Rep. Joe Barton Loses $800K In Donor Money

He invests campaign contributions in the stock market, and in the last 12 months things have not been going so well.  How the congressman chooses to handle his contributions is between him and his contributors, of course. Not being one, I have no skin in the game. I have to admit I have never thought about what elected officials do with the piles of campaign cash that sit in their kitties. Investing it seems appropriate, even if a little Las Vegasish. If I were one of his donors, I might have preferred to lose that money on my own. On the other hand,  I doubt if his top donors care that much. In 2008 they were: Nukor, Anadarko Petroleum, Exxon Mobil, Energy Future Holdings (TXU), SUEZ SA, Martin Sprocket & Gear, Tenaska, AMR (American Airlines), EchoStar Communications, and Urology Centers of Alabama. (The organizations themselves did not contribute; contributions came from company PACs or officers.)