Cashing in the chips

It was back to the heartland for La Jolla–based Qualcomm last month — back, at least, to the Heartland Values political action committee “created to help ensure that the common sense, conservative values that served as the foundation of John Thune’s election to the U.S. Senate are protected and amplified by public servants around the country.”

The California company, cofounded by Irwin Jacobs, one of the biggest Obama donors around, gave $2500 to the committee, run by the Republican senator from South Dakota. The big cell-phone chip-maker also came up with $3000 for Wisconsin senator Ron Johnson, another Republican conservative, who has sued the Obama administration in an effort to repeal its so-called Affordable Healthcare Act.

But Democrats needn’t lose heart entirely. In addition to $5000 for local freshman House member Scott Peters, Qualcomm’s political action committee squeezed out $1000 for Bronx and Westchester Democratic New York congressman Eliot Engel and the same for Ben Ray Luján, a House Democrat from New Mexico.