Dive Summary:

• Duke Energy CEO James Rogers initially promised to be a big part of the Democratic convention in Charlotte, N.C., helping raise money and facilitating the use of Duke office space.
• Duke has received a great deal of stimulus money from the government and supported President Obama's energy initiatives, while Republicans—including shareholders—have accused the company of being too close with the Obama administration.
• The federal government offered Duke $204 million in stimulus money for smart grid projects in 2010 and $22 million for wind tech in 2009.

From the article:

When Charlotte first emerged as the top contender to host the Democratic convention, its lead cheerleader was James E. Rogers, the outspoken chief executive of the hometown utility, Duke Energy. He promised to be a public face and a private fund-raiser for the effort. ...