WASHINGTON — The Presidential Inaugural Committee has raised more than $5 million for parties and events honoring George W. Bush, with $400,000 coming from three corporate executives in Greater Cincinnati.

        Carl Lindner Jr. of American Financial Group Inc. gave $200,000 in late December, the largest donation reported on the committee's Web site. Robert Castellini of Castellini Co. donated $100,000, as did Richard T. Farmer of uniform supply company Cintas Corp. in Mason.

Castellini

Farmer

        The inaugural committee, with Cincinnati investors William O. DeWitt Jr. and Mercer Reynolds III as co-chairmen, is attempting to raise $20 million to $30 million for a four-day celebration this month for the next president.

        Holly Bailey, a researcher at the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research group that analyzed the committee's data, described the donors as frequent contributors.

        “It's essentially the same names we see over and over,” she said. “These are the loyalists. Or these are people, like Carl Lindner, who give to both sides, who are trying to be pragmatic in their giving.”

        Mr. Bush raised more than $100 million for his presidential campaign, a record, with a concentrated appeal to family friends and allies, Republican loyalists, and corporate interests at odds with the Clinton administration.

        Ms. Bailey said top donors are often guaranteed access to the most exclusive inaugural events and, later, an audience with Cabinet or other administration offi cials.

        Other analysts claim that the benefits of political contributions are exaggerated. Many wealthy donors give money to campaigns because they believe in a cause or want to keep or gain an advantage over business competitors who also contribute, they say.

        An earlier report from the Center for Responsive Politics listed Mr. Lindner and Mr. Farmer among the 2000 election's major political donors. The center estimates that Mr. Lindner and his wife, Edyth, gave at least $786,000, mostly to Republicans. Mr. Farmer and his wife, Joyce, donated at least $722,500 to Republicans.

        Mr. Castellini, whose interests include produce distribution, contributed about $200,000 to Republican candidates and causes, according to center records.

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