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David Keating
| David Keating | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Organization: | Institute for Free Speech |
| Role: | President |
| Location: | Alexandria, Va. |
David Keating is the president of the Institute for Free Speech, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that "opposes public financing of elections and limits on campaign contributions."[1] He is also a former executive director of the Club for Growth, a fiscally conservative 501(c)(4) organization that aims to influence taxation and economic policies.[2] Keating founded SpeechNow.org, a plaintiff in the SpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission lawsuit that led to the rise of super PACs.
Background
As executive director of the Club for Growth, Keating oversaw the group's operations; they "often supported insurgent conservatives" in primary and general elections.[3] The Club for Growth "was founded in 1999 by prominent conservatives eager to organize support for candidates who believe in low taxes and small government."[4] Keating served as executive director of the group from 2000 to 2012.[5] Keating also served as the Washington director for Americans for Fair Taxation from 1998 to 2000 and was executive vice president of the National Taxpayers Union from 1985 to 1997.[5]
Work and activities
Institute for Free Speech
In 2012, Keating became the president of the Institute for Free Speech, a nonprofit organization that opposes limits on campaign contributions based on free speech arguments. As of August 2025, the Institute for Free Speech website said it "promotes and defends the First Amendment rights to freely speak, assemble, publish, and petition the government through strategic litigation, communication, activism, training, research, and education."[6] As president of the group, Keating has stated his opposition to campaign contribution limits: "We don’t think the government has any role in ultimately regulating campaigns. That’s the time for people to speak out without interference from the people in power, so a lot of the regulations need to be scaled back."[7]
SpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission
Keating founded SpeechNOW.org in 2007 "due to his frustration with the incessant attacks on the First Amendment," according to his biography on the Institute for Free Speech website.[2] In March 2010, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in favor of SpeechNow.org in the decision SpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission. As Keating and fellow plaintiff Edward Crane noted in The Wall Street Journal, the decision allowed "individuals to give unlimited funds to any such committee organized solely to make independent expenditures (although the contributors and their contributions must be disclosed)."[8] In combination with the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision—which allowed corporations and unions to make these independent expenditures—the SpeechNow.org lawsuit made super PACs—also known as independent expenditure-only committees—permissible.[9] Keating stated that his mission as a plaintiff was "to do for the First Amendment what the NRA did for the Second."[10] SpeechNOW.org closed in 2017.[5]
Notable endorsements
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Recent news
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See also
- What is an influencer?
- Institute for Free Speech
- Club for Growth
- SpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Roll Call, "Keating Will Pursue Bold Goals in New Job," February 14, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Institute for Free Speech, "David Keating," accessed August 20, 2025
- ↑ Talking Points Memo, "Club For Growth: Challenging Cao In GOP Primary 'Would Be A Waste Of Money' For His District," November 9, 2009
- ↑ New York Sun, "Power Struggle Grips the Club for Growth," February 2, 2005
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 LinkedIn , "David Keating," accessed August 20, 2025
- ↑ Institute for Free Speech , "About," accessed August 20, 2025
- ↑ The Hill, "Meet the man taking aim at campaign finance regulations," March 17, 2015
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Meet the Parents of the Super PACs," February 10, 2012
- ↑ Campaign Legal Center , "SpeechNow.org v. FEC," accessed August 20, 2025
- ↑ Time, "Meet the Man Who Invented the Super PAC," May 13, 2015
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