Interest Groups in Campaigns

In what ways can interest groups affect campaigns?

In what ways can interest groups affect campaigns?

• Candidate recruitment and training

• Non-financial support for candidates

• PAC Contributions

• Independent Expenditures

Candidate recruitment and training

• Get its members to run for office

• Recruit a candidate

• Run training seminars for candidates

From NWPC’s Training Seminar for Women Candidates

• “Candidates must have a strong ego, but many women area afraid to blow their own horn. Go ahead and brag about your strong points.

• Control your emotions, especially anger or tears. Avoid tilting your head or using other body language that suggests a lack of confidence.

• Recognize that some voters question a woman’s leadership skills. Highlight any experience that shows you leading others or making tough decisions.

• Prepare answers for stupid questions. For example, “what does your husband think about your candidacy?’ Possible response: ‘He supports me and recognizes that my background and work in our community make me the best candidate for this office.”

GOPAC

• Training seminars teaching officeholders how to use their incumbency to their advantage

• How to communicate in different media (speeches, debates, media, ads)

• Advice on fundraising: “If this is your first time running for office and you have not had the opportunity to adequately introduce yourself to the local donor community, third party letters can be a better vehicle for gaining credibility and acceptance in these circles…”

Non-financial candidate support

• Endorse a candidate

• Create scorecards to inform voters at large

• Advertise to group’s members about a candidate

• Encourage group’s members to volunteer on behalf of a candidate

• Provide campaign services

2 types of Political Action Committees (FEC definitions)

Separate Segregated Funds: political committees established and administered by corporations, labor unions, membership organizations or trade associations.

Can only solicit contributions from individuals associated with connected or sponsoring organization.

Get money from sponsoring organization, not subject to disclosure requirements.

Nonconnected committees--not sponsored by or connected to any above organization

Get contributions from the general public. 

PAC Contribution rules

• A multi-candidate committee

• has been registered with the FEC for at least 6 months

• receives contributions from more than 50 persons

• makes contributions to 5 or more candidates for Federal office

Multi-candidate committee rules

• Non-connected multi-candidate PACs

• Can accept $5000 from an individual

• Can give $5000 to a candidate

• Can give $15,000 to a party committee

• No limits on overall spending

The PAC universe

• www.opensecrets.org

Other ways to give money

• Bundling

Contributor Total Recipient

EMILY's List $891,064 Betty Castor (D-Fla)

Goldman Sachs $588,870 Jon S. Corzine (D-NJ)

EMILY's List $494,211 Jean Carnahan (D-Mo)

EMILY's List $476,789 Deborah Ann Stabenow (D-Mich)

EMILY's List $426,645 Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)

EMILY's List $374,814 Barbara Boxer (D-Calif)

EMILY's List $359,667 Patty Murray (D-Wash)

EMILY's List $349,862 Inez Tenenbaum (D-SC)

Goldman Sachs $282,090 Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)

Citigroup Inc $241,100 Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)

Wachovia Corp $224,200 Erskine B. Bowles (D-NC)

Goldman Sachs $214,161 Jack Ryan (R-Ill)

Citigroup Inc $190,150 Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)

MBNA Corp $164,750 Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine)

Blank Rome LLP $162,000 Arlen Specter (R-Pa)

Springs Industries $161,625 Erskine B. Bowles (D-NC)

Club for Growth $154,997 John Thune (R-SD)

MBNA Corp $147,700 Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del)

Total Recipient

University of California $627,425 John Kerry (D)

Morgan Stanley $599,280 George W. Bush (R)

Merrill Lynch $580,004 George W. Bush (R)

PricewaterhouseCoopers $512,500 George W. Bush (R)

Goldman Sachs $390,600 George W. Bush (R)

Harvard University $374,909 John Kerry (D)

MBNA Corp $356,350 George W. Bush (R)

UBS Americas $341,800 George W. Bush (R)

Lehman Brothers $327,725 George W. Bush (R)

Citigroup Inc $319,720 George W. Bush (R)

Goldman Sachs $315,250 John Kerry (D)

Bear Stearns $309,150 George W. Bush (R)

Ernst & Young $302,140 George W. Bush (R)

Microsoft Corp $299,847 John Kerry (D)

Time Warner $297,774 John Kerry (D)

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu $290,450 George W. Bush (R)

Citigroup Inc $289,431 John Kerry (D)

Credit Suisse Group $288,990 George W. Bush (R)

Contributor

Contributor Total Recipient

EMILY's List $370,723 Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa)

Club for Growth $348,500 A. Arlene Wohlgemuth (R-Texas)

EMILY's List $196,718 Stephanie Herseth (D-SD)

Club for Growth $115,645 John Swallow (R-Utah)

Club for Growth $106,035 Rico Oller (R-Calif)

Quarles & Brady $99,119 Matthew J. Flynn (D-Wis)

Club for Growth $88,650 Cathy McMorris (R-Wash)

EMILY's List $87,303 Gwen Moore (D-Wis)

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher $86,050 Tom Gallagher (D-Nev)

Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte $80,150 Lois Murphy (D-Pa)

EMILY's List $79,368 Lois Murphy (D-Pa)

EMILY's List $75,745 Kalyn Cherie Free (D-Okla)

EMILY's List $74,900 Lisa Quigley (D-Calif)

Clear Channel Communications $73,450 Michael McCaul (R-Texas)

Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte $72,500 Paul Babbitt (D-Ariz)

Democratic Congressional Campaign Cmte $71,750 Richard M. Romero (D-NM)

MBNA Corp $71,500 Michael G. Oxley (R-Ohio)

Microsoft Corp $69,800 Jay Inslee (D-Wash)

Other ways to give money

• Bundling

• Independent Spending

Organization Name TotalIndependentExpenditures

CommunicationCosts

AFL-CIO $32,445,482 $248,106 $32,197,376

National Rifle Assn $32,172,212 $22,781,556 $9,390,656

National Education Assn $22,577,318 $9,648,112 $12,929,206

American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees

$19,929,274 $12,668,447 $7,260,827

National Assn of Realtors $17,760,086 $9,465,102 $8,294,984

Service Employees International Union $11,726,149 $8,507,333 $3,218,816

American Medical Assn $11,398,258 $10,330,696 $1,067,562

United Auto Workers $6,182,704 $5,159,889 $1,022,815

American Federation of Teachers $5,639,769 $227,902 $5,411,867

EMILY's List $3,979,405 $3,979,405 $0

International Assn of Fire Fighters $2,813,920 $1,587,277 $1,226,643

Teamsters Union $1,897,771 $426,361 $1,471,410

Communications Workers of America $1,783,067 $300,506 $1,482,561

United Food & Commercial Workers Union

$1,305,123 $107,181 $1,197,942

Human Rights Campaign $1,014,423 $1,006,374 $8,049

Natl Cmte to Preserve Social Security $930,273 $761,807 $168,466

Credit Union National Association $639,119 $638,619 $500

PAC Contribution Strategies

• To buy Access– Both parties– Committee chairs– Incumbents only

• To affect ideological composition of Congress– Challengers too– In close races

• Don’t give money at all

Why do only some groups form PACs?