Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- For some of the biggest companies in the U.S., it's payback time. Paying to Democrats, that is.

After years of lopsided political giving to Republicans, American businesses are quickly rushing to support the new party in power. The top 25 corporate political action committees all gave more to Republicans than Democrats for the November 2006 elections. Afterward, 17 of them switched sides.

The companies, such as cable provider Comcast Corp. and insurer Aflac Inc., are adjusting to the new political reality in Washington, where campaign contributions help buy access to a new group of lawmakers and committee leaders. The top 25 PACs poured more than $420,000 into Democratic candidate coffers between Nov. 8 and Dec. 31, about double the amount that went to Republicans, Federal Election Commission filings show.

``When power changes hands, money follows suit,'' said Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington research group that focuses on campaign finance. ``Some of them are making up for lost time; they didn't bet on the right horse in the last election.''

A similar shift occurred in 1994, when the Democrats lost control of both the House and Senate, paving the way for what Republicans were counting on to be a permanent change.

Spearheaded by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist, Republicans created the K Street project named for the avenue around which many of Washington's lobbying firms and trade groups cluster. The project pressured lobbying groups to hire Republicans and steered company contributions to the party.

Reversal in Fortunes

The Republicans' reversal in fortunes at the polls calls into question the lasting effect of their fund-raising prowess.

Norquist, president of the Washington-based Americans for Tax Reform, said the shift in political giving is misguided because Republicans better represent company interests, such as lower taxes.

``What you're seeing is people paying protection money,'' he said. ``Or you're buying access. Both of those are stupid investments.''

House Minority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said he isn't surprised that corporate PACs are giving more to the party in power, though he doesn't expect Republicans to lose out entirely.

``I trust they will continue to support us,'' Boehner said.

Corporations aren't allowed to give directly to candidates. Instead, they form political action committees to solicit employee contributions that can be pooled and used for political purposes.

Aflac and Comcast

Columbus, Georgia-based Aflac gave 57 percent of its $1.6 million in political donations to Republicans through 2005 and 2006, according to PoliticalMoneyLine, a Washington-based company that tracks campaign finance. In the two months after the election, the company contributed $52,500 to the campaign committees of Democrats -- and $1,000 to one Republican.

Comcast gave 55 percent of its more than $1 million in donations for last year's elections to Republicans. Between Nov. 8 and Dec. 31, the company doled out $37,500 to Democratic candidates and just $8,500 to Republicans. The Philadelphia-based company is fighting efforts to block high-speed Internet providers from charging Web site owners higher fees in exchange for priority access.

Aflac declined to comment on the contributions, saying they are a matter of public record. Comcast spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice said her company mostly gave to new lawmakers representing areas where Comcast has cable franchises.

``We primarily give to incumbents,'' Fitzmaurice said. ``It's important to have relationships with the members in those areas where we have customers.''

Top 25 Contributors

One of the more interesting, though small, shifts was Reynolds American Inc., the second-largest U.S. tobacco company. After the elections, the Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based company gave $11,000 in political donations; $6,000 went to three Democrats. Before Nov. 7, at least 84 percent of the company's more than $700,000 in donations went to Republicans.

Reynolds American didn't immediately respond to a phone call and e-mail seeking comment after normal working hours.

Of the top 25 corporate PACs by contributions, only defense contractor Northrop Grumman Corp. abstained from the post- election giving spree last year. Retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc., drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc, defense contractors General Dynamics Corp. and Lockheed Martin Corp., telecommunications giant AT&T Inc., railroad company Union Pacific Corp. and Koch Industries Inc., a closely held company with oil and gas interests, still gave more to Republicans, though some increased their donations to Democrats.

Lion's Share of Contributions

Back in 1994, when they took control of Congress, Republicans received 89 percent of the $581,949 that the 10 most active PACs doled out in the two months right after the election. Comcast's PAC didn't give anything. Aflac donated $7,000 to candidates in the period; a Democrat got only $500 of that total.

Many recipients of the redirected cash are new members who may face uphill re-election battles two years from now. Indiana Democrat Baron Hill, who ousted incumbent Republican Mike Sodrel, got $2,500 apiece from both Aflac and Comcast. Minnesota Democrat Tim Walz, who unseated Republican Gil Gutknecht, got $1,000 from each of the companies.

``I'm going to have a tough fight,'' Walz said. ``I want to make sure I have the resources to get my message out.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Jonathan D. Salant in Washington at jsalant@bloomberg.net; Kristin Jensen in Washington at kjensen@Bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 9, 2007 00:12 EST