Presidential hopefuls Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., raised about $10 million from lawyers and law firms during the summer months, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that tracks federal elections.
McCain, whose campaign has lagged behind in donations from the legal industry, witnessed a 60 percent jump in fundraising from lawyers and law firms from the start of May through the end of July. The additional $3 million boosted McCain's contributions from lawyers and law firms to a total of $8 million.
His top contributors in the legal industry continue to hail from Philadelphia's Blank Rome and Greenberg Traurig. But he added significant dollars from lawyers at Los Angeles-based Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, many of whom were supporters of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who dropped out of the presidential race earlier this year.
During the same three months, Obama raised an additional $7 million from lawyers and law firms, up 38 percent. That amount brings his total contributions from the legal industry to $24 million.
Obama's largest contributors continue to come from lawyers at Sidley Austin; New York's Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Jones Day; Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr; and Latham & Watkins.
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McCain's Law-Related Fundraising Jumps 60 Percent; Obama Up 38 Percent
The National Law Journal
September 12, 2008
