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Defending Main Street Super PAC
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| Defending Main Street Super PAC | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Washington, D.C. |
| Type: | Super PAC |
| Affiliation: | Republican Main Street Partnership |
| Year founded: | 2012 |
| Website: | Official website |
Defending Main Street Super PAC is the super PAC and political arm of the Republican Main Street Partnership.[1] The committee was founded in 2012 and supports moderate Republican congressional candidates seeking to work in a bipartisan manner in Congress.[2][3]
Mission
According to the Defending Main Street website, the group's mission is as follows:[4]
| “ |
The Defending Main Street Super PAC is the most effective independent expenditure organization supporting the governing wing of the Republican Party. We now have over 65 members of Congress and our membership makes up over one-quarter of the House Republican Conference. Main Street’s members are the Republican Party’s majority-makers. Because they represent 'purple states' and swing districts (or even majority-Democrat districts), they provide the margin that has enabled the Republican Party to maintain its majority in the Senate and a near-record majority in the House. Main Street’s members increasingly have become the workhorses of the Republican Party. In the 114th Congress, they introduced more than 250 bills that passed one or both houses of Congress, more than a hundred of which were signed into law. Their governing responsibilities are only increasing in the 115th Congress now that Republicans control the White House and our members chair 5 committees and 24 subcommittees.[5] |
” |
Background
Founded in 2012, Defending Main Street Super PAC is the political arm of Republican Main Street Partnership. The group was founded by Steve LaTourette (R), a Congressman from Ohio who left office in 2012. LaTourette, dissatisfied with the lack of bipartisanship, founded the super PAC with the aim to support and promote what he called "centrist Republicans."[3] The group's founding director was Kirk Walder, while Sarah Chamberlain was the secretary and treasurer.[6] In 2015, Chamberlain served as the super PAC's chief operating and financial officer.[7]
Political activity
2016 elections
In October 2015, The Atlantic noted that Defending Main Street and its alliance partner Republican Main Street Partnership committed to spending nearly $11 million during the election cycle. The group, again, focused on tea party threats against candidates such as Rep. Renee Ellmers (N.C) and Rep. David Joyce of Ohio. They spent $112,600 supporting Ellmers—Ellmers lost during the primary—while the group spent $243,385 supporting Joyce.[8][9]
Expenditures
The following is a breakdown of Defending Main Street super PAC's candidate support and opposition in 2016, including the amount of money they spent, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
| Top expenditures, 2016[9] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | State | Office | Total | For | Against | ||
| Brian Fitzpatrick |  |
Pa. | U.S. House | $480,000 | $480,000 | $0 | ||
| Steve Santarsiero |  |
Pa. | U.S. House | $294,858 | $0 | $294,858 | ||
| Warren Davidson | |
Ohio | U.S. House | $280,536 | $0 | $280,536 | ||
| David Joyce | |
Ohio | U.S. House | $243,385 | $243,385 | $0 | ||
| Jason Allen | |
Mich. | U.S. House | $150,000 | $0 | $150,000 | ||
| Claudia Tenney | |
N.Y. | U.S. House | $140,000 | $0 | $140,000 | ||
| Todd Young | |
Ind. | U.S. Senate | $125,000 | $125,000 | $0 | ||
| Jeff Denham | |
Calif. | U.S. House | $121,556 | $121,556 | $0 | ||
| Bill Shuster | |
Pa. | U.S. House | $119,257 | $119,257 | $0 | ||
| Renee Ellmers | |
N.C. | U.S. House | $112,600 | $112,600 | $0 | ||
2014 elections
Endorsed candidates
Beginning in 2013, Defending Main Street targeted Illinois, Maine, Michigan, and West Virginia seeking to support moderate Republicans against more conservative groups, such as the Club for Growth and the Senate Conservatives Fund. Among the candidates they supported was Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) against Bryan Smith, a tea party candidate. Simpson won in the 2014 election.[10][11]
Expenditures
The following is a breakdown of Defending Main Street super PAC's candidate support and opposition in 2014, including the amount of money they spent, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
| Top expenditures, 2014[2] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | State | Office | Total | For | Against | ||
| Mike Simpson | |
Idaho | U.S. House | $467,568 | $467,568 | $0 | ||
| Doug Ose | |
Calif. | U.S. House | $130,000 | $130,000 | $0 | ||
| Brad Schneider | |
Ill. | U.S. House | $107,225 | $0 | $107,225 | ||
| Michael Grimm | |
N.Y. | U.S. House | $100,000 | $100,000 | $0 | ||
| Matt Lynch | |
Ohio | U.S. House | $99,700 | $0 | $99,700 | ||
| Frank LoBiondo | |
N.J. | U.S. House | $95,000 | $95,000 | $0 | ||
| Chris Gibson | |
N.Y. | U.S. House | $83,122 | $83,122 | $0 | ||
| Michael Wager | |
Ohio | U.S. House | $82,000 | $0 | $82,000 | ||
| Bob Dold | |
Ill. | U.S. House | $65,000 | $65,000 | $0 | ||
| Martha McSally | |
Ariz. | U.S. House | $50,000 | $50,000 | $0 | ||
Finances
The following is a breakdown of Defending Main Street's contributions received and expenditures from 2012-2016 fiscal years, as reported to the FEC.
| Annual reported contributions and expenditures, 2012-2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Contributions | Expenditures |
| 2016[12] | $2,025,519 | $3,019,577 |
| 2015[13] | $820,127 | $19,344 |
| 2014[14] | $1,156,457 | $1,635,911 |
| 2013[15] | $845,073 | $4,087 |
| 2012[16] | $41,000 | $0 |
Legal status
The Defending Main Street super PAC 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.[17][18]
Top influencers by state
Influencers in American politics are power players who help get candidates elected, put through policy proposals, cause ideological changes, and affect popular perceptions. They can take on many forms: politicians, lobbyists, advisors, donors, corporations, industry groups, labor unions, single-issue organizations, nonprofits, to name a few.
In 2016, Ballotpedia identified Defending Main Street Super PAC as a top influencer by state. We identified top influencers across the country through several means, including the following:
- Local knowledge of our professional staff
- Surveys of activists, thought leaders and journalists from across the country and political spectrum
- Outreach to political journalists in each state who helped refine our lists
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Defending Main Street Super PAC'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Republican Main Street Partnership
- Sarah Chamberlain
- Super PAC
- Republican Main Street Partnership PAC
- Main Street Advocacy Fund
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Review, "‘Main Street’ GOP Groups and Their Leftist Funders," January 10, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Open Secrets, "Defending Main Street Target Candidates, 2014," May 18, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cleveland.com, "Steve LaTourette refused to drink at the poisoned well of partisanship: editorial," August 4, 2016
- ↑ Defending Main Street, "About Us," accessed July 17, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ FEC, "FEC Statement of Organization, Defending Main Street Super PAC," accessed May 18, 2016
- ↑ The Atlantic, "Moderate Republicans’ Threat: Paul Ryan for Speaker—or We Quit," October 19, 2015
- ↑ The Atlantic, "Moderate Republicans’ Threat: Paul Ryan for Speaker—or We Quit," October 19, 2015
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Open Secrets, "Defending Main Street Target Candidates, 2016," accessed July 17, 2017
- ↑ TPM, "Super PAC To Defend Moderate Republicans Against Tea Partiers," December 4, 2013
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Idaho Race Shows Split in Republican Donor Base," November 28, 2013
- ↑ FEC, "Defending Main Street Super PAC Year-End Report, 2016," accessed July 17, 2017
- ↑ FEC, "FEC Form 3X, Defending Main street Super PAC, 2015," accessed May 18, 2016
- ↑ FEC, "FEC Form 3X, Defending Main street Super PAC, 2014," accessed May 18, 2016
- ↑ FEC, "FEC Form 3X, Defending Main street Super PAC, 2013," accessed May 18, 2016
- ↑ FEC, "FEC Form 3X, Defending Main street Super PAC, 2012," accessed May 18, 2016
- ↑ 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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