Pride PAC

Last updated

Pride PAC is the first LGBT political action committee. [1] Founded in February 2012, it supported Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. [2] It focused mainly on small donations raised online through its website [3] and is dedicated to using the powers of social media to encourage voter registration and candidate advocacy in the fight for full equality.

History

The Super PAC was founded in 2012 by internet entrepreneur and politico Marcus Lovingood and social media expert Rose Dawydiak-Rapagnani. [4] As per Federal Election Commission rules established in the wake of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, the group is legally prohibited from coordinating with the candidate or the candidate's campaign. [5] The group was led by Lovingood, who succeeded in raising thousands of dollars in small contributions and amassing an online presence of 24,000 Facebook fans. Lovingood won an Instinct 'Leading Man' award for his work as the founder of the Pride PAC. [6]

In 2014, the organization began to focus efforts on raising funds to help Bernie Sanders in his 2016 presidential campaign. After pressure to endorse Hillary Clinton in the primary from PAC members, the PAC launched an eight-city Pride tour after endorsing Hillary Clinton for President of the United States. [7]

Michael Bracco, a past Walt Disney Parks and Resort executive, took control as president in January 2017 after the inauguration of Donald J. Trump to the presidency. The mission of the club was updated to dedicate funds and resources toward the defeat of Trump in the 2020 Presidential Election.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human Rights Campaign</span> LGBTQ civil rights advocacy group

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGBTQ individuals, including advocating for same-sex marriage, anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation, and HIV/AIDS advocacy. The organization has a number of legislative initiatives as well as supporting resources for LGBTQ individuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EMILY's List</span> American political organization

EMILYs List is an American political action committee (PAC) that aims to help elect Democratic female candidates in favor of abortion rights to office. It was founded by Ellen Malcolm in 1985. The group's name is an acronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast". Malcolm commented that "it makes the dough rise". The saying refers to a convention of political fundraising: receiving many donations early in a race helps attract subsequent donors. EMILYs List bundles contributions to the campaigns of Democratic women in favor of abortion rights running in targeted races.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Morris</span> American political commentator and consultant (born 1948)

Richard Samuel Morris is an American political author and commentator who previously worked as a pollster, political campaign consultant, and general political consultant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barack Obama 2008 presidential primary campaign</span> Campaign for nomination of the Democratic Party presidential candidate

On February 10, 2007, Barack Obama, the junior United States senator from Illinois, announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States in Springfield, Illinois. Obama announced his candidacy at the Old State Capitol building, where Abraham Lincoln had delivered his "House Divided" speech. Obama was the main challenger, along with John Edwards, to front-runner Hillary Clinton for much of 2007. He had only recently emerged as a national figure in Democratic politics, having delivered the DNC keynote address just three years prior and won his Senate election shortly thereafter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People United Means Action</span>

"People United Means Action" was a political action committee in the United States that opposed the Democratic Party leadership and the nomination of Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate for President in the 2008 presidential election. PUMA began as an effort by supporters of Obama's primary rival, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who believed that Clinton should have been the Democratic nominee. According to PUMA, "We [were] protesting the 2008 Presidential election because we refuse to support a nominee who was selected by the leadership rather than elected by the voters."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States presidential election</span> 58th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket, businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence, defeated the Democratic ticket of former secretary of state and First Lady of the United States Hillary Clinton and the junior senator from Virginia, Tim Kaine, in what was considered one of the biggest political upsets in American history. It was the fifth and most recent presidential election in which the winning candidate lost the popular vote. It was also the sixth and most recent presidential election in U.S. history in which both major party candidates were registered in the same home state; the others have been in 1860, 1904, 1920, 1940, and 1944.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Kremer</span> American political activist

Amy Kremer is an American political activist known for her roles in the Tea Party movement and as a supporter of Donald Trump. She became involved in the Tea Party movement in 2009 and campaigned as part of the Tea Party Express until 2014. During the 2016 presidential election she was a co-founder of two political action committees supporting Trump's campaign, and following Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election she supported attempts to overturn the election result. In 2017 she unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election in Georgia's 6th congressional district as a Republican.

Priorities USA Action is the largest Democratic Party super PAC. Founded in 2011, it supported Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign. It was the primary super PAC supporting Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign and Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign. In the 2020 presidential election, Priorities USA Action spent the third highest amount of all outside spending groups. It focuses mainly on high-dollar donors; former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is a major donor to the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries</span> Selection of the Democratic Party nominee

Presidential primaries and caucuses were organized by the Democratic Party to select the 4,051 delegates to the 2016 Democratic National Convention held July 25–28 and determine the nominee for President in the 2016 United States presidential election. The elections took place within all fifty U.S. states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and Democrats Abroad and occurred between February 1 and June 14, 2016. Between 2008 and 2020, this was the only Democratic Party primary in which the nominee had never been nor had ever become President of the United States. This was the first Democratic primary to nominate a woman for President.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Parkhomenko</span> American political operative

Adam Julian Parkhomenko is an American political strategist and organizer who served in 2016 as the national field director for the Democratic National Committee. He was the co-founder and executive director of Ready for Hillary, a super PAC established to persuade Hillary Clinton to run for the presidency of the United States in 2016. In the 2017 party election, Parkhomenko was a candidate for vice chair of the Democratic National Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign</span> American political campaign

The 2016 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton was announced in a YouTube video on April 12, 2015. Clinton was the 67th United States Secretary of State and served during the first term of the Obama administration, from 2009 to 2013. She was previously a United States Senator from New York from 2001 to 2009, and is the wife of former President Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton served as First Lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rand Paul 2016 presidential campaign</span> American political campaign

The 2016 presidential campaign of Rand Paul, the junior United States senator from Kentucky, was announced on April 7, 2015, at an event at the Galt House in Louisville, Kentucky. First elected to the U.S. Senate in the 2010 election, Paul's candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2016 had been widely speculated since early 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Lovingood</span> American businessman

Marcus Anthony Lovingood is an American new media producer, political activist, internet entrepreneur, and former candidate for the Los Angeles City Council in the 14th District. In 2012, Lovingood appeared on Bravo's 'Start-Ups: Silicon Valley and is also known for his work on the 2012 United States presidential election of President Barack Obama by founding the Pride PAC, the first LGBT-based Super Political Action Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Johnson 2016 presidential campaign</span> Political campaign

The 2016 presidential campaign of Gary Johnson, the 29th Governor of New Mexico, was announced on January 6, 2016, for the nomination of the Libertarian Party for President of the United States. He officially won the nomination on May 29, 2016, at the Libertarian National Convention in Orlando, Florida, receiving 56% of the vote on the second ballot. Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld was endorsed by Johnson for the Libertarian vice-presidential nomination, which he also received on May 29, 2016.

Fundraising plays a central role in many presidential campaigns, and is a key factor in determining the viability of candidates. Money raised is applied for the salaries of non-volunteers in the campaign, transportation, campaign materials, media advertisements and other contingencies. Under United States law, officially declared candidates are required to file campaign finance details with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) at the end of every calendar month or quarter. Summaries of these reports are made available to the public shortly thereafter, revealing the relative financial situations of all the campaigns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Correct the Record</span> Hybrid PAC/super PAC founded by David Brock

Correct the Record was a hybrid PAC/super PAC founded by David Brock. It supported Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. The PAC aimed to "find and confront social media users" who posted "unflattering messages about the Democratic front-runner".

Social media played an important role in shaping the course of events surrounding the 2016 United States presidential election. It facilitated greater voter interaction with the political climate; unlike traditional media, social media gave people the ability to create, comment on, and share content related to the election.

Various newspapers endorsed candidates in the 2016 United States presidential election, as follows. Tables below also show which candidate each publication endorsed in the 2012 United States presidential election and include only endorsements for the general election. Primary endorsements are separately listed - see Newspaper endorsements in the United States presidential primaries, 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Committee to Defeat the President</span>

The Committee to Defeat the President was first established as the hybrid Stop Hillary PAC in 2013. The PAC changed its name to the Committee to Defend the President in 2017. Ted Harvey, a former Colorado state senator, chairs the committee.

Various notable daily newspapers made endorsements of candidates in the 2016 United States presidential election, as follows. The table below indicates which candidate each publication endorsed in the 2012 United States presidential election and includes only endorsements for the general election.

References

  1. "The First-Ever LGBT Political Action Committee Looks to Leverage Facebook Into Votes for Obama". 7x7 Bay Area. 2012-06-20. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  2. "The Bay Area Reporter Online | SF residents launch Obama LGBT super PAC". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  3. "Pride PAC - The Online Voice of the LGBT Community". Pride PAC - The Online Voice of the LGBT Community. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  4. "Pride PAC, A New Super PAC in San Francisco, Aims To Use Facebook To Rock The LGBT Vote For Obama". TechPresident. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  5. "Working Together for an Independent Expenditure: Candidate Assistance with Super PAC Fundraising". Harvard Law Review . Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  6. "Instinct's Leading Men of 2012 | Instinct". instinctmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2017-08-31. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  7. "Pride PAC - The Online Voice of the LGBT Community". Pride PAC - The Online Voice of the LGBT Community. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 2017-08-31.