Raghuveer Nayak MS, RPh,owner/operator of MRI centers and a clinical laboratory, former owner of chain drug stores, and an architect of the proposed "Cook County Prescription Assistance Coverage for the Elderly" program.
Blagojevich Fundraiser Added to Obama, Biden, Jackson War Chests
Published by Lindsay Renick Mayer
on January 26, 2009 5:54 PM
Although it's unclear to what extent businessman Raghuveer Nayak was involved in Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's alleged scheme to sell President Obama's Senate seat, what is clear is Nayak's commitment to funding the campaigns of the governor, the new president, the new vice president and others in Congress and the administration. Investigators are reportedly probing whether Blagojevich tried to get $500,000 from Nayak to secure the seat for Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., whose brother was a business partner of Nayak's. In total, Nayak has given $220,300 to federal lawmakers and committees, 93 percent of which has gone to Democrats, the Center for Responsive Politics has found.
Jackson has received more money from Nayak at the federal level than any other lawmaker since 1989, at $22,600. Nayak was a seemingly close associate of Jesse Jackson Sr., according to the Washington Post, and joined him in civil rights causes, sat on the board of one of his organizations and accompanied him on a trip to New Delhi in 2007. Although Nayak only gave Blagojevich $500 during the governor's time in Congress, he has been one of Blagojevich's top fundraisers for state office, the Post reported. Nayak has been a pervasive donor, especially to Illinois lawmakers, which now gives him a connection to some of the top politicians in the country. He and his wife, Anita, have given Obama $19,800 since the 2004 election cycle, more than any other recipient but Jackson. They also gave $2,500 to former Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who is now White House Chief of Staff.
By spreading his money between a number of presidential candidates in the last election cycle, Nayak ensured that he had a pretty good chance of supporting the eventual winner. Since the 2006 election cycle, he's given $6,600 to both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Republican Sen. John McCain, who were 2008 presidential candidates. Since the 2004 election cycle, he's also contributed $8,900 to Vice President Joe Biden, who originally ran for president in the last election cycle, and $4,600 to Republican Mitt Romney's unsuccessful campaign. In 2004, he also covered his bases, giving $2,000 to former president George W. Bush and $8,000 to Bush's Democratic opponent, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (the $8,000 includes contributions to his compliance fund).
The following is a list of all recipients of federal campaign contributions from Raghuveer Nayak and his wife (totals include donations to leadership PACs and candidate committees):
Name.......Grand Total
Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill)
$22,600
Barack Obama (D-Ill)
$19,800
Gery J. Chico (D-Ill)
$12,800
Evan Bayh (D-Ind)
$12,700
Melissa Bean (D-Ill)
$12,500
Luis V. Gutierrez (D-Ill)
$10,200
Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill)
$9,450
Daniel W. Hynes (D-Ill)
$9,250
Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del)
$8,900
John Kerry (D-Mass)
$8,000
Danny K. Davis (D-Ill)
$7,150
Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
$6,600
John McCain (R-Ariz)
$6,600
Joyce W. Washington (D-Ill)
$6,000
Bill Foster (D-Ill)
$5,600
Dick Durbin (D-Ill)
$5,100
Ashwin Madia (D-Minn)
$4,600
Mitt Romney (R-Mass)
$4,600
John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich)
$4,200
Charles B. Rangel (D-NY)
$4,200
Melvin L. Watt (D-NC)
$4,200
Howard Dean (D-Vt)
$4,000
Richard Gephardt (D-Mo)
$4,000
Jill Morgenthaler (D-Ill)
$2,800
Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill)
$2,500
John Lewis (D-Ga)
$2,300
Roberto Maldonado (D-Ill)
$2,300
Dan Seals (D-Ill)
$2,300
Thomas J. Vilsack (D-Iowa)
$2,300
George W. Bush (R-Texas)
$2,000
Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte
$2,000
Ed Royce (R-Calif)
$2,000
Keith Ellison (D-Minn)
$1,000
Scott Harper (D-Ill)
$1,000
Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill)
$1,000
Pat Quinn (D-Ill)
$1,000
Harry Reid (D-Nev)
$1,000
Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill)
$500
Mike Honda (D-Calif)
$500
Tom Lantos (D-Calif)
$500
Alan J. Dixon (D-Ill)
$250