super PACs

Extracted Attributes

• Type

  Independent expenditure-only political action committee

• Purpose

  Campaign advertising, influencing political landscape

• Contribution Limit

  Unlimited from individuals, corporations, labor organizations, and other political committees

• Legal Authorization

  FEC Advisory Opinions 2010-11

• Reporting Requirements

  Subject to same organizational, reporting, and public disclosure requirements as traditional PACs

• Coordination Restriction

  Prohibited from coordinating with or directly contributing to candidate campaigns or political parties

• Originating Legal Decisions

  Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, SpeechNow.org v. Federal Election Commission

• Funding Source Characteristics

  Often funded by single multi-millionaires; over two-thirds of money from donations exceeding $1 million post-2016

Timeline

• Emergence of Super PACs following the Citizens United and SpeechNow.org decisions. (Source: Web Search)

  2010

• The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) approved two Advisory Opinions (AO 2010-11) to modify policy, authorizing the existence and operations of Super PACs. (Source: Web Search, FEC)

  2010-07-22

• Super PACs spent an estimated $65 million on independent expenditures in the election cycle. (Source: Web Search)

  2010

• By early 2012, Super PACs were major participants in the 2011-2012 election cycle, significantly outspending candidates. (Source: Web Search)

  2012

• Super PACs were described as finding creative ways to work in concert with the candidates they supported during the presidential campaign. (Source: Web Search)

  2016

• Post-2016, Super PACs raised more than two-thirds of their money in donations exceeding $1 million. (Source: Web Search)

  2016

• Federal Elections Commission rule changes empowered super PACs, potentially enabling new political movements like The American Party. (Source: Related Document)

  Recent

Super PAC

Independent expenditure-only political action committees, better known as super PACs, are a type of political action committee (PAC) in the United States. Unlike traditional PACs, super PACs are legally allowed to fundraise unlimited amounts of money from individuals or organisations for the purpose of campaign advertising; however, they are not permitted to either coordinate with or contribute directly to candidate campaigns or political parties. Super PACs are subject to the same organizational, reporting, and public disclosure requirements as traditional PACs.

Web Search Results

• Super PAC - Wikipedia

  Independent expenditure-only political action committees, better known as super PACs, are a type of political action committee (PAC) in the United States. Unlike traditional PACs, super PACs are legally allowed to fundraise unlimited amounts of money from individuals or organisations for the purpose of campaign advertising; however, they are not permitted to either coordinate with or contribute directly to candidate campaigns or political parties. Super PACs are subject to the same [...] The result of the Citizens United and SpeechNow.org decisions was the rise of a new type of political action committee in 2010, popularly dubbed the "super PAC". In an open meeting on July 22, 2010, the FEC approved two Advisory Opinions to modify FEC policy in accordance with the legal decisions. These Advisory Opinions were issued in response to requests from two existing PACs, the conservative Club for Growth, and the liberal Commonsense Ten (later renamed Senate Majority PAC). Their [...] In the 2016 presidential campaign, super PACs were described (by journalist Matea Gold) as "finding creative ways to work in concert" with the candidates they supported and work around the "narrowly drawn" legal rule that separated political campaigns from outside groups/super PACs. "Nearly every top presidential hopeful" had "a personalized super PAC" that raised "unlimited sums" and was "run by close associates or former aides". Not only did the FEC regulations allow campaigns to "publicly

• PAC vs Super PAC: What is the Difference? - Quorum

  Political Action Committees (PACs) and Super PACs are both pressure groups that work to influence the political landscape. PACs are primarily focused on fundraising for federal election endeavors, while Super PACs, or independent expenditure-only committees, raise funds for outside spending, such as television ad campaigns and other promotional material. [...] ### 7 Effective PAC Fundraising Ideas to Increase Contributions ## What is a Super PAC? Super PACs differ significantly from traditional PACs because they can receive unlimited donations from corporations, individuals, and unions. Super PACs cannot make direct contributions to campaigns or political parties. [...] PACs have been a part of American politics in since the 1940s while Super PACs are relatively new. Since their inception, Super PACs have been heavily criticized for flooding Washington with corporate dollars, and traditional PACs are often lumped into the criticism. But this criticism of PACs is often undeserved and the result of a misunderstanding of the differences between PACs and Super PACs. So what exactly is the difference? Keep reading to find out. ## Types of PACs

• "Super PACs" by Richard Briffault - Scholarship Archive

  The 2010 election cycle witnessed the birth of the "Super PAC" – a political action committee legally entitled to raise donations in unlimited amounts. Nonexistent and probably illegal before the spring of 2010, Super PACs spent an estimated $65 million on independent expenditures in 2010, and were significant players in more than a dozen Senate and House races. By early 2012, Super PACs were already major participants in the 2011-2012 election cycle, significantly outspending the candidates in [...] 2010 congressional elections and their potential impact on the 2012 races based on fundraising and spending as of early 2012. In their brief life span, Super PACs have already begun to evolve from general ideological or partisan committees to vehicles for advancing or opposing the fortunes of specific candidates. This threatens to obliterate the significance of the limits on contributions to candidates that have been a centerpiece of federal campaign finance regulation since the post- Watergate [...] This Article considers the emergence of Super PACs and their implications for the future of American campaign finance law. Part I explains what a Super PAC is and how it differs from other campaign finance vehicles. Part II analyzes the law of Super PACs, including the doctrinal tension out of which they emerged and the court and agency decisions authorizing their existence and operations. Part III examines the place of Super PACs in the campaign finance system, particularly their role in the

• Since Citizens United, a Decade of Super PACs

  Although super PACs are legally required to operate independently of candidates, they frequently choreograph their activities with campaigns. Single-candidate super PACs raise tens of millions of dollars each and spend all of their money to get one candidate elected. The biggest-spending super PACs in congressional elections are run by top staff of party leaders and carefully align their spending with the parties. All of this allows candidates and their wealthiest supporters to circumvent [...] Of course, super PACs are not just another form of political group. Their entire reason for existing is to allow unlimited contributions, so they are really for those who can afford amounts larger than the $5,600 limit on donations to candidates. Since the 2016 election, super PACs have raised more than two-thirds of their money in donations of more than $1 million. Some are funded by a single multi-millionaire. The biggest donors have given of tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars to [...] Citizens Unitedplanted the seed that allowed super PACs to increase the power of corporations and rich people to influence who runs for office and who wins elections in order to shape American politics to their own advantage. Ten years after their creation, super PACs are huge and still growing. Without reforms like public campaign financing, the next decade is all but certain to yield a system even more skewed toward the wealthy few. Data analysis by Kevin Morris. ### Explainer

• Political Action Committees (PACs) - FEC

  Independent expenditure only committee A political committee that makes only independent expenditures that may solicit and accept unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, labor organizations and other political committees. It may not accept contributions from foreign nationals, federal contractors, national banks or federally chartered corporations. See AO 2010-11. Such committees, popularly known as Super PACs, must register with the Commission and comply with all applicable