FEC lists 6th District donors

• By SARAH CHACKO AND MARK BALLARD
• Capitol news bureau
• Published: Oct 26, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Congressional No Party candidate Michael Jackson has received nearly half his campaign funds from a widely known Baton Rouge family which typically supports Republicans.

But Jackson said the lines drawn between candidates and their contributors is irrelevant.

“People contribute to different campaigns for different reasons,” Jackson said.

Jackson, a state representative from Baton Rouge, and state Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, are challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Cazayoux, D-New Roads, in a Nov. 4 election for the Baton Rouge-based 6th Congressional District seat.

Jackson ran as a Democrat in a special spring election, losing against Cazayoux in a Democratic primary. Jackson complained that his support from the Democratic Party was not even-handed and decided to run in this fall’s election as an independent.

The Federal Election Commission released on Thursday disclosures candidates made about their campaign’s donors and spending through Oct. 15.

Campaign finance reports filed by the three candidates in the 6th District race for this election cycle show:

• Incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Cazayoux, D-New Roads, has received about $350,000 of his $1.08 million campaign contributions from labor unions and members as of Oct. 15.
• State Rep. Michael Jackson, No Party-Baton Rouge, has received $23,000 of his $48,050 in campaign contributions from the family and employees of Baton Rouge businessman Lane
• Grigsby, who is attacking Cazayoux on his support of a union-backed bill. Another $10,250 comes from contributors who also have given to Republican Party causes since 2006.
• State Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, also received $13,500 from the Grigsby camp. He had raised $868,121 as of Oct. 15, according to the FEC disclosures.

Jackson said candidates do not discriminate against contributors unless the contributor is linked to something egregious or out of line with the candidate’s platform.

“For the most part, people give because they want to participate in the process,” Jackson said. “It’s clear that Lane Grigsby is doing that on a different level.”

Grigsby said he has contributed to Republicans and Democrats alike.

FEC records show the only Democratic candidates for federal office to whom Grigsby donated was Mary Landrieu in June 2001, Chris John in February 2000, Jason Decuir’s effort for the 6th Congressional District seat in March and two candidates who challenged U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, D-New Orleans, over the years.

In all, Grigsby has given $7,550 to Democratic candidates for federal office and $63,050 to Republican candidates since 1997, according to FEC documents.