Senators who opposed tobacco bill received top dollar from industry

Among the 17 senators who voted against allowing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco are some of the top recipients of campaign contributions from the tobacco industry, which has donated millions of dollars to lawmakers in the past several campaign cycles.

Over the course of his nearly quarter-century Senate career, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who hails from the tobacco-rich state of Kentucky, has received $419,025 from the tobacco industry

North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr, who led the opposition to the bill, is the second highest recipient and netted $359,100

the late 1990s, when companies gave almost $10 million each year

In 2006, the tobacco industry donated $3.5 million, with Altria Group and Reynolds American contributing the most

Donations from the industry overwhelmingly favor Republicans