Regarding the 19th Congressional District, Nan Hayworth's "potential baggage" has arrived.
Her husband, Dr. Scott Hayworth, has been involved in a healthcare PAC called the American Medical Group Association that has donated money to Charlie Rangel, Nita Lowey, Chuck Schumer, Henry Waxman, Barbara Mikulski, Patty Murray, Max Baucus and Harry Reid. It has given money to Republicans, most notably Orrin Hatch, but in 2008, this PAC was supporting the likes of Rahm Emanuel and John Dingle.
Though unnamed D.C. sources have been predicting a Conservative backlash for over two weeks, at least one NRCC official cautioned yesterday that the lobbying of liberal Democrats by a healthcare PAC is "pretty normal" by D.C. standards.
Urban Elephants columnist Raquel Okyay had first identified the Americican Medical Group Association (AMGA) as giving $5,000 to Nan Hayworth but a deeper review of this PAC's records revealed that at least two-thirds of the Washington State PAC's donors were from New York.
There is not much unusual about this PAC, except that is giving 81% of its monies to Democrats.
Then it also became clear where many of the donors were employed, the Mount Kisco Medical Group, and the rest followed.
Okyay came to her own conclusions.
"... It’s easy to make the assumption that husband Hayworth is more than just supportive of abortion rights but actively works to defend it by raising money to fund pro-abortion candidates – not very different from a Planned Parenthood PAC – and by association links candidate Hayworth with the powerful abortion lobby."
Nearly 60 of AMGA's donor work for the Mount Kisco Medical Group or have some assocation with Scott Hayworth as a doctor or Nan Hayworth as a candidate. At least another 60 are employed by the Westchester Medical Group.
It is a "pretty normal" PAC and perfectly legal by D.C. standards. The obvious pattern has been doctors. Frankly, the overwhelming pattern with most of Nan Hayworth's donors has been doctors. She's a doctor. Her husband is a doctor. There's nothing unusual here. Why wouldn't they give to one of their contemporaries?
Hayworth's husband defended himself last night (using Nan Hayworth's campaign website in his link though):
"I am indeed the CEO of the Mount Kisco Medical Group (MKMG). I don’t perform abortions. I have in my years as an OB-GYN delivered more than 2,000 babies. MKMG is not an abortion clinic."
Pro-life leaders throughout the Hudson Valley since the days of Congresswoman Sue Kelly have sworn the Mount Kisco Medical Group is an abortion clinic. Hayworth defended his operation as a fertility clinic.
Hayworth also claimed no control over the PAC.
"While I am honored to be involved with the American Medical Group Association, (AMGA) I do not sit on the PAC Board, which is a separate entity. I have no control over whom the PAC chooses to support. I am not in the business of raising money to support ‘pro-abortion’ candidates."
But as the NRCC diplomatically explained, the whole idea of such a PAC is to influence the Democrats -- particularly powerful liberal Democrats (the party in control) -- and Hayworth's many employees and associates signed on without much difficulty.
This is influencing peddling on a very simple and perhaps harmless level, except Nan Hayworth is now tied to a healthcare lobby with an agenda and maybe even a friendly agenda to Republicans ... or perhaps not.
One can read too deeply into Nan Hayworth accepting money from The American Congress of OB/GYNS PAC, for example, since it reads like a who's who of the roster of some of the most liberal and conservative politicians in America.
A more serious concern would be how Hayworth articulates the actual policies embraced by her own husband oin healthcare reform; ie. advocacy for patients versus doctors.
Hayworth has raised $595,725, with $250,000 loaned to her committee and $334,659 in individual donations, only $11,000 in PAC money.
Recent Comments