Rep. Tom Tancredo ranks last among Republican presidential candidates in fully disclosing who is contributing money, according to a ranking released Thursday.
Tancredo, of Littleton, discloses all information requested by the Federal Election Commission law 76 percent of the time, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan watchdog group.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., fulfilled the rules 95 percent of the time, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney complied in 93 percent of his filings.
The FEC requires candidates to report details on all donations of $200 or more. That includes the amount and when it was given, as well as the donor’s name, address and occupation.
In nearly one-fourth of Tancredo’s filings, information is missing. Often, the donor’s occupation is not listed. The employer’s name helps to show whether there are certain industries or businesses backing a candidate, said Massie Ritsch, spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics.
“It’s important that the public know where this money’s coming from and the interests behind the money,” Ritsch said.
About two-thirds of Tancredo’s contributions come through the mail, and many of those do not include the required information, said campaign chairwoman Bay Buchanan. The campaign has sent letters three times asking the donors for their occupation, Buchanan said, and some haven’t complied.
“We’re doing everything we can,” she said. “When we’re audited, they will see all of these requests and we’ll be OK.”
Buchanan said FEC rules require campaigns to ask for the information, but they do not force contributors to state their occupation. She said that’s the result of a court case involving one of President Reagan’s presidential campaigns and the FEC. Buchanan was Ronald Reagan’s campaign treasurer. An FEC spokesman could not be reached to verify that statement.
Buchanan said conservatives don’t like to give that information because “they don’t trust the government.”
One Tancredo donor who did not list her employer is Lafawn Biddle, 82, of Englewood. She gave $2,300 when she bought a table at a May fundraising event. She said she didn’t list her occupation because she had worked as a housewife and mother. On some similar forms, she said, she has put community volunteer.
Another Tancredo donor who did not list his occupation is Trammell S. Crow of Dallas, who gave $2,300. He is a well-known Texas real estate developer.
Of the other presidential candidates, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a Democrat, ranked highest for full disclosure, at 96 percent.
Of all presidential candidates, Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio ranks lowest, with full disclosure 42 percent of the time. His campaign did not return a phone call for comment.
