Pharma may be giving big bucks to presidential candidates--$9.1 million so far--but it's surpassed by 16 other industries, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Individual contributions accounted for $3.8 million of that total, with the rest coming from PACs. And the money has been split 51/49 between Democrats and Republicans.
What's more interesting, though, is how that money divides among the candidates themselves. Hillary Clinton has brought in $349,270 from pharma and health products companies, barely edging Barack Obama with $337,525. Now-history candidates Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani nabbed $318,226 and $165,675, respectively. The putative Republican nominee, John McCain, captured a comparatively paltry $97,597--proving that, when you call an industry the "bad guys," it's not likely to write you a big check in thanks.
- read our analysis of the candidates' positions on pharma issues
- see pharma's giving history at CRP
- check out the organization's candidate breakdown
- watch the YouTube video of McCain talking pharma during the NH debate