Swamp Thing

Republicans’ temporary speaker, Patrick McHenry, received 90 percent of his campaign cash this year from lobbyists and industries he regulates — and only $856 from small donors.

By Andrew Perez, The Lever

Few Americans knew Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) before he took over last week as the temporary U.S. House Speaker — and if they know him now, it’s probably for swinging a gavel harder than you might expect, or for sporting a bow tie.

One reason regular people don’t know McHenry is because he hardly represents them. The 10-term congressman projects and personifies the cold, corporate Washington, D.C. politics that systematically preference donors’ interests over those of the public.

McHenry only reported raising $856 from small donors (those giving less than $200) in the first half of the year — or a paltry 0.06 percent of the $1.5 million he collected. According to a Lever review, roughly 90 percent of the campaign cash McHenry has raised this year came from executives in the financial, banking, cryptocurrency, and real estate industries; lobbyists and political action committees (PACs); and payday lenders and debt collectors.