ASHINGTON - A California software executive has donated $500,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee, which works to elect Republicans to the House.
The donor is Tom Siebel, who founded Silicon Valley's Siebel Systems Inc. in 1993. The money was brought in by US Representative Philip Crane, Republican of Illinois. Siebel once managed Crane's brother's campaign for Congress, and the two have been in touch periodically since then.
All House Republicans had been charged with raising money for the campaign committee, and Crane's target was $150,000, said Jim Wilkinson, NRCC spokesman.
''It's one of the largest contributions this committee has ever received,'' Wilkinson said.
Republicans will use the money for television ads and to help get out the vote in close House races. Control of the chamber rests with just a few dozen contests.
It is far from the only large donation this year. In June, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced it had received a $1 million donation from the 1199/Service Employees International Union, which represents 200,000 health care workers, mostly in the New York City area.
The Republican National Committee has received two seven-figure checks. Amway Corp. gave $2.5 million in 1994, and company founder Richard DeVos and his wife gave $1 million in 1997.
Just last month, the Democratic National Committee held a fund-raiser that brought in $26.5 million.
