Lankford On Jeb Bush Donation List

Washington Post

Presumed Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush is doling out more of the money he’s raised in recent months, giving thousands of dollars to lawmakers in several different states who cut across the GOP spectrum.

Bush is widely believed to be preparing to run for president — and is widely presumed to be raising nearly $100 million, if not more, on his way to doing so. But officially, the money isn’t for him — it’s for two political PACs, both named Right to Rise. In this case, the donations are coming from his leadership PAC.

The donations, announced hours before GOP rival Rand Paul’s formal presidential launch, range from $2,600 to $5,400 a pop, for a total of $117,800.

Recipients include Sens. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who are expected to be top Democratic targets; Virginia’s Ed Gillespie, who is mulling a run for governor in 2017; and Florida Reps. Carlos Curbelo, Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. He’s also giving money to Reps. David Valadao (R-Calif.) and Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) — two Republicans who sit on either end of the immigration reform debate. Valadao is among those (including the Florida lawmakers) who are pushing for a more comprehensive approach to reform. Labrador supports immigration reform — and was briefly part of a bipartisan House working group — but is now more supportive of the piecemeal approach favored by most conservatives.

Bush gave a similar round of donations totaling $122,800 in February to several Republican lawmakers from early primary states.

Here’s the full list of donations given by Bush, according to his aides:

Senator Roy Blunt ($5,400)

Senator James Lankford ($5,400)

Senator Johnny Isakson ($5,400)

Senator John Thune ($5,400)

Senator Lisa Murkowski ($5,400)

Senator Pat Toomey ($5,400)

Senator Thom Tillis ($2,600)

Ed Gillespie ($2,600)

Representative Rick Allen ($5,400)

Representative Bradley Byrne ($5,400)

Representative Carlos Curbelo ($5,400)

Representative Mario Diaz-Balart ($5,400)

Representative Cresent Hardy ($5,400)

Representative Jaime Herrera-Beutler ($5,400)

Representative Evan Jenkins ($5,400)

Representative John Katko ($5,400)

Representative Adam Kinzinger ($5,400)

Representative Raul Labrador ($5,400)

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen ($5,400)

Representative Mike Simpson ($5,400)

Representative David Valadao ($5,400)

Republican Party of Virginia ($10,000)

Total Amount Given: $117,800