Country First PAC
| Country First PAC | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Illinois |
| Founder(s): | Adam Kinzinger (R) |
| Year founded: | 2021 |
| Website: | Official website |
Country First PAC, also known as Country First, is a political action committee in Illinois created by U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R). According to Kinzinger, as of July 2021, the group served as “a home for reasonable people of goodwill, seeking common ground to make our country better for future generations.”[1]
Kinzinger said he created Country First in response to the breach of the U.S. capitol on January 6, 2021, and that he would support Republicans who voted to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump (R) following the event.[2]
Mission
As of July 2021, Country First's website listed the following mission statement:
| “ | Country First is an organization dedicated to returning truth, honor, and civility to politics so that our country can have healthy debates on the issues that actually impact our lives, rather than yelling past one another. We believe a group of reasonable people of goodwill could find common ground to solve the challenges facing our country, even if they disagree on public policy. Country First is about getting those people around the table, not prescribing the public policy solutions.[3][4] | ” |
Background
Kinzinger founded Country First in 2021, saying the organization was made to support Republicans who voted to impeach U.S. President Donald Trump (R) following the breach of the U.S. capitol on January 6, 2021.[2]
In an introductory video, Kinzinger said, “there is so much more we can do if we work together and count our victories not in elections won, but in the achievements of everyday Americans.”[5] Kinzinger added, "We have a lot of work to do to restore the Republican Party and to turn the tide on the personality politics.”[6]
Related groups
Country First may refer to one of a number of organizations with separate missions and activities. This page is focused on the political action committee name Country First. As of June 2021, the following related organizations were active:
| Country First related groups | ||
|---|---|---|
| Country First PAC | Americans Keeping Country First Super PAC | Future First Leadership PAC |
| PAC | Super PAC | Leadership PAC |
| Country First PAC is a federal political action committee. The PAC can spend money in electoral politics by donating to parties or candidates they support, subject to contribution limits defined by state and federal election agencies. | Americans Keeping Country First can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money. The group cannot contribute directly to a politician or political party, but it can spend independently to campaign for or against political figures. | Future First Leadership is a leadership PAC established by Kinzinger. The PAC can spend money on expenses that cannot be paid by campaign committees or congressional offices. The group can accept money from other PACs and from individuals.[7] |
Political activity
2022
Methods and goals
Country First organizers said, in 2022, the group would focus on supporting Republican members of Congress who voted in favor of impeaching or convicting Trump.[2]
Campaigns
This section describes campaigns and efforts led by Country First as of June 2021.
- The Family Before Party Project
- The Family Before Party Project was designed to share the stories of those who have experienced familial strain because of political differences. Country First's website said it began the project after receiving "thousands of messages ... after members of Congressman Kinzinger's own extended family published an open letter disowning him for voting his conscience to impeach Donald Trump for inciting insurrection."[8] As of July 2021, Country First published the shared stories and conducted interviews for a video project.[9]
- Investigating Flynn
- Country First created a petition calling on the Pentagon to investigate Gen. Michael Flynn, former National Security Advisor for Trump, over his remarks regarding political violence. [10] Below is the full petition text:
| “ | We, the undersigned, demand that the Pentagon reverse course and fully investigate General Michael Flynn's remarks and involvement in movements advocating for the violent overthrow of our republic. As a retired general, he is still subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice -- and the Department of Defense should explore all options available to ensure it ends here.[11][4] | ” |
- Demand 1/6 Commission
- Country First released the Demand 1/6 Commission petition to call for an investigation into the breach of the U.S. capitol.[12] Below is the full petition text:
| “ | We, the undersigned, demand a national commission to investigate the events surrounding the January 6th insurrection; that it will be empowered to follow the facts wherever they lead; and that our leaders put our country before party in pursuit of the truth.[13][4] | ” |
Endorsements
As of July 2021, Country First endorsed the following candidates in races that took place in 2022:[14]
| Country First endorsements, 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Race | Incumbent? | |
| Jaime Herrera Beutler (R) | U.S. House, Wash. | Yes | |
| Liz Cheney (R) | U.S. House, Wyo. | Yes | |
| Anthony Gonzalez (R) | U.S. House, Ohio | Yes | |
| David Holt (R)[15] | Mayor, Oklahoma City, Okla. | Yes | |
| John Katko (R) | U.S. House, N.Y. | Yes | |
| Peter Meijer (R) | U.S. House, Mich. | Yes | |
| Dan Newhouse (R) | U.S. House, Wash. | Yes | |
| Brad Raffensperger (R) | Secretary of State, Ga. | Yes | |
| Tom Rice (R) | U.S. House, S.C. | Yes | |
| Fred Upton (R) | U.S. House, Mich. | Yes | |
| David Valadao (R) | U.S. House, Calif. | Yes | |
2021
Endorsements
As of July 2021, Country First endorsed the following candidates in races that took place in 2021:
| Country First endorsements, 2021 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Race | Incumbent? | |
| Michael Wood (R)[16] | U.S. House, Texas | No | |
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Country First' Action. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Adam Kinzinger
- Breach of U.S. Capitol during electoral vote count (January 6, 2021)
- Political action committee
- National influencers
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ ‘’Country 1st’’, “Join,” accessed July 12, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Deseret News, "This Republican hoping to remake his party just tripled his fundraising numbers," April 2, 2021
- ↑ ‘’Country 1st’’, “Join,” accessed July 12, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Country First, "Country First," accessed July 13, 2021
- ↑ New York Times, "Adam Kinzinger’s Lonely Mission," February 15, 2021
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Leadership PACs: Background," accessed July 13, 2021
- ↑ Country First, "The Family Before Party Project," accessed July 12th, 2021
- ↑ Country First, "The Family Before Party Project," accessed June 28th, 2021
- ↑ Country First, "Stop Playing With Fire," accessed June 28, 2021
- ↑ Country First, "Stop Playing With Fire," accessed June 28, 2021
- ↑ Country First, ""The truth shall set you free"," accessed June 28, 2021
- ↑ Country First, ""The truth shall set you free"," accessed June 28, 2021
- ↑ ‘’Country First website’’, “Endorsements,” accessed July 9, 2021
- ↑ The Oklahoma City mayorship is officially nonpartisan. Holt previously held office in a partisan position as a Republican.
- ↑ WCMY, "Texas Congressional candidate gets Country 1st endorsement," March 24, 2021
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