Amway Head Gives Gop $1 Million

Rich DeVos, the founder of Amway Corp. and a longtime GOP supporter, gave the Republican Party $1 million last month, Federal Election Commission records showed Friday.

The donation, which the Republican National Committee said was unrestricted, is believed to be the largest contribution from an individual donor since the FEC began reporting political donations. However, Amway as a privately held corporation has made larger contributions.

FEC records show DeVos and his wife, Helen, wrote two $500,000 checks from their personal bank account on April 2. DeVos, 71, is overseas awaiting a heart transplant.

John Gartland, an Amway spokesman, said GOP leaders had asked DeVos to help the party retire a debt of more than $5.5 million from the last election.

Campaign laws limit individual donations to $2,000 for any one candidate in an election cycle, but soft-money gifts for party-building purposes or get-out-the-vote drives are not regulated.

DeVos, who usually is ranked among the top five richest Americans, also is owner of the Orlando Magic professional basketball team.