By Gregory Korte
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Except for the state troopers lined up around the Westin Hotel last week, it would have been difficult to know that one of the most powerful forces in American politics had descended on Cincinnati.

The Republican Governors Association, chaired by Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, doesn't get much attention because it doesn't contribute to federal campaigns.

But consider this: In 2003, an off year for federal elections, it raised more money than any other "soft money" political committee - even more than two of the best-known groups, the left-leaning Media Fund and Move-on.org Voter Fund.

All told, it's the third largest of the so-called "527" political committees now bombarding the airwaves with ads, and the largest one to support Republicans.

This year, the committee raised more than $5 million in the first quarter in what it hopes will be a record-breaking year - thanks in part to its new chairman.

Taft hosted colleagues from seven states in his hometown Wednesday for a luncheon fund-raiser, a policy session with lobbyists, and a press conference blasting Democrat John Kerry for his position on the Patriot Act.

The event demonstrated the increasing influence and visibility of the governor's association since it spun off from the Republican National Committee in 2002. It did so to take advantage of a loophole in the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law that allows unlimited contributions to non-federal candidates.

Wednesday's event raised $670,000 - with checks still coming in. The group attributes the haul to a Tristate region with two Republican governors - Kentucky's Ernie Fletcher co-hosted the event, and Mitch Daniels, the Republican candidate in Indiana, attended.

Indeed, since Taft took over the chairmanship, Ohio contributions to the RGA have increased tenfold, to $423,600 so far this year. Top local givers so far: American Financial Group (Carl Lindner, chairman), $100,000; and Cintas Corp. (Richard T. Farmer, chairman), $50,000. Lindner and Farmer, both on the Forbes 400 list of the world's richest people, are also top individual givers to Republican campaigns.

"We are having a good fund-raising year," said Brian K. Hicks, Taft's former chief of staff who left last year to start a political-consulting company. The RGA paid Hicks Partners $75,000 in the first three months for fund raising.

The increased fund raising comes despite having only 11 governor's races on the ballot this year. The big year is in 2006, when 36 governors' offices - including Ohio's - will be up for grabs.

The RGA calls its donors "members," and one of the privileges of membership is the opportunity to lobby the governors. After Wednesday's fund-raiser, the governors heard from lobbyists - some of whom had just contributed thousands of dollars - on issues of high-speed Internet, energy and the environment.

One of the energy industry presenters was Keith Black, general manager of state government affairs for the Cincinnati-based Cinergy Corp., which gave $30,000 to the association last year. He wanted the governors to support President Bush's "Clear Skies" initiative, which proponents say will give utilities better incentives to clean up their emissions but which environmentalists say will eviscerate the Clean Air Act.

"The fact is, the Republicans can and already have taken the lead on the environment," Black told the governors. "The fact is, the public doesn't get this message."

Especially under Taft's leadership, the organization has developed a strong policy focus, giving GOP governors the opportunity to meet and share information. He's created the Republican Governors Public Policy Committee - a non-profit organization that, among other things, allows pubic utilities to contribute to the organization.

RGA director Edward T. Tobin III explains the purpose of the new policy committee in the association's May newsletter: "While most companies are able to use their patriotic right to contribute to political organizations to help elect the candidates with whom they agree, some are limited, either legally or by industry or internal standards, from participating in the political process."

Taft said he finds the interaction with industry groups helpful - especially when he can do so with governors grappling with the same problems. "It's really trying to make sure governors are exposed to all sides of an issue," he said.

Hicks defended the fund raising-to-lobbying connection.

"Any time governors can get out and gather information from people - particularly from people with knowledge of what's going on in other states - the governors benefit from that," he said.

At least when Taft has chaired the meetings, the organization "always had the policy discussions open to the press, because people need to see how serious these discussions are," Hicks said.

He noted an exchange Wednesday in which New Hampshire Gov. Craig Benson told the telecommunications industry to "get your act together" and work out their differences among themselves before lobbying governors.

E-mail gkorte@enquirer.com