Big Donors Bank on Boehner Over Pelosi

John Boehner stands a decent chance of being the next House speaker, and he's got some deep-pocketed friends trying to improve the odds. Boehner has pulled in $7.1 million for his campaign and leadership committees, way ahead of Nancy Pelosi's $2.9 million. And that's not counting another $2 million for his "Boehner for Speaker" group that shares money with other Republicans, reports USA Today.

Insurance companies, drug manufacturers, and Wall Street firms are his biggest donors, according to the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics. "These industries have shown their hand to everybody by betting on John Boehner," says the watchdog group Public Citizen. "They will spend as much as they deem necessary to make sure Congress doesn't tread on their turf."
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