McCain 'bundler' uses relationships

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The role of "bundlers" in the U.S. presidential election is illustrated by an oil company owner working for John McCain, The Washington Post said Wednesday.

The newspaper, examining the role of Harry Sargeant III, reported that "bundlers" are playing a greater role in campaign finance by using their relationship skills to persuade many people to make $2,300 contributions -- the legal individual limit -- and bundling them together as packages.

Sargeant, the Post said, has raised more than $100,000 each for three presidential candidates, including this year's likely Republican nominee, McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona. The billionaire company owner, who lives in Delray Beach, Fla., recently signed contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense to carry fuel to U.S. troops in Iraq and raises money mostly from people of modest means living in California's Inland Empire region.

Asked for the secret of his success, Sargeant told the Post it's mostly about personal relationships.

"I have a lot of Arab business partners. I do a lot of business in the Middle East. I've got a lot of friends," Sargeant told the newspaper. "I ask my friends to support candidates that I think are worthy of supporting. They usually come through for me."