Google contributes thousands to conservatives
By Jim Hopkins, USA TODAY
SAN FRANCISCO — Under pressure in Washington, Google (GOOG) has given thousands in political contributions to some of the most conservative members of Congress, tempering its image as a bastion of liberal campaign money.
The online search giant's nascent political action committee gave 61% of contributions to Republicans, including Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Orrin Hatch of Utah, according to a USA TODAY analysis.
The company-controlled PAC's giving came as employees gave about 98% of their money to Democrats in last fall's elections.
With Democrats now in control of Congress, Google will likely revamp its political defenses again, sending more to Democrats, says Steve Levin, political reform project director at the non-partisan Center for Governmental Studies.
Google's donations are significant because it has become one of the world's most powerful companies. Its executives are among the richest, making the PAC a potentially growing source of new money in the 2008 elections. Microsoft's PAC, one of the biggest, spent about $1.7 million for last year's elections vs. $7,541 when it started in 1993.
"If you're a good fundraiser … Google is going to be at the top of your list," says Meredith McGehee, policy director at the Campaign Legal Center, a non-partisan government watchdog group.
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