Some surprises in BigTex firms' political picks

I asked the the bipartisan Center for Responsive Politics to analyze Federal Election Commission records of presidential-campaign contributions by some large Texas firms. The search by the Washington, D.C.-based CRP reveals an interesting trend in firms long regarded as bastions of Republican support. At Baker Botts, Bracewell & Giuliani, and Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell -- all firms with partners who have had strong ties to the current Republican administration -- the presumptive Democratic nominee, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.,  shows a surprising advantage. To calculate its figures, CRP counts contributions by lawyers, employees, spouses and the firm's political action committee, if it has one. At Baker Botts, home of former secretary of state and Florida recount bigwig James A. Baker III, the CRP numbers show contributions of $68,000 to Obama's campaign, compared to $44,100 given to that of his Republican rival, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. At Bracewell & Giuliani, home of Rudy G. and the campaign chairman for his now-defunct presidential bid, Pat Oxford, the numbers show $17,080 contributed to Obama, compared to $11,450 to McCain. At Locke Lord, where President George W. Bush's former lawyer and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers is a partner, the numbers show $21,758 contributed to Obama, compared to $16,250 to McCain. But at Haynes and Boone, a firm founded by Bush leading fundraiser  Mike Boone, the advantage has stayed with the presumptive Republican nominee. According to CRP, McCain received $43,300 in contributions, compared to the $20,350 Obama has received.
-- Miriam Rozen