We recently presented a political expert’s analysis of the UFC’s attempts to get mixed martial arts legalized in the state of New York. That prompted some interesting feedback from one reader who said he has worked in the New York State Legislature for about 20 years:
[Assembly Speaker Sheldon] Silver is a reasonable man, unlike Reilly, and contributions to him or whoever he wants you to give them to and a face to face discussion of the facts by New Yorkers he respects, and not “carpetbaggers” will get the job done.
Fair enough. I’m always open to criticism and his comment prompted me to analyze just how much Zuffa and its affiliates contributed in the 2010 election cycle. As it turns out, a whole heck of a lot.
According to FollowTheMoney.org, an online database that tracks state political campaign contributions, Zuffa LLC donated $121,700, with the funds going to now-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, ten different Senate and Assembly members, and the Senate and Assembly campaign committees for both political parties. The website says that it currently has 53 percent of the campaign contributions records for the 2010 elections.
But wait, there’s more! WEC Productions LLC contributed $55,900, most of which went to Cuomo, while the rest went to the New York State Democratic Party.
According to Follow The Money, contributions for New York state campaigns totaled $126 million, so that amount might not seem significant. However, the site lists the top 20 contributors, and number 20 (New York State Public Employees Federation) comes in at $489,378, so the combined Zuffa and WEC figure of nearly $180,000 will probably get some people’s attention.
In the 2008 elections, Zuffa contributed $35,000.