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Documenting the Political Partying Circuit
From the early hours of the morning until late in the evening, politicians are partying. Sunlight's PARTY TIME can help you find out who is partying, where and when.

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Senate Judiciary members fundraise prior to Kagan confirmation hearings

Lisa Chiu

Two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the same committee that began the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan Monday, were featured speakers of a June 22nd “Judiciary Roundtable” fundraiser benefiting the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, were listed on the invitation for the event, which was limited to 30 seats at $500-$1,000 per person or political action group. Those who gave $15,000 a year to the NRSC could attend for free.

While this event isn’t included in Party Time’s search for invitations by committee, since Cornyn and Hatch were not the beneficiaries of the fundraiser, there have been at least eight other campaign fundraisers for  the 19 members of the Senate Judiciary Committee between today and May 10 – the day President Obama announced Kagan as his nominee. They include:


  • A breakfast this morning at for Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Tickets cost $1,000 per PAC and $500 per person.

  • A June 24th lunch for Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., at Charlie Palmer Steak to benefit Wyden’s Senate campaign. Tickets cost $500-$5,000.

  • A June 22nd reception for Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, at The Monocle Restaurant. The numerous hosts listed  included the American Health Care Association PAC. Tickets ranged from $500-$2,500.

  • A May 20th breakfast for Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. Tickets ranged from $500-$1,000.

  • A May 19th “Margaritas and Mariachi” at the National Republican Senatorial Committee offices for Sen. Cornyn’s ALAMO PAC. Hosts include the American Society of Anesthesiologists PAC, the Home Depot PAC, and the Verizon Good Gov't Fund. Tickets cost $250-$2,500.

  • A May 19th $1,000 per person “Bagels with Ben” fundraiser for Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md.

  • A May 13th fundraising dinner hosted by Sen. John Kyl, R-Ariz., honoring Republican politicians currently running for Senate. They include Missouri Rep. Roy Blunt now running for Senate, Illinois Rep. Mark Kirk now running for the Illinois Senate, former Colorado Lt. Gov. Jane Norton now running for Colorado Senator, and former Representative and Bush cabinet member Rob Portman now running for Ohio Senate. Also listed was Senate Minority Leader Mitch MCconnell, R-Ky. Tickets cost $3,000-$5,000 and benefited the Road to Senate Victory Committee 2010.

  • A May 12th reception at for Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa. Tickets cost $1,000-$5,000, and the event was billed as the final event before Specter’s Democratic primary, which he would go on to lose to Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak. Hosts included lobbyists Shannon Finley and Tony Podesta.

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PARTYFINDER™ Hints

Beneficiary: congressional candidate, lawmaker, or entity which collects funds raised at party

Host: person who is hosting party-often, but not always, a registered federal lobbyist

Venue Name: where the party is

Entertainment Type: type of gathering, such as "breakfast," "ski trip," "bowling"

Other Lawmakers Mentioned: lawmakers mentioned on invitation who are used as a draw for the event

Note: You may wonder why you often see repeat entries for the same party. Sometimes we receive the same invitation from more than one source. We are working on eliminating these duplicates.

Sunlight's Party Time is a project to track parties for members of Congress or congressional candidates that happen all year round in Washington, D.C. and beyond. (read more)

We also post information we receive about parties where members of Congress are expected to participate—such as convention or inaugural parties.

Since we don't hear about all the parties, you can also tell us if you know where the party is and we don't.

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