Gillibrand leads class in campaign travel

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND? U.S. Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand is the most frequent flier in her freshmen class. The New York Democrat spent more on campaign travel than any of her colleagues, holding fundraisers in London, Paris, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale and other cities. By contrast, former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney didn't travel beyond New York and DC. (PHOTO: NY Times).

According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records, Gillibrand’s 2007 travels took her across the United States, from California to New Hampshire, and to cities such as Chicago, Atlanta, and Fort Lauderdale. In contrast, the man Gillibrand defeated, former U.S. Representative John Sweeney, reported no travel expenditures his first year in Congress beyond a trip to Washington, DC, for his swearing-in ceremony and another trip to New York City.

All told, Sweeney’s travel expenditures his first year in Congress came to $4,318.36, less than a tenth of Gillibrand’s freshman journeys. Sweeney’s largest expenditure was $3,370.00 paid to the Hyatt Hotel for “rooms” to accommodate his swearing-in event. Gillibrand paid more than that, a total of $4037.33, to the Loews Hotel in New York City for event catering, although the expenditure was not included in the majorityap.com analysis of actual travel expenditures.

Gillibrand’s frequent cross-country and international travels – she also hosted campaign fundraisers in London, England and Paris, France – have paid big dividends to her re-election fund. She reported raising $2.5 million by year’s end, with a cash-on-hand balance of slightly more than $2 million.

Sweeney, considered at the time a prolific fundraiser in his own right, amassed only $434,173.09 after his first full year in Congress, reporting a cash-on-hand balance of $280.410.52.

During the 2006 campaign, Gillibrand frequently lashed out at Sweeney for his relationship with so-called special interests, at one point claiming “insiders in Washington are too busy working for special interests to spend time working for us.”

But as a member of Congress, Gillibrand has proved far more adept than Sweeney at attracting special interest campaign dollars. By year’s end, Gillibrand raised a total of $704,784.04 from political action committees representing a host of special interests - from labor unions and trial lawyers to pharmaceutical companies and the defense industry. Gillibrand is a member of the Armed Services Committee, which oversees defense-related issues before the House.

Sweeney took just $202,548.25, little more than a third of Gillibrand’s special-interest haul. Adjusting for inflation to reflect 2007 dollars, Sweeney’s first-year, 1999 PAC contributions would have equaled $252,081.39, still only a fraction of those received by Gillibrand.

SUNLIGHT REPORT IS PARTLY CLOUDY
Gillibrand shows no signs of easing up on her out-of-district travels. An article in the Glens Falls Post Star last month reported the freshman Democrat was in Boston, Massachusetts, for another campaign fundraiser, even though Gillibrand’s highly-touted public schedule, the Sunlight Report, did not report she had left New York.

After majorityap.com reported that Gillibrand spent Congress’ Memorial Day recess fundraising in California, without reporting that she was, in fact, out-of-state, her office told The Hill newspaper the omission “was a simple oversight, adding that Gillibrand’s office would look into adding the location.”

Despite that pledge, Gillibrand rarely reports when her campaign events are outside of New York, including her trip to Europe where she raised campaign funds.

OTHER BIG TRAVELERS
Gillibrand’s 41 colleagues in the Democrat freshman class reported spending just over $273,000 for hotels, rail and air travel - an average of $6,668 per person. Only three freshman Democrats spent more than $20,000, and two were New Yorkers. In addition to Gillibrand, Utica Democrat Michael Arcuri reported expenditures totaling $24,563.30, which included a $7,148.19 payment to Executive Flightways, which charters private aircraft.

Arcuri’s one-time payment to the charter aircraft company paled in comparison to Florida Democrat Ron Klein’s expenditures. Klein reported three payments to the same company totally almost $27,000. Klein was the freshman class’s second most expensive traveler, with payments totally $43,158.18.

Fourth place went to yet another New Yorker, U.S. Representative John Hall. But not even a $6,000 payment to Lane Aviation, another private aircraft company, and stays at the pricey Beverly Wilshire Hotel could put Hall over the $20,000 threshold. His travel expenditures came in at $19,017.38.