Ohio’s Space abandons lobbyist pledge

For the second straight quarter, U.S. Representative Zack Space, D-OH, reported receiving thousands of dollars in contributions from Washington, DC, lobbyists, even though he signed a 2006 pledge promising not to accept their support, Majority Accountability Project (www.majorityap.com) research has found.

Space’s biggest take was from the lobby shop of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis. The firm’s political action committee (PAC) gave Space $1,000 in September, and two lobbyists and an attorney with the firm combined for an additional $1,350, bringing Space’s total to $2,350. Another DC firm, Kelley Drye Collier Shannon, gave Space $1,000 in July.

According to the Center for Public Integrity, the two firms reported more than $100 million in combined lobbying activity. Space also reported receiving $250 from an attorney with another lobby firm, Baker and Hostetler.

Space also received $1,000 from Michael Jaharis, a registered lobbyist for Kos Pharmaceuticals. Opensecrets.org reported that Kos Pharmaceuticals paid another Space donor, the firm of Patton Boggs, $360,000 to lobby on their behalf.

The figures come from Space’s latest financial reporting to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), made public October 15, 2007.

Majorityap.com reported in July that Space continues to violate terms of a pledge he singed as a candidate for Congress that he would “not accept contributions from lobbyists.”

In his previous FEC report, made public July 15, 2007, Space had taken at least $4250 from Washington, DC, lobbyists and lobby firms.

According to the earlier report, Space received $1,000 each from the PACs of Sonnenschein Nath and Rosenthal, and Patton Boggs, which Opensecrets.org lists at the nation’s biggest lobby firm. He also received $500 from Van Ness Feldman.

Space’s July report included $1750 in contributions from four attorneys with Squires Sanders & Dempsey, another lobby firm.

All the firms supporting Space do substantial lobbying before the United States Congress on issues ranging from energy and telecommunications to Indian gaming and pharmaceutical interests.

Space had also received $1,000 from the Democratic Freshman PAC in July, the controversial political action committee headed by a longtime Washington, DC, rainmaker. Another lobbyist associated with that PAC was forced out, after majorityap.com noted he had been accused of using his prowess as a campaign fundraiser to gain access to members of Congress.

The Ohio Democrat’s latest financial report states he has received more than $500320 in donations from political action committees since the beginning of the year, representing a host of special interests. The majority of those special interests have full-time lobbyists who, as a rule, personally present checks from those PACs at events attended by members of Congress, such as Space.

In 2006, Space made ethics and lobbying reform a centerpiece of his campaign platform. He signed a pledged that year, vowing if elected he will accept “no gifts from lobbyists, no trips from lobbyists,” and “no meals from lobbyists.”

In addition to his own pledge, Space called for an all-out “ban (on) contributions from lobbyists.”

Space has had repeated trouble keeping that pledge.

In April, 2006, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported Space “accepted a $2,000 campaign contribution from John J. Cafaro of Youngstown, who pleaded guilty to illegally giving cash and gifts to former congressman Jim Traficant and was fined $150,000.” Traficant, D-OH, is currently serving an eight year prison sentence after being convicted in 2002 on ten counts of racketeering, bribery and fraud.

Following the public controversy, Space was forced to return Cafaro’s donation.

Space returned another contribution earlier this year, according to his July 15 report. Vic Fazio, a former member of Congress and a lobbyist with the Washington, DC, firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, gave Space $500 on March 27, 2007. Space returned the contribution to Fazio on April 13.

But according to Space’s October filing, he no longer returns checks to lobbyists, a violation of that election year promise.