U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole has accepted more than a quarter of a miillion dollars from oil and gas companies and their employees.

According to the nonprofit Center for Responsive Politics, the Salisbury Republican has received $266,456 from people associated with the oil and gas industry since 2002. Of that, $102,827 — or roughly 39 percent — came in the past two years.

Dole received much more from other industries, however.

Over her career, she's received $2.6 million from retirees, $903,810 from lawyers, $853,063 from people in real estate and $747,736 from employees of investment firms. Donations from the oil and gas sector were 14th among industries who gave to Dole.

Donors include Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens, who gave $1,000 in April; and American Petroleum Institute president Red Cavaney, who gave $4,100 in 2007.

In addition, Dole has received $35,000 from oil and gas companies' political action committees since 2002, including $10,000 from Piedmont Natural Gas, $6,000 from ExxonMobil and $5,000 from Valero Energy.

Of that money, $30,500 came in the past two years.

After the jump, the contributions.

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The Jesse Helms Center will honor Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

During its 20th anniversary celebration in Cary Friday, the center will present Scalia with the James W. Nance Medal of Freedom.

The award is given each year to an individual in government who best exemplifies a devotion to public service and "protection of the nation's foundational values." 

The award is named for Helms' lifelong friend, chief of staff and retired Navy Rear Admiral James "Bud" Nance." Previous recipients include U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

The center will also induct five new members into its Free Enterprise Hall of Fame: John W. Pope. A.E. Finley, Ed Morris, Roger Milliken and T. Boone Pickens.

The center, a nonprofit based in Wingate, is named for former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms.