Special interests, lobbyists make up bulk of Billy Long's fourth quarter contributions

Billy Long has yet to have a town hall meeting in the three years he has been Seventh District Congressman (and no, telephone town halls with carefully selected questioners do not count), but his door has been open to lobbyists, special interests, and, of course, their money.

Long's fourth quarter disclosure report, filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission showed that he received approximately $10,000 from within the Show-Me State, with more than $5,600 coming from outside the Seventh District, mostly from the St. Louis area.

Out of the approximately $4,400 from the Seventh District, $3,000 came from one source, Andrew Hunte, president of the Hunte Companies of Goodman.

2013 in Review: Billy Long spends more on two meals than he received in contributions

(From February 1, 2013)

"The time has come for Congress to get serious about tackling Washington’s addiction to spending."

The man who authored those words (or had an aide author them), Seventh District Congressman Billy Long spent far more than he took in during the last two months of 2013, according to his disclosure report filed Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission.

The documents indicate Long spent more on two meals, over $3,000 than the $2,000 he received in contributions during that time period.

The Long campaign paid for 11 meals in a 26-day period, according to the report, including $1,840.80 at Prime Rib in Washington. D. C. Dec. 6 and $1,186.76 Christmas Eve at Nicholas Ristorante in Springfield.