Chairman Fred Upton donors include energy, health, tech companies

The odds for House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton’s long-shot GOP primary opponent are looking even longer after Chairman Upton (R-MI) reported having a titanic first-quarter fundraising effort — buoyed by money from energy, technology and health companies under his panel’s jurisdiction.

The Michigan Republican’s campaign committee raked in $981,964 from Jan. 1 to March 31, bringing the total he’s raised for his reelection effort to $2.47 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings. As of the end of the quarter, Upton’s campaign was sitting on $2.3 million in cash and had no debt. His campaign’s first-quarter benefactors included the political action committees of energy companies Entergy Corp., Southern Co., Murray Energy and Duke Energy, along with the Nuclear Energy Institute, Google, Comcast, Verizon, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer — each of which tossed in $5,000 or more. Those figures blow out of the water any comparable numbers from his primary opponent, former state Rep. Jack Hoogendyk, who last week disclosed that he had raised nearly $76,500 since announcing his campaign plans in mid-January. He had $56,644 cash on hand at the end of the quarter. Democrats are also considering putting a political novice, renewable energy expert Mike O’Brien, in the hunt for Upton’s seat.