Giffords pulls in hundreds of thousands in PAC money 

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords has pulled in more than $380,000 from political action committees in her fundraising efforts for re-election, according to recent campaign finance records.
The southern Arizona Democrat’s donations are from more than 140 committees ranging from environmental groups to defense contractors, and account for one-third of her overall contributions.
The donations have helped Giffords develop one of the richest freshman campaign organizations in the country —among the top five nationally, according to Washington Democrats.
Already raised $1.2 million
In all, Giffords has raised nearly $1.2 million. She’ll likely face state Senate President Tim Bee, a Tucson Republican who has not received any money from PACs.
So far, Bee has raised $135,000 for his campaign.
“Most of the PACs donate to perceived winners,” said Michael McNulty, Giffords’ campaign chairman. “PACs tend to split into those that are traditionally Democrat and those that are traditionally Republican.”
$10,000 check
Giffords’ biggest checks include $10,000 from each the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate and conservative members of Congress that she belongs to, and AmeriPAC, a fundraising political action committee set up by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer.
U.S. House majority leader donates $4,000
Hoyer donated $4,000 of his own money to Giffords, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is among 20 members of Congress who contributed a combined $50,000 to Giffords’ campaign through their own campaign committees.
Other PAC donations include $5,000 from the Human Rights Campaign, a gay- and lesbian-rights organization, and $10,000 from BRIDGE PAC, a group that has given to dozens of Democrats across the country.
Two defense contractors — Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics — gave $1,000 and $2,000, respectively, to Giffords, who was an advocate for nearly $226 million in defense and defense contracting in her federal earmark requests.
Giffords represents Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Douglas and Marana.
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