The biggest political donor

George Soros is no longer the country's biggest individual political donor. That title now belongs to Bob Perry, the 74 home builder from Houston who gained national attention after donating $4.5 million to Swift Boat Veterans for Truth in 2004. Perry, 74, has given at least $9.2 million to groups backing Republican House and Senate candidates, Federal Election Commission records show.

A Bloomberg news article on Friday reported Perry gave the Sacramento-based Economic Freedom Fund, $5 million -- almost its entire budget -- and spent at least $829,811 since Sept. 1 on TV commercials attacking Georgia Democratic representatives Jim Marshall and John Barrow. That's more than either party has spent on those races.