Small business group raises contributions in clear-cut election.(The National Federation of Independent Business)(Brief Article)

The National Federation of Independent Business political action committee raised $8 million for the 2000 election -- a small sum compared with the $3 billion that observers estimate will be spent by all the players in this year's political campaigns.

But the number is a big deal for NFIB, the nation's largest small business advocacy group, because it is nearly double what the organization raised in 1998 and triple what it raised in 1996.

"Small businesses recognize that this election will have a direct impact on the bottom line because the differences are so stark, and there's such a clear choice," says NFIB spokeswoman Mary Crawford.

In almost …