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`Rockefeller Republicans' Open Wallets to Back Party Moderates

By Michael Forsythe

Oct. 17 (Bloomberg) -- A roster of donors that reads like a Wall Street Who's Who from 40 years ago is spearheading a fund- raising drive to elect Republicans they regard as moderates on Nov. 7.

David Rockefeller, 91, former chief executive officer of Chase Manhattan Corp.; John Whitehead, 84, a former senior partner at Goldman Sachs & Co.; and Sidney Weinberg Jr., 78, son of a legendary Goldman senior partner, are among the top donors to a new group called Republicans Who Care. It is airing ads for such candidates as Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, who supports gay rights and didn't vote for George W. Bush in 2004.

Whitehead said the group, which raised at least $385,000 through Sept. 30, is helping Republicans who favor balanced federal budgets and believe government should take a hands-off approach on such issues as abortion. On Oct. 3, Whitehead sent out 84 letters asking for donations for a final round of ads and phone calls before the election.

``I made sure all of the rich, moderate Republicans I knew were sent a letter,'' he said.

With three weeks to the election, the group may help Republican Representatives Chris Shays, Nancy Johnson and Rob Simmons in Connecticut, Martha Rainville in Vermont and Deborah Pryce in Ohio.

Countering a Club

Republicans Who Care was formed to counter the Club for Growth, which seeks to defeat moderate Republicans such as Chafee and Representative Joe Schwarz of Michigan in party primaries. Republicans Who Care supported Schwarz in his unsuccessful bid to win renomination earlier this year against Tim Walberg, a challenger backed by the Club for Growth.

The Club for Growth raised at least $6.1 million in contributions through August, according to Internal Revenue Service records, far outdistancing Republicans Who Care.

Moderate Republicans used to be called ``Rockefeller Republicans'' -- after New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, David's brother -- and were a major force in the party and U.S. politics. In 1952 and 1956, they helped elect President Dwight Eisenhower, who once described himself as a ``militant liberal.''

That began to change in 1964 when conservative Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater defeated Nelson Rockefeller for the Republican presidential nomination.

`Practical,' Not `Ideological'

``I have been a lifelong Republican and have always supported efforts by moderate members of the party who seek practical rather than ideological solutions to the critical issues we face in the United States and the world,'' David Rockefeller said in a statement.

Donors to Republicans Who Care also include such latter-day billionaires as hedge-fund manager Robert Ziff, 40, listed among the richest Americans by Forbes Magazine. There is no limit on contributions to the group because it is a so-called 527, named for the section of the tax code under which such independent- expenditure organizations operate.

Groups that back Republicans control 79 percent of the $3.74 million that the 527s have spent since the beginning of September on radio and television ads, according to the Federal Election Commission. During the 2004 campaign, four of the five biggest 527 groups supported Democrats.

Among the most prominent 527 groups active in 2004 was Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which disparaged Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's war record.

``Every member of Congress lives in fear that someone is going to drop $500,000 or $1 million in ads against him or her,'' said Jan Baran, a campaign finance lawyer in Washington.

Helping in a Primary

Republicans Who Care, operating out of a post office box in downtown Washington, helped Chafee, 53, win the Republican primary last month over an anti-tax candidate through television ads and phone banks.

According to recent polls, Chafee trails Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse, 50, a former state attorney general. Democrats need to gain six Senate seats to win a majority.

Whitehead said Republicans Who Care is an outgrowth of the Republican Main Street Partnership, whose founders included former Representative Amo Houghton of New York and that numbers Senator John McCain of Arizona and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger among members who hold elective office.

McCain is often mentioned as a possible Republican nominee for president in 2008, giving hope to Republicans Who Care.

``Many of the top administration people as well as the president have departed'' from the principles that once characterized the party, said Whitehead, who has donated at least $75,000 to the group for this election. ``We're spending money to makes sure good Repubicans get elected.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Forsythe in Washington at [email protected] ;

Last Updated: October 17, 2006 00:05 EDT