--- title: Louisiana Senate Runoff Leads to Last-Minute Donations description: The runoff between Sen. Mary Landrieu and Rep. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana led to last-minute donations, especially from the oil industry. canonical: https://time.com/3616887/louisiana-senate-runoff-leads-to-last-minute-donations/ author: Russ Choma article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-12-03T20:50:58.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T02:33:10.207Z article:section: Politics og:title: Louisiana Senate Runoff Leads to Last-Minute Donations og:description: The runoff between Sen. Mary Landrieu and Rep. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana led to last-minute donations, especially from the oil industry. og:url: https://time.com/3616887/louisiana-senate-runoff-leads-to-last-minute-donations/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8be81125a443fe82/698762725f570f2d91b12e6d/mary-landrieu.jpg?branch=production&width=600&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 600 og:image:height: 338 og:image:alt: U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) speaks during a press conference to urge Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, on Capitol Hill on April 1, 2014 in Washington, DC. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Louisiana Senate Runoff Leads to Last-Minute Donations twitter:description: The runoff between Sen. Mary Landrieu and Rep. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana led to last-minute donations, especially from the oil industry. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8be81125a443fe82/698762725f570f2d91b12e6d/mary-landrieu.jpg?branch=production&width=600&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Louisiana Senate Runoff Leads to Last-Minute Donations > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Russ Choma / Center for Responsive Politics](https://time.com/author/russ-choma/) ## Russ Choma / Center for Responsive Politics Dec 3, 2014 8:50 PM UTC  U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) speaks during a press conference to urge Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, on Capitol Hill on April 1, 2014 in Washington, DC. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) speaks during a press conference to urge Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, on Capitol Hill on April 1, 2014 in Washington, DC. Allison Shelley—Getty Images by [Russ Choma / Center for Responsive Politics](https://time.com/author/russ-choma/) ## Russ Choma / Center for Responsive Politics Dec 3, 2014 8:50 PM UTC The defeat of the Keystone XL pipeline bill in the Senate last month may have been viewed as a blow to Sen. [Mary Landrieu](https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00005395&cycle=2014)‘s re-election bid, but her battle to get the bill passed was warmly received by members of the oil and gas industry, including Keystone’s parent company. And not only have corporate PACs, top executives and lobbyists in the industry stepped up with large checks for the embattled Landrieu’s campaign in recent days, but so have many of her fellow Democrats, including a number of liberal New England senators who voted against the legislation. It will be weeks before there’s a final tally of all the contributions to Landrieu and Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy, who face each other in a runoff this Saturday (Dec. 6). But each campaign has filed several lengthy reports listing hundreds of donors in recent days. From Oct. 16 to Nov. 16, according to filings made today, Cassidy raised $2.1 million to Landrieu’s $1.5 million. Landrieu raised money quickly in the wake of [the Nov. 18 Keystone vote](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2014/11/senate-keystone-yea-votes-took-in-six-times-more-oil-gas-money-than-opponents/), bringing in at least $807,900 since the day before the vote, but Cassidy gained and has raised at least $983,000 in the same time frame. Landrieu’s last-minute drive for support has relied mainly on wealthy individuals from Louisiana — along with a smattering of New York high-society donors — and strong backing from oil companies and liberal Democratic politicians. Cassidy, on the other hand, picked up large checks only from a handful of ideologically driven PACs and reliable out-of-state partisan individuals until the last few days, when he disclosed receiving a flood of money from GOP establishment figures, like soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader [Mitch McConnell ](https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00003389&cycle=2014)(Ky.), and some prominent brand name corporate PACs, like [Aetna](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000296),[American Airlines](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000021021) and [Blue Cross/Blue Shield](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000109). While full data on fundraising and spending by each campaign is only available through Nov. 16, FEC rules require that during the period within 20 days of an election, candidates report any donations of $1,000 or more within 48 hours of receiving them. **Landrieu’s Backers** The Nov. 18 Senate vote on a bill to approve the controversial Keystone project featured Landrieu front and center. Despite opposition elsewhere, the pipeline is popular in Louisiana, where oil and gas is a major industry and employer. The bill failed, and many pundits portrayed it as a defeat for Landrieu in her bid for re-election. But several big names in the oil and gas world seemed grateful. According to filings made late last month, on the day before the vote, [BP](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000091)‘s corporate PAC gave Landrieu’s campaign $5,000\. On Nov. 18, Martin Durbin, president of trade group [America’s Natural Gas Alliance,](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000046794) personally gave her campaign $1,000, and the group’s PAC followed up with $5,000 more. Two days after the vote failed, the [American Petroleum Institute](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000031493)‘s PAC contributed $5,000, as did [ConocoPhilips](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000303)‘ corporate PAC. The corporate PAC of [Chevron](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000015), a company known for [its conservative political leanings](https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2014/10/congressional-leadership-fund-collects-corporate-cash/), and the PAC of natural gas giant [Sempra](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000415) also contributed following the vote, as did the Interstate Natural Gas Association. [TransCanada](https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00525055&cycle=2014), the parent company of the KeystoneXL project,[reported](http://itemizer.herokuapp.com/filing/976303/schedule/sb) giving Landrieu $2,500 on Nov. 24. Landrieu has also received hundreds of thousands of dollars from other corporate PACs that represent major interests in Washington, particularly in natural resources and energy: [American Electric Power](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000573), [Exelon](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000368), [Freeport-McMoran](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000021995) and Edison Electric. Many of these companies tend to shy away from giving to Democratic candidates, and an endangered one in a race that conventional wisdom says may already be lost wouldn’t seem to be a great bet. The American Petroleum Institute’s PAC has given [85 percent of its money](http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/totals.php?id=D000031493&cycle=2014) to Republicans this cycle; Chevron’s PAC has given [84 percent of its contributions](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/totals.php?id=D000000015&cycle=2014) to GOP candidates; and Freeport McMoran’s PAC has given [68 percent of its money](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/totals.php?id=D000021995&cycle=2014) to Republicans. Adding to the unusual nature of Landrieu’s fundraising is the fact that at the same time oil and gas companies were shoveling money into her campaign, many of her Democratic Senate colleagues were voting down the very bill those companies supported — and then apparently leaving the floor to write large checks to support her. In the days after the Keystone vote, Landrieu collected checks from the leadership PACs of Sens. [Patrick Leahy](http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00009918&cycle=2014) (Vt.),[Jeanne Shaheen](http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00024790&cycle=2014) (N.H.), [Sheldon Whitehouse](http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00027533&cycle=2014) (R.I), [Richard Blumenthal](http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00031685&cycle=2014) (Conn.), [Chris Murphy](http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00027566&cycle=2014) (Conn.), [Maria Cantwell](http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00007836&cycle=2014)(Wash.), [Barbara Mikulski](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php%3Fcid%3Dn00001945&sa=U&ei=QnF%5FVITBC4a4mAX%5FqIL4Dw&ved=0CAUQFjAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNHXHrn2wO-AizasAEzIwryHvf1PWA) (Md.), [Debbie Stabenow](http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00004118&cycle=2014) (Mich.) and others — all Democrats who voted against the pipeline. Most of Landrieu’s individual donations come from Louisiana addresses, with the notable exception of several dozen large checks from people in a very small geographic area of Manhattan — specifically the tony Upper East Side. Those society-name donors include William Lauder and heiresses Kate Whitney and Agnes Gund (who listed her occupation as “philanthropist”); their gifts may be linked to [a fundraiser](http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/11/hillary%5Fclinton%5Fhosting%5Fnew%5Fyo.html) hosted by Hillary Clinton for Landrieu in New York shortly before Thanksgiving. **Cassidy’s Strong Finish** While Landrieu was raking in big checks from oil and gas companies as the Keystone bill went down in flames, Cassidy’s fundraising seemed stagnant. In a filing submitted on Nov. 19, covering the days just around the vote, Cassidy reported raising just $67,500 from large donors — compared to Landrieu’s filing on Nov. 20 listing $179,400\. At that time, most of Cassidy’s donors were individuals and from out-of-state. In fact, his Nov. 19 filing is dominated by members of the DeVos clan — the conservative Michigan family led by Richard Devos, the founder of Amway. Richard Devos, his son Dick Devos and seven other members of the family each gave Cassidy checks for the maximum $2,600 for the runoff. In contrast to Landrieu’s flood of support from her Senate colleagues, the only congressional leadership PAC giving to Cassidy then was the one sponsored by Rep. [Don Young](http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00007999&cycle=2014) (R-Alaska). The next filing, on Nov. 21, was similarly lackluster, showing just $99,400 in large donations. But Cassidy’s efforts got a sudden boost that showed up in his Nov. 24 report listing $254,900 in large contributions. The impetus may have been a donation from McConnell’s leadership PAC. Whatever led to the sudden outpouring of mainstream support for Cassidy, it was a turnabout. In that filing, Cassidy reported donations from major corporate PACs like Aetna, Altria, American Airlines, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Devon Energy and Caterpillar. He also picked up donations from the corporate PAC of [Oxbow Carbon](http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00436550&cycle=2014) — the company led by the “other” Koch brother, Bill Koch, who also donated personally. Additionally, Cassidy logged checks from GOP Sens. [Pat Toomey](http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00001489&cycle=2014) (Pa.) and [Mark Kirk](http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00012539&cycle=2014) (Ill.) The flood of donations increased with two even larger filings made on Dec. 1, covering the days around Thanksgiving. Donors listed in those documents include more big corporate PACs, such as those of [America’s Health Insurance Plans](http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000021819) and[Humana](http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000000652), as well as much more leadership PAC cash from the likes of Sens. [Richard Shelby](http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00009920&cycle=2014) (Ala.) and [Chuck Grassley](http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00001758&cycle=2014)(Iowa). Saturday’s vote will finally decide how large the Republicans’ majority will be as they take control of the Senate in January — 53 votes or 54. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3616887/louisiana-senate-runoff-leads-to-last-minute-donations/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3616887/louisiana-senate-runoff-leads-to-last-minute-donations/"},"headline":"Louisiana Senate Runoff Leads to Last-Minute Donations","datePublished":"2014-12-03T20:50:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T02:33:10.207Z","description":"Oil and gas industry among the big donors","url":"https://time.com/3616887/louisiana-senate-runoff-leads-to-last-minute-donations/","keywords":["2014 Election","Environment","energy","Campaign Finance"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8be81125a443fe82/698762725f570f2d91b12e6d/mary-landrieu.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Russ Choma / Center for Responsive Politics"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8be81125a443fe82/698762725f570f2d91b12e6d/mary-landrieu.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"U.S. Sen. 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