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America Leads
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| America Leads | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Alexandria, Virginia |
| Type: | Super PAC |
| Affiliation: | Republican |
| Founder(s): | Phil Cox |
| Year founded: | 2015 |
| Website: | Official website |
America Leads is a super PAC that supported 2016 Republican Chris Christie's (R) 2016 presidential campaign. The organization was founded in February 2015 by Phil Cox, the former executive director of the Republican Governors Association.[1]
On February 10, 2016, Christie announced that he was suspending his campaign for president.[2]
Mission
As of February 2016, the America Leads website, which later became unavailable, listed the following statement concerning the organization's purpose:[3]
| “ |
America Leads is committed to electing Chris Christie as the next President of the United States. In a time of immense challenges and uncertainty, Governor Christie is unafraid to lead America.[4] |
” |
Background
America Leads filed for organization on February 23, 2015, with the FEC. Phil Cox, a former executive director of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), founded the super PAC. Cox worked with Chris Christie, when Christie served as chairman of the RGA.[5][6]
Work
| Super PACs |
|---|
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| Read more about super PACs and the super PACs covered on Ballotpedia. |
2016 elections
New Hampshire television ads
In July 2015, America Leads released its first television ad. The ad, which was released in New Hampshire, focused on Christie's opposition to President Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran.[7] On January 5, 2016, the super PAC announced it's eleventh ad, which also aired in New Hampshire, in which it highlighted Christie's opposition to closing Guantanamo Bay.[8][9]
Media company hiring
On July 3, 2015, it was announced that the America Leads had hired DMS+C, a political strategic and creative firm run by Doug McAuliffe. McAuliffe and his firm oversaw the super PAC's advertising and media strategies.[10]
Iowa radio ads, November 2015
The super PAC began running radio ads in Iowa in November, 2015. The ads highlighted Christie's record against Democrats. The ads had a two-week run and were synched up with the candidate's visit to the state.[11] Tucker Martin, spokesman for America Leads, told Politico that the spending on the ads was "substantial."[11]
Finances
The following table identifies total receipts and disbursements for America Leads according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission:
| Annual federal receipts and disbursements for America Leads, 2015-2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Tax year | Total receipts | Total disbursements |
| 2016[12] | $4,179,488 | $7,439,401 |
| 2015[1] | $16,136,135 | $12,842,562 |
Legal status
America Leads is a super PAC. A super PAC is a political committee that can solicit and spend unlimited sums of money. A super PAC cannot contribute directly to a politician or political party, but it can spend independently to campaign for or against political figures. These committees are also called independent expenditure-only committees. A super PAC is not legally considered a political action committee (PAC) and as such is regulated under separate rules.[13][14]
Media
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms America Leads. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Super PAC
- Chris Christie
- Chris Christie presidential campaign, 2016
- Republican presidential election super PACs, 2016
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Federal Election Commission, "America Leads Year-End Report, 2015," accessed September 14, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Chris Christie suspends his presidential campaign," February 10, 2016
- ↑ America Leads, "About," archived February 2, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Boston Globe, "Mass. native Phil Cox figures to be a force for the GOP," November 14, 2014
- ↑ MSNBC, "Christie allies launch super PAC ‘America Leads’," March 12, 2015
- ↑ America Leads, "America Leads Releases First Television Ad," July 20, 2015
- ↑ America Leads, "America Leads Up With New Ad Highlighting Governor Christie’s Opposition to Closing Terrorist-Detention Facility at Guantanamo Bay," January 5, 2016
- ↑ FactCheck, "Christie PAC Wrong About Gitmo," January 5, 2016
- ↑ DMS+C, "DMS+C oversees media strategy for America Leads," July 3, 2015
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Politico, "Chris Christie super PAC preps big ad run in Iowa," November 12, 2015
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "America Leads Year-End Report, 2016," January 26, 2017
- ↑ The Atlantic, "The New York Times' Disingenuous Campaign Against Citizens United," February 24, 2012
- ↑ The New York Times, "Who's Financing the 'Super PACs?" May 7, 2012
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