Deeds returns money from Australian company that had lengthy donor list

Story by Chris Graham
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Democratic Party gubernatorial-nomination candidate Creigh Deeds has authorized the return of $1,500 in campaign contributions from the U.S. subsidiary of an Australian toll-road company that recently broke ground on a HOT lanes project in Northern Virginia.

Transurban Inc. is a U.S. subsidiary of an Australian company and is thus not eligible to contribute to political campaigns. Transurban notified Sen. Deeds of its impermissible contributions in a letter sent on July 2, the Deeds campaign reported today. Deeds for State Senate received two $500 contributions from Transurban, in June 2006 and July 2007. Deeds for Attorney General received a single $500 contribution in September 2005.

All of the monies received from Transurban was returned today by Deeds, the Deeds campaign reported.

Deeds is not alone on the list of Virginia pols to have received campaign contributions from Transurban, which broke ground on the Capital Beltway High Occupancy Lanes project on Interstate 495 in Northern Virginia on Tuesday.

Also on the list of campaigns to have received contributions from Transurban since 2005, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, are the Tim Kaine for Governor campaign ($5,000) and the Kaine 2006 inaugural committee ($10,000), and Kaine’s Moving Virginia Forward PAC ($4,500), the Brian Moran for Delegate campaign ($3,000), the campaigns of Senate GOP leaders Walter Stosch ($5,500) and Ken Stolle ($4,500), the campaign of House GOP Majority Leader Morgan Griffith ($1,500), the Senate campaign of 2009 Republican attorney-general nomination candidate Ken Cuccinelli ($1,250), the ’05 campaign of current attorney general and ’09 GOP gubernatorial-nomination candidate Bob McDonnell ($1,000, which has been returned, according to a spokesman in the attorney general’s office), the House campaign of ’09 Democratic Party attorney-general nomination candidate Steve Shannon ($750), the campaign of 25th House District Del. Steve Landes ($500), and the campaign of 24th District State Sen. Emmett Hanger ($500).

All told, Transurban contributed $177,000 to local, General Assembly and statewide-office candidates between 2005 and 2008, according to the VPAP analysis.