What about the private equity crowd?

An analysis of fourth-quarter donations from executives at private equity firms shows that the leader in that category is hardly a surprise: Mick Romney, who previously led the private equity firm Bain Capital, remained the candidate of choice, receiving $85,150 from employees of private equity firms during the fourth quarter, for a total of $4,79,650 last year.

Christopher Dodd, the Democratic candidate who dropped out of the race last month, ranked second among private equity donations. While other Democratic candidates backed a proposed tax increase on private equity profits, Dodd’s noncommittal stance on the issue may have won him support from the industry,.

In October, Dodd got a vote of confidence from one of the industry’s leading names, Henry Kravis of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts. Records show that Kravis and his wife each gave Dodd’s now-defunct campaign $2,300, the maximum individual donation to a federal campaign.