"We know that the incoming administration supports a lot of things that we like," he said. "But we also know you cannot get anything done here unless you have relationships on both sides of the aisle."
The company's political action committee gave 57% of its $264,000 in contributions during the 2008 campaign cycle to Democrats, and 43% to Republicans. Google also had a presence at both parties' national conventions last summer.
But Google's employees left little doubt whom they supported. They contributed $782,964 to Obama's campaign and $20,800 to John McCain's, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Googlers also donated $166,000 for Obama's inauguration.
Still, the company doesn't have a clear path in Washington.
Its biggest rival, Microsoft, came in third on the list of top Obama contributors. (It has more than three times as many employees as Google.) And Microsoft's PAC handed out nearly three times as much money in 2008 as Google's did.
Microsoft is an old hand here after facing down the government in an antitrust battle a decade ago. And its savvy shows: Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. analyst Jeffrey Lindsay said Microsoft outmaneuvered Google last year, drumming up opposition that helped derail the Yahoo search deal.
Gigi Sohn, president of Public Knowledge, a digital rights group that has worked with Google to advance network neutrality, downplayed concerns about the Web giant's new clout.
"They can put things on the radar screen that might not otherwise be on the radar screen . . . but it's a long way from being on the radar screen to being put into law," she said. "There are people on the opposite side of what Google wants who can pick up the phone too."
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jim.puzzanghera@latimes.com
jessica.guynn@latimes.com
