An unlikely grouping of business and trade groups were the largest PAC contributers to state and federal legislators.
Two insurance companies and a funeral directors trade group led Wisconsin businesses in political action committee donations reported to federal election regulators last year, an Associated Press review has found.
Assurant Inc., the parent firm of Milwaukee-based Assurant Health, led the pack with $274,000 in PAC contributions last year. Assurant was followed by the PACs of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Milwaukee ($188,000) and the Brookfield-based National Funeral Directors Association ($132,000).
The numbers were gleaned from reports filed with the Federal Election Commission in Washington.
PACs are vehicles that businesses and other organizations use to make political contributions. Often, they are funded by employee donations, or in the case of trade groups, by members.
PACs also can report contributions at the state level in other reports. Those contributions were not included in this analysis.
Rounding out the top five in the state were Miller Brewing Co. and specialty truck manufacturer Oshkosh Truck Corp.
Most of the donations went to federal candidates, but others went to politician PACs, industry PACs and parties.
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