Photograph by Gary Gardiner/Bloomberg
An Exxon station in Columbus, Ohio.
Exxon Mobil Corp. gave 94 percent of its federal political donations last month to Republican candidates, including many who are shoo-ins to join the new Congress that convenes in January.
Republicans, who are favored to maintain control of the House of Representatives in the Nov. 6 election, received $188,000 of the $200,000 that Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest energy company, donated through its political action committee, it said in a filing yesterday to the Federal Election Commission.
Nineteen of the recipients are non-incumbent Republican candidates running in districts which the nonpartisan Cook Political Report describes as “likely Republican” or “safe Republican.” The donations are a sign that Exxon Mobil is reaching out to likely new members of Congress who would help set energy policy through their votes and committee work.
These candidates include Markwayne Mullin, a plumbing company owner from Oklahoma, and former Rep. Steve Stockman of Texas.
Exxon Mobil’s PAC gave $5,000 to Rep. Paul Ryan, the Republican vice-presidential nominee who’s also seeking re-election in Wisconsin as permitted under state law.
Four Democrats received money from Exxon Mobil’s PAC last month, three of whom represent energy-producing states. They are Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, who is up for re-election in 2014, and Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana and Gene Green of Texas.
Rep. Jim Matheson, a Utah Democrat who worked in the energy field prior to entering Congress, also received a donation from Exxon Mobil’s PAC. He’s in a tough re-election race against Republican Mia Love.
