It\u2019s illegal under federal law for a corporation to give money to a candidate for Congress.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s apparently not illegal for 18 executives of one corporation to all give to one candidate on the same day.<\/p>\n
And so it is that 18 executives of EQT Corporation, one of the largest natural gas producers in the Appalachian Basin, donated a total of $11,750 to Nick Casey on September 26, 2013.<\/p>\n
Nick Casey is the former chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party and former treasurer to Senator and former Governor Joe Manchin\u2019s campaigns.<\/p>\n
And now Casey is running for Congress in the second Congressional district of West Virginia.<\/p>\n
And he\u2019s defending the practice of hydraulic fracturing — like his funders at EQT would want him to.<\/p>\n
Casey is a corporate Democrat — and not just when it comes to the issue of fracking.<\/p>\n
As a lobbyist, Casey represented the corporatist U.S. Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Institute for Legal Reform<\/a>, prompting some Democrats at the time to call for his resignation as chairman of the party. Casey was also a lobbyist for the Consumer Health Care Products Association.<\/p>\n Casey likely will face Republican Alex Mooney, a tea party candidate who will draw big out of state money.<\/p>\n Casey needs to keep Democrats in line and prevent them from peeling off to independent Ed Rabel, who is running for the same seat as an independent.<\/p>\n Given Casey’s track record as a corporate Democrat, it\u2019s an open question as to why rank and file Democrats would support him.<\/p>\n Stephen Skinner (D-Jefferson County), one of the most liberal Democrats in the West Virginia House of Delegates, donated $1,000 to Casey\u2019s campaign on July 16, 2013. Why? Skinner did not return calls seeking comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s illegal under federal law for a corporation to give money to a candidate for Congress. But it\u2019s apparently not illegal for 18 executives of one corporation to all give to one candidate on the same day. And so it … Continue reading