Big donors maxed out

WASHINGTON - Hundreds of people have given the maximum $25,000 per year they can send to the national party committees since a law capped their donations.

The Republican National Committee has landed the most maximum donors - at least 700 since a ban on corporate, union and unlimited donations known as soft money took effect starting with the 2003-04 election cycle.

Under the new law, parties can accept up to $25,000 a year from individuals and political action committees.

Among the Democrats, the Democratic National Committee has logged roughly 220 maxed-out individual donors; the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, about 190; and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, about 105.

About 110 people gave the limit to the National Republican Senatorial Committee, while roughly 60 have to the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Despite the Democratic congressional committees' larger number of $25,000 individual donors, their Republican counterparts, whose members control Congress, have outpaced them in fundraising by millions of dollars overall. That is due in part to the GOP's ability to attract more small-dollar contributors.

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