Hillary Clinton, who consistently criticizes the pharmaceutical industry on the presidential campaign trail, received the most money from the pharmaceutical industry of all Republican and Democratic 2016 candidates.
Clinton received $332,016 this election cycle from the pharmaceutical and health products industry, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics.
That amount is more than double the second candidate on the list, Republican Jeb Bush, who garnered $152,350. Bush’s primary rival, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, came in third with $133,638.
Clinton’s figure also dwarfs the $43,742 that her main primary rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., received.
The industry gave a total $943,318 to candidates, with Republicans getting nearly 59 percent of donations and Democrats 41 percent.
Clinton and Sanders have taken to bashing the pharmaceutical industry on the campaign trail as anger over high drug prices is rising. Recent polls have found prescription drug costs are people’s top healthcare concern.
During a campaign stop in Iowa last week, Clinton read out loud a letter from an Iowa retiree struggling to pay for drugs that help combat her crippling migraines.
“This is predatory pricing,” Clinton said after finishing the letter. “It is unjustified. It is wrong.”
During the first Democratic debate, Clinton said she was proud to have made an enemy out of the pharmaceutical industry.
Clinton’s campaign responded that she has a long history of fighting special interests.
“If you want to know whether or not the health care special interests take her seriously, just look at what happened to their stock prices when she spoke out against out-of-control drug prices,” spokesman Josh Schwerin told the Washington Examiner.
The drug industry hasn’t only helped out her primary campaign, but also the Clinton Foundation. Pfizer recently gave at least $1 million to the foundation, and executives at the company donated nearly $40,000 to Clinton’s campaign, according to Federal Election Commission records.
