventures.

In the 3^rd Congressional race, incumbent Justin Amash has raised just shy of half a million dollars and no reporting as of yet from either of the two Democratic challengers, Trevor Thomas or Steve Pestka. You can see from this chart here who the main contributors are to Amash to date.

In the 2^nd Congressional race, Rep. Bill Huizenga has raised $440,420 so far, with no reported Democratic challengers listed. The bulk of Huizenga’s money is coming from West Michigan as well and a large percentage of it coming from the DeVos family businesses, such as Amway/Alticor, Windquest Group, DP Fox Ventures and the Orlando Magic.