WP, "The Fix," by Chris Cillizza
A look at Leadership PACs -- The Democrats
It has become de rigueur in recent election cycles for aspiring national politicians to maintain a leadership political action committee. Leadership PACs provide a campaign bank account that a candidate can use to fund his or her relentless travel around the country in the quest to raise even more money. The PACs also allow politicians to donate dollars to (and collect favors from) friendly candidates and help them build the staff infrastructure that can be quickly ported over to a full-fledged presidential bid.
As such, a close review of leadership PACs provides a window into how the politicians eyeing the 2008 presidential race are laying the ground work. Last week, every leadership PAC was required to file reports with the Federal Election Commission.
After many excruciating hours of scanning reports and adding up figures (Remember the Fix was an English major, not a math major), the results are in. We start today with the Democrats and will focus on the Republicans later in the week.
Not surprisingly, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's (N.Y.) HILLPAC is the biggest operation on the Democratic side, employing 26 people (although several of these workers are shared with her official Senate office). Clinton keeps consulting costs to a minimum. In the first three months of 2006, HILLPAC employed just two consultants -- the Hudson Media Group, which received approximately $36,000, and Heather Hurlburt, who took in $15,000. Hudson Media Group is the political arm of the Glover Park Group, a firm where Clinton confidant Howard Wolfson is a partner. Hurlburt, who is based in Michigan, is a former speechwriter in the Clinton administration....
(NOTE: The article examines the PACs of Warner, Kerry, Bayh, Biden, Clark, and Edwards.)
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2006/04/a_look_at_leadership_pacs.html#more 
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