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Free the Delegates
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| Free the Delegates | |
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| Basic facts | |
| Type: | Super PAC |
| Founder(s): | Beau Correll |
| Year founded: | 2016 |
| Website: | Official website |
Free the Delegates was a Republican delegate-backed super PAC founded in 2016 that sought to implement a rule at the Republican National Convention that would have allowed delegates to vote their conscience when nominating the party's presidential candidate.[1] The organization filed for termination in January 2017.[2]
Mission
The website for Free the Delegates contained the following statement of purpose in June 2016:[1]
| “ | Free the Delegates is a SuperPAC dedicated to blocking and reversing Donald Trump's political ascent. We are an independent group, and are not authorized by any presidential candidate or candidate committee. Our focus is on using unconventional and cost-effective tactics, as opposed to stereotypical high-cost, limited-yield methods with the objective of providing maximum donor value.[3] | ” |
Background
Free the Delegates was founded in 2016 by Beau Correll, a Republican delegate from Virginia who won a July 2016 lawsuit in which he successfully challenged a state election law in Virginia that dictated how delegates to the national party conventions were to be allocated and bound to presidential candidates. Other key players associated with Free the Delegates were Colorado delegates Regina Thomson and Kendal Unruh. Unruh served on the convention rules committee for the Republican National Convention and was an active member of the conservative movement opposing Trump.
At the center of the effort was a rules amendment supported by Unruh that would allow a delegate to vote at the convention for a candidate other than the one to whom he or she was allocated, if doing so went against that delegate's conscience. According to NBC News, the proposal read as follows:[4]
| “ | If any such delegate notifies the secretary of his or her intent to cast a vote of conscience, whether personal or religious, each such delegate shall be unbound and unconstrained by these rules on any given vote, including the first ballot for the selection of the Republican nominee for President of the United States, without the risk of challenge, sanction, or retribution by the Republican National Committee.[3] | ” |
Unruh stated, "This literally is an ‘Anybody but Trump’ movement. Nobody has any idea who is going to step in and be the nominee, but we’re not worried about that. We’re just doing that job to make sure that he’s not the face of our party."[5]
Work
In the weeks leading up to the 2016 Republican convention, Free the Delegates began to work together with Courageous Conservatives PAC and Delegates Unbound. According to The Washington Post, the three organizations joined together on a national outreach program that utilized an ad campaign as well as grassroots organizing to educate delegates about the convention rules and the proposed conscience clause.[6]
Correll v. Herring
- See also: Correll v. Herring
In late June 2016, Free the Delegates and its top official Beau Correll filed a lawsuit that aimed to allow delegates to vote their conscience at the convention. Correll's lawyers said he was "concerned Trump may sue him when he votes against him at the convention this summer, based on Trump's reputation of being litigious."[7] The case―Correll v. Herring―concerned the constitutionality of Virginia's election laws binding delegates. Judge Robert Payne issued a memorandum opinion permanently enjoining the Commonwealth of Virginia from enforcing the section of Virginia election law under challenge.[8]
Finances
According to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, Free the Delegates raised $39,367 in contributions and spent $39,367 in 2016. The organization filed for termination on January 26, 2017.[2]
Legal status
Free the Delegates was 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.[9][10]
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 Free the Delegates 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 'Free the Delegates'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Free the Delegates, "Free the Delegates," archived June 30, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Federal Election Commission, "Free the Delegates Termination Report," January 26, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ NBC News, "Campaign to Dump Trump at Republican Convention Emerges," June 17, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Dozens of GOP delegates launch new push to halt Donald Trump," June 17, 2016
- ↑ The Washington Post, "New anti-Trump TV ad campaign designed to pressure GOP delegates," June 24, 2016
- ↑ The Hill, "Va. GOP delegate files lawsuit over bound convention votes," June 24, 2016
- ↑ U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Correll v. Herring: Complaint, filed June 24, 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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