February 7, 2012

The “People” Behind the Super-PAC Explosion

No, not that kind of people. The Citizens United-approved corporate kind.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/61456874@N00/133968405/">zoomar</a>/Flickr

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Since last January, super-PACs have raised nearly $93 million in preparation for the 2012 election. Of that, more than 35 percent was donated by corporations, unions, and nonprofits—or, as we’ve come to know them in the post–Citizens United era, people. Though non-people people have not dominated super-PAC giving (for now), their strong showing in the recent round of financial disclosures lends credence to campaign finance reformers’ concerns that super-PACs enable cash-flush organizations to buy outsized influence over elections and candidates. The average corporate or union super-PAC donation was more than $62,000; in contrast, the average individual donation was around $23,500.

Of the $22.4 million collectively raised by the biggest 20 corporate and union super-PAC donors, 37 percent was from labor groups, which contributed to both liberal super-PACs and their own super-PACs. The rest was largely corporate donations to conservative super-PACs and groups supporting (but officially unconnected to) Republican presidential candidates. See the next page for a list of the biggest human donors to super-PACs—some of whose companies also appear on the list below. 

Top 20 “People”* Giving to PACs

*As defined by Citizens United

1. Contran Corporation: A Dallas-based holding company owned by Harold Simmons. Owns Waste Control Specialists, which operates radioactive and hazardous waste disposal sites.
Donations: $3,000,000
Recipients: American Crossroads (Karl Rove’s super-PAC), Make Us Great Again (pro-Perry super-PAC)

2. AFL-CIO: The nation’s largest federation of labor unions, representing more than 12 million members. Its affiliates include the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Federation of Teachers, and Communications Workers of America.
Donations: $2,306,372
Recipients: American Bridge 21st Century, AFL-CIO Workers’ Voices PAC

3. Service Employees International Union: Union representing more than 2 million healthcare and service workers.
Donations: $1,945,000
Recipients: Priorities USA Action, American Bridge 21st Century, Majority PAC, House Majority PAC, Rethink PAC

4. FreedomWorks: 501(c)4 arm of the tea party super-PAC chaired by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey. It does not have to disclose its donors.
Donations: $1,336,779
Recipient: FreedomWorks for America (own super-PAC)

5. Cooperative of American Physicians: Malpractice and medical liability insurer that gave to its eponymous super-PAC.
Donations: $1,300,149
Recipient: Cooperative of American Physicians

6. American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees: AFL-CIO afilliated public employees’ union with more than 1.6 million members.
Donations: $1,200,000
Recipients: American Bridge 21st Century, House Majority PAC, AFL-CIO Workers’ Voices PAC, Women Vote!

7. Communications Workers of America: AFL-CIO afilliated telecommunications union with more than 700,000 members.
Donations: $1,097,971
Recipients: Communications Workers of America (own super-PAC), House Majority PAC, Independent Source, The American Worker

8. (tie) Eli Publishing, Inc.: Mysterious company based in Provo, Utah. Shares an address with F8 LLC.
Donations: $1,000,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future (pro-Romney super-PAC)

8. (tie) F8 LLC: Mysterious company based in Provo, Utah. Shares an address with Eli Publishing.
Donations: $1,000,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future

8. (tie) Melaluca: Idaho-based company that sells dietary supplements and “green” cleaning products via “independent marketing executives.“
Donations: $1,000,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future

8. (tie) Rooney Holdings, Inc.: Oklahoma-based private investment firm. Its CEO, Francis Rooney, was the US Ambassador to the Vatican from 2005 to 2008.
Donations: $1,000,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future

8. (tie) W Spann LLC: Front company founded by Edward Conard, former managing director at Bain Capital.
Donations: $1,000,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future

8. (tie) Whiteco Industries: Privately owned Indiana company with subsidiaries in construction, hospitality, outdoor advertising, and real estate.
Donations: $1,000,000
Recipient: American Crossroads

9. Crow Holdings: Investment firm that manages the family fortune of the late real estate magnate Trammel Crow. Harlan Crow is his son.
Donations: $900,000
Recipients: American Crossroads, Restore Our Future, FreedomWorks for America

10: Oxbow Carbon: Coal and oil company founded by William Koch, the brother of Charles and David Koch. It mines more than 5 million tons of coal annually.
Donations: $750,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future

11. American Federation of Teachers: AFL-CIO afilliated union with more 1.5 million members in education, health care, and public service.
Donations: $700,000
Recipients: AFL-CIO Workers’ Voices PAC

12. (tie) MBF Family Investments: Private investment fund linked to Miguel Fernandez, the chairman of a Florida private-equity firm.
Donations: $500,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future

12. (tie) Unite Here Tip State & Local Fund: Outside spending group affiliated with Unite Here, an AFL-CIO afilliated labor union representing hotel, gaming, food service, and manufacturing workers.
Donations: $500,000
Recipients: AFL-CIO Workers’ Voices PAC

13. National Education Association: Union representing more than 3.2 million public school teachers
Donations: $484,151
Recipients: NEA Advocacy Fund (own super-PAC), The American Worker

14. Alliance Management Holdings: Partnership that owns Alliance Resource Management, a coal company.
Donations: $425,000
Recipients: American Crossroads

Top 20 People* Giving to Super-PACs

*The non-corporate kind

1. Sheldon and Miriam Adelson: The Las Vegas casino magnate is worth $21.5 million, making him America’s 8th-richest person. (The Adelsons’ donations were made after the disclosure deadline for 2011.)
Donations: $10,000,000
Recipient: Winning Our Future (pro-Gingrich)

2. Harold Simmons: Runs the metals, chemicals, and waste management corporation Contran. He’s worth $9.3 billion.
Donations: $5,600,000
Recipients: American Crossroads, Winning Our Future, Americans for Rick Perry (now called Restoring Prosperity Fund)

3. Bob Perry: Head of Houston-based homebuilding empire. His net worth: $650 million.
Donations: $3,600,000
Recipients: American Crossroads, Restore Our Future, Make Us Great Again (pro-Rick Perry).

4. (tied) Ed Conard: A former Bain Capital managing director, he’s given $2 million to a pro-Romney super-PAC—half through a shady front company (see previous list) and half in his own name.
Donations: $2,000,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future

4. (tied) Jeffrey Katzenberg: DreamWorks Animation CEO and major Obama fundraiser.
Donations: $2,000,000
Recipient: Priorities USA Action (pro-Obama)

4. (tied) Jerry Perenchio: The former CEO of Spanish-language network Univision. He’s worth $2.3 billion.
Donations: $2,000,000
Recipient: American Crossroads

5. Jon Huntsman Sr.: Salt Lake City businessman, philanthropist, and former Nixon administration official who boosted his son’s ill-fated presidential bid.
Donations: $1,887,040
Recipient: Our Destinty PAC (pro-Huntsman super-PAC)

6. Robert Mercer: Co-CEO of the $15 billion hedge fund Renaissance Technologies
Donations: $1,100,000
Recipients: Restore Our Future, Club for Growth

7. (tie) Paul and Sandra Edgerly: Paul serves as a managing director at Bain Capital.
Donations: $1,000,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future

7. (tie) Amy Goldman: New York author—no additional information known.
Donations: $1,000,000
Recipient: Planned Parenthood Votes

7. (tie) John Paulson: Hedge fund tycoon who’s America’s 17th-richest person with a net worth of $15.5 billion.
Donations: $1,000,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future

7. (tie) Julian Robertson: Former hedge fund manager worth $2.4 billion.
Donations: $1,000,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future

7. (tie) Robert Rowling: Worth $4.7 billion, Rowling owns TRT Holdings, whose assets include the Tana Exploration oil company.
Donations: $1,000,000
Recipient: American Crossroads

7. (tie) Paul Singer: Hedge fund founder
Donations: $1,000,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future

8. Fred Eychaner: Reclusive Chicago media mogul and major backer of liberal causes.
Donations: $950,000
Recipients: Priorities USA Action, House Majority PAC, America Votes Action Fund

9. Peter Thiel: Venture capitalist (and Bilderberg Group member) who made $1.5 billion co-founding PayPal and investing in Facebook.
Donations: $900,000
Recipient: Endorse Liberty (pro-Paul)

10. (tie) Philip Geier: Venture capitalist and former CEO of one of the world’s largest advertising holding companies.
Donations: $750,000
Recipients: American Crossroads, Restore Our Future

10. (tie) Chris Shumway: Hedge fund manager who retired last year at age 45.
Donations: $750,000
Recipient: Restore Our Future

11. Kenny Troutt: Billionaire founder of Excel Communications.
Donations: $700,000
Recipients: American Crossroads, Make Us Great Again (pro-Perry)

12. John Templeton: Runs the John Templeton Foundation, a nonprofit started by his late father, a wildly successful investor.
Donations: $550,000
Recipients: Red White and Blue Fund (pro-Santorum), Raising Red, and American Crossroads

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Because the in-depth journalism on underreported beats and unique perspectives on the daily news you turn to Mother Jones for is only possible because readers fund us. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism we exist to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

The short of it: Last year, we had to cut $1 million from our budget so we could have any chance of breaking even by the time our fiscal year ended in June. And despite a huge rally from so many of you leading up to the deadline, we still came up a bit short on the whole. We can’t let that happen again. We have no wiggle room to begin with, and now we have a hole to dig out of.

Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

The upshot: Being able to rally $253,000 in donations over these next few weeks is vitally important simply because it is the number that keeps us right on track, helping make sure we don't end up with a bigger gap than can be filled again, helping us avoid any significant (and knowable) cash-flow crunches for now. We used to be more nonchalant about coming up short this time of year, thinking we can make it by the time June rolls around. Not anymore.

Because the in-depth journalism on underreported beats and unique perspectives on the daily news you turn to Mother Jones for is only possible because readers fund us. Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism we exist to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we need readers to show up for us big time—again.

Getting just 10 percent of the people who care enough about our work to be reading this blurb to part with a few bucks would be utterly transformative for us, and that's very much what we need to keep charging hard in this financially uncertain, high-stakes year.

If you can right now, please support the journalism you get from Mother Jones with a donation at whatever amount works for you. And please do it now, before you move on to whatever you're about to do next and think maybe you'll get to it later, because every gift matters and we really need to see a strong response if we're going to raise the $253,000 we need in less than three weeks.

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