Mystery Firm Donates Record $5.3M to GOP PAC

A somewhat murky outfit called Specialty Group has become the election's biggest corporate donor, handing $5.3 million to a conservative super PAC over the course of 10 days last month. But that's about all anyone knows about the company, founded just a month ago and based in Knoxville, Tenn. Its business address is a private home, it lacks a website, and its lawyer—the only name linked to the company—has a disconnected phone number, NBC reports. A look at some of the other big-time super PACs and corporate donors:

• The second-biggest corporate donor is Oxbow Carbon, owned by William Koch, brother of David and Charles.
• Third is Contran, a firm owned by Texas donor Harold Simmons.
• Chevron is something of a rarity among Fortune 500 groups who are also major donors; it gave $2.5 million to a group linked to John Boehner.

Some 85% of corporate cash went to Republican-allied groups, while 11% went to Democrat-affiliated organizations. But the biggest donations have come from businesspeople's personal coffers. (More Election 2012 stories.)