Independent Expenditure-Only Committees — commonly known as Super PACs — are a type of political action committee that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to advocate for or against political candidates. However, they cannot coordinate directly with candidates or political parties.
Here’s a breakdown:
🔹 Key Features
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Unlimited fundraising: They can accept unlimited contributions from individuals, corporations, labor unions, and other groups.
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Independent spending: They spend money on things like ads, mailers, and social media campaigns that support or oppose candidates, but they must do so independently — no coordination with a campaign’s strategy or messaging.
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Disclosure: They must report their donors and expenditures regularly to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
🔹 Legal Background
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Created after two major court decisions:
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Citizens United v. FEC (2010): Allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited money on independent political advocacy.
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SpeechNow.org v. FEC (2010): Ruled that groups making only independent expenditures could raise unlimited funds.
Together, these rulings gave rise to Super PACs.
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🔹 Example Activities
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Running TV, radio, and online ads attacking or promoting candidates.
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Producing issue-based messaging close to elections.
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Engaging in voter outreach independent of official campaigns.
🔹 Examples of Major Super PACs
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Priorities USA Action – supports Democratic candidates.
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Senate Leadership Fund – supports Republican Senate candidates.
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Club for Growth Action – supports conservative, anti-tax candidates.
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EMILY’s List Women Vote! – supports pro-choice Democratic women.
