Defending a 'Wide Stance' Requires a Thick Wallet

24 Apr 2008 // PAC Men and Women

Leadership PACs aren't just for leaders anymore.

In a first-of-its-kind study, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington has compiled a nearly comprehensive list of political action committees associated with lawmakers.

More than half the House now boasts of having a PAC, in addition to the campaign committees that members use to actually run for office.

They were once known as leadership PACs because only party leaders -- or those aspiring to be leaders -- had PACs. While the election accounts are limited to $4,600 per donor for each two-year election cycle, PACs can take in $10,000 from each contributor over that same time. The money is doled out to other candidates to build goodwill for a candidate's personal ambitions.

At least 231 members of the House have PACs, according to the CREW study. Another 68 lawmakers refused to divulge to the liberal-leaning watchdog whether they had one. There's no official requirement that members disclose their affiliations with the committees.

Many have names that can be turned into easily identifiable acronyms -- think Rely On Your Beliefs Fund, or RoyB Fund, for Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) -- but some PACs are just oddly named, and CREW couldn't be sure they were associated with a lawmaker.

And there's no partisan divide on PACs. At least 112 Democrats and 119 Republicans have them.