Big Oil Contributes to Political Campaigns

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Big Oil Contributes to Political Campaigns

Written by Miranda Marquit

How oily are the presidential candidates?

Photo:Llima, Creative Commons, Flickr
I know, I know. It's no surprise that Big Oil is out there trying to buy influence among presidential candidates. But Oil Change International is offering a graphic representation of how oily the presidential candidates really are. Roll your mouse over the images on the picture and you can see how much each candidate has received from Big Oil, and how much Big Oil has given in all.

Republicans, as you might guess, lead the pack. Rudy Guiliani was practically swimming in oil, with Mitt Romney second (but more than $200,000 behind). Hillary Clinton weighed in as the third-oiliest presidential candidate, with John McCain hot on her heels. However, it might surprise some to note that Exxon (XOM) contributed its largest amount to Barack Obama (but he was seventh on the list of 14). It's no surprise that XOM contributed the most money to a variety of candidates, but I think it interesting that Hess (HES) was number two. Chevron (CVX) contributed as well, but was rather far down on the list. Even Occidental Petroleum (OXY) got in on the act.

It is also possible to see results from 2000 and 2004. It really gives you a good idea of just how much Big Oil has contributed to President Bush. It is also rather telling, shedding light on why green legislation has such a hard time getting signed into law.

Disclosure: I own none of the companies listed above. I do not invest in Big Oil.

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