Senate Majority PAC
| Senate Majority PAC | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Type: | Super PAC |
| Affiliation: | Democrat |
| Top official: | Stephanie Potter, Executive director |
| Year founded: | 2010 |
| Website: | Official website |
Senate Majority PAC[1] (formerly known as Commonsense Ten and Majority PAC) is a Democratic super PAC based in Washington, D.C., that supports Senate campaigns.[2][3] The super PAC was founded as a response to Republican satellite spending groups.[4]
Mission
As of April 2017, the Senate Majority PAC's website listed the following mission statement for the organization:[4]
| “ | Senate Majority PAC was founded by experienced, aggressive Democratic strategists with one mission: To win Senate races.
In 2010, the Citizens United decision allowed Karl Rove and a network of Republican-aligned outside groups to raise and spend hundreds of millions of dollars on false negative ads against Democratic Senators and Senate candidates. Democrats only engaged in satellite spending in a few races, resulting in lopsided TV advertising that overwhelmed our candidates and contributed to some crushing Democratic losses in 2010. In the face of that threat, Senate Majority PAC formed in 2011 to make sure that our Democratic Senators and candidates would not be forced to face such overwhelming odds against them again. Running transparent, low-overhead, take-no-prisoners independent campaigns, we defend Democrats from attacks by Rove and the Koch Brothers, aggressively contest open Senate seats, and go after Republicans on their own turf. [5] |
” |
Background
The Senate Majority PAC (SMPAC) was organized in 2010 (as Commonsense Ten) and modeled on the Patriot Majority PAC, according to Politico.[6] It was initially organized by Rebecca Lambe and Susan McCue—former aides and advisors to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.)—as well as Patriot Majority PAC director, Craig Varoga. Former Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee individuals J.B. Poersch and Jim Jordan, as well as Democratic fundraiser Monica Dixon and Democratic attorney Marc Elias, were also involved in the super PAC's launch.[6] The launch was aimed at preparing the Democratic Party to defend 23 U.S. Senate seats in the 2012 elections and garnering support for Barack Obama's (D) presidential re-election.[6] During the 2012 election cycle, the super PAC spent $42 million.[7]
In 2014, Reid encouraged donors to give to the SMPAC with the intent of maintaining a Democratic majority in the Senate. According to Politico, between 2012 and 2014, nine Senators helped to bring in $1.4 million for the group. Among the Senators, Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) contributed his personal funds. Reid and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) attended fundraising events for the super PAC. Other Senators have contributed to Majority PAC via their own political funds, such as Reid's Searchlight Leadership Fund, Sen. Tim Kaine's (D-Va.) Common Ground leadership PAC, and Boxer's Change Fund.[7] As a result of the election, the Democratic majority was lost.
Work
| Super PACs |
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| Read more about super PACs and the super PACs covered on Ballotpedia. |
As a super PAC, the SMPAC can make independent expenditures in support of or opposition to candidates for office. The group began in 2011, and by November 2014, it had released 40,000 Senate campaign ads, outnumbering all other outside groups, according to Time.[8] During the 2014 election cycle, the super PAC raised over $53 million and made $47 million in independent expenditures, mostly in the form of campaign ads. Time noted that the expenditures were "credited with keeping the races close and Democrats competitive."[8]
In 2015, SMPAC released two ads against Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.). According to Roll Call, the ads were part of a larger $300,000 ad buy in New Hampshire and part of a total of $550,000 spent in the state. In a counter ad, Republican satellite spending groups spent $2 million in ads against Gov. Maggie Hassan, who was assumed to be Ayotte's challenger at the time. Ultimately, Hassan did challenge and defeat Ayotte.[9][10]
Political activity
2018 elections
In April 2017, the Senate Majority PAC began running radio ads in support of Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). The ads stated, in part, "Today, hospitals in rural Missouri are in crisis. Nearly half are at risk of shutting down. That’s why Sen. Claire McCaskill is fighting back. ... A daughter of rural Missouri, Claire McCaskill’s determined to protect rural health care." According to Politico, the $500,000 ad buy was in response to ads by the Senate Leadership Fund—a Republican super PAC for Senate candidates—which criticized McCaskill for her vote against confirming President Donald Trump's (R) U.S. Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch.[11]
2016 elections
The following table details the top 10 independent expenditures made by the Senate Majority PAC during the 2016 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The data was current as of July 26, 2016.[12]
| Top 10 largest Senate Majority PAC expenditures in 2016 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | State | Office | Total | For | Against |
| Rob Portman |  |
Ohio | U.S. Senate | $8,394,744 | $0 | $8,394,744 |
| Kelly Ayotte | |
N.H. | U.S. Senate | $2,753,952 | $0 | $2,753,952 |
| Pat Toomey | |
Pa. | U.S. Senate | $2,745,943 | $0 | $2,745,943 |
| Maggie Hassan |  |
N.H. | U.S. Senate | $2,362,181 | $2,362,181 | $0 |
| Joe Heck | |
Nev. | U.S. Senate | $2,016,738 | $0 | $2,016,738 |
| Ted Strickland | |
Ohio | U.S. Senate | $1,816,080 | $1,816,080 | $0 |
| Patrick Murphy | |
Fla. | U.S. Senate | $1,013,760 | $1,013,760 | $0 |
| Kathleen McGinty | |
Pa. | U.S. Senate | $819,449 | $819,449 | $0 |
| Joni Ernst | |
Iowa | U.S. Senate | $6,745 | $0 | $6,745 |
| Roy Blunt | |
Mo. | U.S. Senate | $765 | $0 | $765 |
2014 elections
The following table details the top 10 independent expenditures made by the Senate Majority PAC during the 2014 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
| Top 10 largest Senate Majority PAC expenditures in 2014 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | State | Office | Total | For | Against |
| Thom Tillis | |
N.C. | U.S. Senate | $11,800,393 | $0 | $11,800,393 |
| Mitch McConnell | |
Ky. | U.S. Senate | $5,590,110 | $0 | $5,590,110 |
| Tom Cotton | |
Ark. | U.S. Senate | $5,186,927 | $0 | $5,186,927 |
| Cory Gardner | |
Colo. | U.S. Senate | $5,073,733 | $0 | $5,073,733 |
| Joni Ernst | |
Iowa | U.S. Senate | $4,535,982 | $0 | $4,535,982 |
| Terri Lynn Land | |
Mich. | U.S. Senate | $3,538,733 | $0 | $3,538,733 |
| Scott Brown | |
N.H. | U.S. Senate | $3,403,625 | $0 | $3,403,625 |
| Bill Cassidy | |
La. | U.S. Senate | $2,444,050 | $0 | $2,444,050 |
| Kay Hagan | |
N.C. | U.S. Senate | $1,408,652 | $1,408,652 | $0 |
| Gabriel Gomez | |
Mass. | U.S. Senate | $1,364,380 | $0 | $1,364,380 |
2012 elections
Expenditures
During the 2012 election cycle, the Senate Majority PAC spent a total of $37,498,257, $3,651,229 for Democrats and $33,847,028 against Republicans. The following table details the top 10 independent expenditures made by Senate Majority PAC in the 2012 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.[13]
| Top 10 largest Majority PAC expenditures in 2012[13] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | State | Office | Total | For | Against | Desired Result |
| George Allen | |
Va. | Senate | $5,048,835 | $0 | $5,048,835 |  |
| Tommy Thompson | |
Wis. | Senate | $4,682,491 | $0 | $4,682,491 | |
| Richard Mourdock | |
Ind. | Senate | $4,274,805 | $0 | $4,274,805 | |
| Rick Berg | |
N.D. | Senate | $3,252,808 | $0 | $3,252,808 | |
| Josh Mandel | |
Ohio | Senate | $3,228,003 | $0 | $3,228,003 | |
| Denny Rehberg | |
Mont. | Senate | $2,996,159 | $0 | $2,996,159 | |
| Linda McMahon | |
Conn. | Senate | $2,535,957 | $0 | $2,535,957 | |
| Jeff Flake | |
Ariz. | Senate | $2,065,097 | $0 | $2,065,097 |  |
| Todd Akin | |
Mo. | Senate | $1,713,536 | $0 | $1,713,536 | |
| Dean Heller | |
Nev. | Senate | $1,147,384 | $0 | $1,147,384 | |
Leadership
In March 2017, the Senate Majority PAC announced that J.B. Poersch, former director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had been hired as the organization's president.[14]
In July 2016, the Senate Majority PAC's announced the following leadership staff. The list was current as of April 2017:[15]
- Stephanie Potter, Executive director
- Rebecca Lambe, Senior advisor
- Susan McCue, Senior advisor
- Karyn Brockman, Finance director
- Peggy Yang, Research and communications advisor
- Sean Kennedy, Research director
- Shripal Shah, Communications director
Other members (past and present) of the super PAC include or have included Heather Podesta and Julianna Smoot, both of whom served as board members.[8][16]
Finances
In January 2018, the Senate Majority PAC announced that it had raised $21.7 million in 2017.[17]
The following is a breakdown of SMPAC's contributions and disbursements, as reported to the FEC.
| SMPAC's contributions and disbursements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Contributions | Disbursements | |
| 2016[18] | $85,080,692 | $88,754,643 | |
| 2015[19] | $7,740,388 | $2,449,773 | |
| 2014[20] | $58,274,346 | $61,301,000 | |
| 2013[21] | $8,640,114 | $5,613,066 | |
| 2012[22] | $39,597,115 | $40,726,094 | |
| 2011[23] | $2,524,425 | $1,390,956 | |
| 2010[24] | $4,263,304 | $4,088,816 | |
Donors
The following is a breakdown of SMPAC's top donors.
| SMPAC's top donors 2016[25] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Contribution amount | ||
| Euclidean Capital | $1,600,000 (from individuals) | ||
| American Federation of Teachers | $1,250,000 (from organizations) | ||
| Marcus & Millichap | $1,000,000 (from individuals) | ||
| Newsweb Corp | $1,000,000 (from individuals) | ||
| Working for Working Americans | $1,000,000 (from organizations) | ||
| SMPAC's top donors 2014[26] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Contribution amount | ||
| Euclidean Capital | $5,000,000 (from individuals) | ||
| Fahr LLC/Tom Steyer | $5,000,000 (from individuals) | ||
| Newsweb Corp | $5,000,000 (from individuals) | ||
| Bloomberg LP | $2,500,000 (from individuals) | ||
| American Federation of Teachers | $1,950,000 (from organizations) | ||
| SMPAC's top donors 2012[27] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Contribution amount | ||
| Newsweb Corp | $4,300,000 (from individuals) | ||
| Euclidean Capital | $3,000,000 (from individuals) | ||
| Carpenters & Joiners Union | $2,450,000 (from organizations) | ||
| American Federation of Teachers | $2,000,000 (from organizations) | ||
| American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees | $1,000,000 (from organizations) | ||
Media
Recent news
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ FEC, "Statement of Organization, Senate Majority PAC," March 8, 2013"
- ↑ FEC, "Commonsense Ten, Statement of Organization," June 11, 2010
- ↑ FEC, "Statement of Organization, Majority PAC," March 9, 2011
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Senate Majority PAC, "Our Mission," accessed January 5, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributed to the original source.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Politico, "Senate Dems Launch 'Super PAC'," February 23, 2011
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Politico, "Dems give big to Senate Majority PAC," June 2, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Time, "This Super PAC Was Behind 1 Out of Every 20 Senate Ads," November 3, 2014
- ↑ Roll Call, "Senate Majority PAC Releases Second Ad Attacking Ayotte at Home," September 2, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "Senate Dem PAC’s first 2016 ad targets Ayotte," August 12, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Senate Democratic outside group launches radio ads defending McCaskill," April 18, 2017
- ↑ Center for Responsive Politics, "Outside Spending: Independent Expenditures, Electioneering Communication & Communication Costs by Targeted Candidate as of July 26, 2016," accessed July 26, 2016
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Center for Responsive Politics, "Senate Majority PAC Independent Expenditures 2012 cycle," accessed July 15, 2013
- ↑ The Hill, "Senate Majority PAC names Schumer ally as new leader," March 6, 2017
- ↑ Senate Majority PAC, "Senate Majority PAC Announces Senior Staff Hires For 2016 Cycle," accessed July 26, 2016
- ↑ SMPAC, "Top Obama Strategist Joins Senate SuperPAC," accessed January 5, 2016
- ↑ Senate Majority PAC, "Senate Majority PAC and Majority Forward Post Record Fundraising Numbers in 2017," January 30, 2018
- ↑ FEC, "FEC Form 3X, Senate Majority PAC (Year End 2016)," accessed April 20, 2017
- ↑ FEC, "FEC Form 3X, Senate Majority PAC (Year End 2015)," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ FEC, "FEC Form 3X, Senate Majority PAC (Year End 2014)," accessed January 5, 2015
- ↑ FEC, "FEC Form 3X, Senate Majority PAC (Year End 2013)," accessed January 5, 2015
- ↑ FEC, "FEC Form 3X, Senate Majority PAC (Year End 2012)," accessed January 5, 2015
- ↑ FEC, "FEC Form 3X, Majority PAC (Year End 2011, Amended)," accessed January 5, 2015
- ↑ FEC, "FEC Form 3X, Commonsense Ten PAC (Year End 2010)," accessed January 5, 2015
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Top Donors, 2016 Cycle, Senate Majority PAC," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Top Donors, 2014 Cycle, Senate Majority PAC," accessed June 1, 2016
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Top Donors, 2012 Cycle, Senate Majority PAC," accessed June 1, 2016
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