A large number of Congress members who received campaign contributions from President Obama's controversial "HopeFund" political action committee now find their seats at risk, WND has learned.

In 2005, Obama founded HopeFund, which had the stated goal of promoting the candidacies of leaders who are "committed to changing the course of our nation to ensure the promise of America for future generations."

Most of HopeFund's contributions were made in 2007 to support candidates in the 2008 primaries.

Of the 74 politicians to whom HopeFund donated over $180,000 in 2007, 24 now find their seats up for grabs, according to data compiled by WND using midterm predictions by the Cook Political Report.

Obama stopped raising money for HopeFund in 2007, after he formally launched his bid for the Democratic nomination for president. The organization's website was temporarily directed to Obama's presidential Internet site but is now defunct.

Obama faced heavy criticism for his political contributions via HopeFund, particularly those made in 2007, for allegedly trying to buy support from fellow Democrats. Most of the contributions that year focused on candidates in the key early-voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

The Washington Post reported in November 2007 that some of the recipients of Hopefund's largess were state and local politicians who had recently endorsed Obama's presidential bid.

HopeFund was also reported to have funded a week-long training program that became known as "Camp Obama," which trained volunteers for Obama's 2008 presidential campaign.

WND first reported the executive director of an activist organization modeled after Marxist community organizer Saul Alinsky and described as teaching tactics of direct action, confrontation and intimidation was part of the team that developed and delivered "Camp Obama."

Jackie Kendall, executive director of the Midwest Academy, was on the team that developed and delivered the first Camp Obama training for volunteers aiding Obama's campaign through the 2008 Iowa Caucuses. Camp Obama was a two-to-four day intensive course run in conjunction with Obama's campaign aimed at training volunteers to become activists to help Obama win the presidential election.

WND reported a Chicago nonprofit on which Obama served as paid director provided startup capital and later funding to Midwest Academy.

Also, Obama participated on a panel discussion in 1998 alongside Midwest Academy founder Heather Booth, an extremist organizer and dedicated disciple of Alinsky.

The complete list of Congress members funded by HopeFund whose seats are now in play, include:

Artur Davis (Ala.)

Gabrielle Giffords (Ariz.)

Jim Costa (Calif.)

Dennis Cardoza (Calif.)

John Salazar (Colo.)

Ron Klein (Fla.)

John Barrow (Ga.)

Sanford Bishop Jr. (Ga.)

Melissa Bean (Ill.)

Phil Hare (Ill.)

Joe Donnelly (Ind.)

Baron Hill (Ind.)

Dave Loebsack (Iowa)

Leonard Boswell (Iowa)

Bruce Braley (Iowa)

Niki Tsongas (Mass.)

Timothy Walz (Minn.)

Paul Hodes (N.H.)

John J. Hall (N.Y.)

John Yarmouth (Ky.) Mary Jo Kilroy (Ohio)

Jason Altmire (Pa.)

Patrick Murphy (Pa.)

Ciro Rodriguez (Texas)

With research by Brenda J. Elliott

www.wnd.com/index.php

Nov. 1, 2010