In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group organized to elect or defeat government officials in order to promote legislation, often supporting the group's special interests. A special interest is a person or political organisation established to influence governmental policy or legislators in a specific area of policy. ...

• See also List of political action committees.

PACs are limited in the amount of money that they can spend to the following per year: This list of political action committees is organized by the nature of each particular PACs work. ...

• at most $5,000 per candidate per election. Elections such as primaries, general elections and special elections are counted separately.
• at most $15,000 per political party.
• at most $5,000 per PAC. PACs are allowed to give to other PACs.

Corporations are no longer allowed to give money for federal elections, and are very limited in giving money in state and local elections. Most sources such as opensecrets.org which show corporate donors actually refer to a corporate PAC, which is a voluntary fund that empolyees of the coporation can choose to pay money into.

However, PACs are not limited to advertising spent on the support of their own issues.

In the 2002 elections, the top 10 PACs by money spent by themselves, their affiliates and subsidaries were: 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1. EMILY's List $22,767,521
2. Service Employees International Union $12,899,352
3. American Federation of Teachers $12,789,296
4. American Medical Association $11,901,542
5. National Rifle Association $11,173,358
6. Teamsters Union $11,128,729
7. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $10,819,724
8. National Education Association $10,521,538
9. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees $9,882,022
10. Laborers' International Union of North America $9,523,837

Not all PACS are large. OpenSecrets, a website run by the Center for Responsive Politics, categorizes PACs, large and small, as follows: EMILYs List is a political action committee (PAC) existing in the United States and in Australia for female candidates. ... Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is the largest labor union in the United States and the fastest growing, representing 1. ... The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the smaller of the two education United States, representing 1. ... The American Medical Association (AMA) is the largest association of medical doctors in the United States. ... The National Rifle Association, or NRA, is a highly organized 501(c)(4) group for gun promotion in the United States. ... The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America, commonly known as the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) or simply the Teamsters, is one of the largest labor unions in the United States. ... The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is a labor union which represents workers in the electrical industry in the United States and Canada, particularly electricians in the construction industry and linemen and other employees of public utilities. ... The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States, representing most of the countrys teachers along with other school personnel. ... The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) is the second- or third-largest labor union in the United States and one of the fastest-growing, representing over 1. ... The Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA, often shortened to just the Laborers Union) is an American and Canadian trade union formed in 1903. ... The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and the effect of money on elections and public policy. ...

1. Republican/Conservative - ex.
2. Democratic/Liberal - ex.
3. Leadership - ex.
4. Foreign & Defense Policy
5. Pro-Israel - ex.
6. Women's Issues - ex.
7. Human Rights - ex.
8. Misc Issues - ex.
9. Environment - ex.
10. Gun Control - ex.
11. Gun Rights - ex.
12. Abortion Policy/Pro-Life - ex.
13. Abortion Policy/Pro-Choice - ex.

Related topics

• Politics of the United States
• Soft money
• GOPAC - a GOP PAC specializing in training political candidates
• GAMPAC - the Godless Americans PAC
• 527 group

The federal government of the United States was established by the United States Constitution. ... Soft money refers to money used to advance a particular political campaign in such a manner as to skirt the legal limits on how much money individuals or organizations are allowed to contribute to political campaigns (termed hard money). ... GOPAC is a Republican political action committee (PAC), calling itself the premier training organization for Republican candidates for elected office. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party) [1], is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... American Atheist logo. ... A 527 group, named after a section of the United States tax code, is a tax-exempt organization that is created primarily to influence the nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates for public office. ...

External links

• Campaign Guide for Corporations and Labor Organizations
• Campaign Guide for Nonconnected Committees
• Money in Politics Data