Dollars to Flow for Access at Democratic National Convention in Boston.

By Raphael Lewis, The Boston Globe Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

May 30--Corporations, special interests, and labor unions are planning lavish parties during the Democratic National Convention in Boston, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each and gaining direct access to major Democratic Party figures.

The list of contributors ranges from longtime Democratic supporters like the AFL-CIO to emerging Massachusetts industries like biotech firms. Despite new campaign finance regulations, donors continue to face few restrictions about how much they can contribute to the parties, receptions, and concerts that take place during the political conventions.

One of the more sought-after tickets is for a Symphony Hall gala honoring Senator Edward M. Kennedy. It is financed by more than a half-dozen corporations and national labor unions, which are donating $100,000 apiece. The donors, including Raytheon Corp., Bristol-Myers Squibb, the Affiliated Unions of the AFL-CIO, and the International Brotherhood of Carpenters, often have interests before Kennedy and his colleagues on Capitol Hill.

Other events include a concert on the final night of the convention whose host is Time Warner; a luncheon for US Senator Hillary Clinton and other New York lawmakers hosted by insurance giant AIG; and a golf tournament fund-raiser organized by US Representative William D. Delahunt, which is expected to attract several union presidents and more than 20 members of Congress.

Steven Weiss, spokesman for the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based government watchdog group, said the heavy presence of corporate and other ...