2010 Independent Electioneering Activities

www.citizen.org 2010 Independent Electioneering Activities Oct. 27, 2010 Acknowledgments This report was produced by Taylor Lincoln, research director, Alexander Cohen, senior researcher, David Arkush, director, and Yetunde Abass, administrative assistant of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch division. About Public Citizen Public Citizen is a national non-profit membership organization with over 160,000 mem- bers and supporters. We represent consumer interests through lobbying, litigation, administrative advocacy, research, and public education on a broad range of issues including consumer rights in the marketplace, product safety, financial regulation, safe and affordable health care, campaign finance reform and government ethics, fair trade, climate change, and corporate and government accountability. Public Citizen’s Congress Watch 215 Pennsylvania Ave SE Washington, DC 20003 P: 202-546-4996 F: 202-547-7392 http://www.citizen.org © 2010 Public Citizen. All rights reserved . Public Citizen Briefing Book On Electioneering Activities Contents Figure 1: Amount Spent in 2010 on Electioneering Activities by Groups Accepting Large Contributions or Not Disclosing Contributions (as Reported by the FEC Through Oct. 25, 2010) ............................................................................................................................... 2 Figure 2: Independent Expenditures Only: Breakdown of Spending Aiding Republicans and Democrats (through Oct. 25, 2010)................................................................................... 2 Figure 3: Amount Spent and Disclosed in 2010 by Outside Groups (Through Oct. 25, 2010) .... 2 Figure 4: Top 150 Contributors to Independent Groups Engaging in Election Spending ........... 7 Figure 5: Ranking of Groups by Number of Contests Influenced in 2010 Ranked by Group (Groups Spending $10,000 or More Through Oct. 25, 2010)............................................ 11 Figure 6: Contests Incurring the Most Spending by Outside Groups (Through Oct. 25, 2010). 15 Figure 7: Contests Incurring the Most Spending by Outside Organizations, Enumerated by Group ............................................................................................................................ 16 Figure 8: Electioneering Groups Making Their First 2010 Expenditures Since Oct. 11 (Within Three Weeks of General Election) .................................................................................. 29 Figure 9: Organizations Active in the 2010 Elections Disclosing Their First Expenditure Since Oct. 11, Details of Spending by Contest .......................................................................... 30 Oct. 26, 2010 Page ii 2010 Independent Electioneering Activities Public Citizen has identified 149 groups that have reported to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) expenditures intended to influence this year’s elections and have ei- ther accepted large contributions (above $5,000) or have not reported the source of their contributions at all. These groups’ electioneering activities and their large contributions are chronicled at www.citizen.org/stealthpacs. Public Citizen is updating the Web site regularly to reflect new reports. This report enumerates the information contained on the Web site, reflecting data through October 25. • The 149 groups studied have reported $176.1 million in expenditures, including $109.4 million in independent expenditures and $66.7 million in electioneering communications. See Figure 1. Independent expenditures are payments for activities expressly intended to influence the outcomes of elections; electioneering communications are messages depicting a federal candidate within 60 days of a general election of 30 days of a primary that stop short of asking the audience to vote for or against a candidate. • Of independent expenditures, $79.4 million has been spent to aid Republicans, com- pared to $28.5 million for Democrats. See Figure 2. Reports to the FEC for electioneering communications do not indicate a candidate supported or opposed. • Just ten groups are responsible for 65 percent of the spending, or $114.6 million of 176.1 million. See Figure 3 for a list of spending by each group. • Before the Supreme Court’s January 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Elec- tion Commission , organizations making independent expenditures were required to disclose the sources of the money paying for them. In many instances, such groups no longer do. The majority of funding for independent election spending in 2010 has come from undisclosed sources. o Of the 149 groups covered this report, 80 have not disclosed any information about the sources of their money to the FEC. These 80 groups are responsible for 59.9 percent of spending, or $105.4 million of $176.1 million. o Of the top 10 spenders, only two have disclosed any funder information. o The five groups spending the most without disclosing their funders are the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ($28.7 million), American Action Network ($14.2 million), Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies ($11.5 million), American Future Fund ($9.3 million) and Americans for Job Security ($9 million). See Figure 3. • Independent groups (counting those engaging in independent expenditures, electioneering communications, or both), have collectively disclosed $70.7 million in contributions this year from about 124,000 donors through October 21, 2010. But the top 150 donors are responsible for $47.2 million of the disclosed contributions, Public Citizen Briefing Book On Electioneering Activities meaning that 0.12 percent of the donors are responsible for 66.8 percent of the reported contributions. Figure 4 lists the 150 largest donors. • Five groups have spent money to influence more than 35 races each: the U.S. Cham- ber of Commerce, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Susan B. Anthony List Inc., 60 Plus Association and Americans for Prosperity. Figure 5 lists the number of contests each group has attempted to influence. • Eight contests, all Senate races, have incurred at least $5 million in spending by the outside groups studied. See Figure 6 for a listing of the contests on which the most outside money has been spent. Figure 7 enumerates the groups that spent money on each of these contests and the amounts they spent. • Thirty groups did not make their first expenditures to influence the 2010 elections until at least October 11, or within three weeks of Election Day. The highest spenders among the newcomers have been the Center for Individual Freedom ($2,482,312), Ending Spending Fund ($1,150,000) and Women’s Voices Women Vote Action Fund ($1,056,545). Figure 8 lists the new groups and the amount each has spent; Figure 9 enumerates the contests each group has attempted to influence, the amount the group has spent and the candidates on whose behalf the expenditures were made, if such information is available. Figure 1: Amount Spent in 2010 on Electioneering Activities by Groups Accepting Large Contributions or Not Disclosing Contributions (as Re- ported by the FEC Through Oct. 25, 2010) Electioneering Independent Expenditures Total Communications $109,407,552 $66,712,021 $176,119,573 Figure 2: Independent Expenditures Only: Breakdown of Spending Aiding Re- publicans and Democrats (through Oct. 25, 2010) Amount Spent Supporting Republicans or Opposing Democrats $79,436,096 Amount Spent Supporting Democrats or Opposing Republicans $28,454,142 Figure 3: Amount Spent and Disclosed in 2010 by Outside Groups (Through Oct. 25, 2010) Electioneering Independent Total Dis- Total Expendi- Organization Communica- Expenditure closed Contri- tures tion Amount Amount butions 1 U.S. Chamber of Commerce $28,730,613 $28,730,613 $0 $0 2 American Crossroads $17,964,451 $0 $17,964,451 $22,750,855 3 American Action Network Inc. $17,210,435 $14,253,875 $2,956,560 $0 4 Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies $11,506,028 $1,104,782 $10,401,246 $0 Oct. 26, 2010 Page 2 Public Citizen Briefing Book On Electioneering Activities Figure 3: Amount Spent and Disclosed in 2010 by Outside Groups (Through Oct. 25, 2010) Electioneering Independent Total Dis- Total Expendi- Organization Communica- Expenditure closed Contri- tures tion Amount Amount butions 5 American Future Fund $9,270,539 $2,241,557 $7,028,982 $0 6 Americans for Job Security (AJS) $8,993,822 $4,598,520 $4,395,302 $0 7 60 Plus Ass’n $6,855,921 $397,838 $6,458,083 $0 American Fed. of State County and Mu- 8 nicipal Employees AFL-CIO $6,782,096 $68,539 $6,713,557 $0 9 Club for Growth Action $3,812,604 $0 $3,812,604 $3,395,076 10 Americans for Tax Reform $3,533,704 $0 $3,533,704 $0 11 Women Vote $2,984,571 $0 $2,984,571 $2,031,388 12 League of Conservation Voters (LCV) $2,821,767 $0 $2,821,767 $75,000 NEA Fund for Children & Public Education 13 (527) $2,751,785 $0 $2,751,785 $617,321 14 Votevets Action Fund $2,721,474 $858,004 $1,863,470 $400,000 15 Center for Individual Freedom $2,482,312 $2,482,312 $0 $0 Our Country Deserves Better PAC -- 16 TheTeaPartyExpress.org $2,080,744 $0 $2,080,744 $1,918,665 17 Revere America $1,959,055 $0 $1,959,055 $0 18 Club for Growth PAC $1,806,752 $0 $1,806,752 $2,822,023 19 Right Change.com (527) $1,764,062 $0 $1,764,062 $1,764,055 20 Susan B. Anthony List Inc. $1,592,726 $0 $1,592,726 $1,521,802 21 Citizens for Strength and Security $1,384,210 $1,384,210 $0 $5,752,000 22 CSS Action Fund Inc. $1,377,680 $1,377,680 $0 $0 23 Patriot Majority PAC $1,336,688 $0 $1,336,688 $1,620,000 24 Arkansans for Change $1,335,073 $1,335,073 $0 $0 25 First Amendment Alliance

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