Murray, Rossi contributors couldn't be more different

WASHINGTON — Sen. Patty Murray and her Republican challenger, Dino Rossi, disagree on virtually every major issue. And many of their campaign donors don't seem to have much in common, either.

Murray's latest fundraising report shows that some of her heaviest support has come from lawyers, government employees and executives at nonprofit groups, health-care companies and biotechnology firms. That's in contrast to Rossi, who counts real-estate developers, venture capitalists, Wall Street executives and auto dealers among his biggest donors.

Among the local business leaders backing Murray's fourth run for the U.S. Senate are lawyer Bill Gates Sr. and his wife, Mimi, and Jon DeVaan, Microsoft senior vice president of Windows Development and an active Democratic campaign contributor.

Others who gave to Murray include Joni Earl, director of Sound Transit; Lee Fromson, vice president of REI; Michelle Gass, president of Seattle's Best Coffee and several top executives from Weyerhaeuser and Tacoma's Russell Investments.

Rossi, a Republican, has collected thousands of dollars from the Nordstrom family, the McCaws of the wireless fortune and the heads of Paccar, Bartell Drugs and Moneytree, a Seattle-area payday loan company.

Murray's 2,300-page report covering her fundraising during August and September was made public by the Senate secretary's office Thursday; Rossi's report was released Monday.

During the third quarter, Murray raised $3.3 million, compared to Rossi's $4.4 million.

Individuals can give a candidate up to $2,400 for a primary and another $2,400 for a general-election campaign. Political-action committees are permitted to give $5,000 per election.

Lobbyists — both hired hands and those employed by corporations — are a top donor group for Murray. Among her most recent contributors are employees of Denny Miller Associates, a lobbying firm founded by the former chief of staff of the late Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson, and Christy Gullion, chief federal lobbyist for the University of Washington and wife of Jeff Bjornstad, Murray's chief of staff who is on leave to manage her campaign.

The relatives of several other notable corporate chiefs also gave to Murray. They include Jacklyn and Miguel Bezos of Mercer Island, mother and stepfather of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Connie Balmer, wife of Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer.

Murray's report was studded with contributors from unions, public agencies and private companies that have, or could, gain from her clout and congressional earmarks. The include the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Port of Bremerton, Washington State Hospital Association and Ramgen Power Systems of Bellevue. Individual scientists, professors and artists gave much more heavily to Murray than to Rossi.

Murray's out-of-state contributors included longtime Democratic supporter Barbra Streisand; National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern; Teresa Heinz, wife of Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts; and Sheryl Sandberg, the No. 2 executive at Facebook and former chief of staff for Lawrence Summers when he was Treasury secretary in the Clinton administration.

Kyung Song: 202-662-7455 or ksong@seattletimes.com. Seattle Times news researcher David Turim contributed to this report.