Tough Sell: Richard DeVos (#165)

Richard DeVos: 69, Grand Rapids, Mich. $86,550. Party: R

Richard DeVos is co-founder of Amway, the monolithic direct-marketing company. In the last election, Amway gave more to the GOP than any other company, including an unprecedented $2.5 million in soft money. DeVos and his wife Helen are also major contributors to Newt Gingrich and GOPAC.

Amway, although famous for its strong Christian leanings, has had its share of legal trouble. In 1989, the company spent a jaw-dropping $38.1 million to settle a suit by Canada's trade office that accused the company of undervaluing merchandise to escape customs duties. This topped a $25 million fine from the province of Ontario in 1983, after Amway pleaded guilty to criminal fraud.

Back in the U.S., where Amway's massive contributions assure DeVos of friends in high places, the company has fared better. In 1979, the FTC dropped its 10-year investigation into whether Amway was an illegal pyramid scheme. (Seven years later, the FTC finded the company a paltry $100,000 after sales staffers overstated potential earnings while recruiting distributors.) Still, for DeVos, GOP Senate proposals to cut the FTC budget by 20 percent are undobtedly welcome news.