PAC profile: House Majority PAC

Introduction

Type of organization: Super PAC

Supports: Democratic House members and candidates

Founded: April 6, 2011

Website: thehousemajoritypac.com

Social media: YouTube channel, Facebook page, Twitter profile

Principals:

• Alixandria “Ali” Lapp (founder and executive director): A former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee deputy director and the wife of DCCC consultant John Lapp.
• Candace Bryan Abbey (treasurer): Previously served as chief of staff to Democratic Reps. Charlie Wilson, Jackie Speier and Tom Lantos, and worked on the House Foreign Affairs Committee from 2004 until 2008.

Profile:

House Majority PAC’s mission is to “help win back the House Majority for Democrats.” It is the successor to America’s Families First Action Fund.

Ali Lapp, who runs the super PAC, earned her spurs at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 2006 when the Democrats won back the majority. Lapp was campaign director of the DCCC in 2006, and as deputy director of the committee, she helped spearhead its independent expenditure effort. That same year, Lapp’s husband, John, was the DCCC’s executive director and then-Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who is now the mayor of Chicago, chaired the campaign committee.

House Majority PAC’s major contributors read like a who’s who of labor unions.

Of the nearly $36 million House Majority PAC raised ahead of the November elections, more than $10 million came from unions, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. And of the first $3 million it raised in 2011, labor unions contributed $1.9 million, with donors including the Laborers International Union of North America, the International Association of Fire Fighters, the Service Employees International Union, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the American Federation of Teachers, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

The super PAC’s largest donor was Chicago media mogul Fred Eychaner, who gave $4.25 million.

Another large donor was S. Donald Sussman, the founder and chairman of hedge fund Paloma Partners LLC. Sussman, who gave slightly more than $1 million, is also the husband of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine.

House Majority PAC worked closely with Majority PAC and American Bridge 21st Century, the other two major Democratic-aligned super PACs, as well as Priorities USA Action, the main super PAC working to re-elect President Barack Obama.

Notably, the super PAC placed several six-figure ad buys designed to aid Democratic state Assemblywoman Julia Brownley of California as she competed in a three-way primary against Republican state Sen. Tony Strickland and independent Linda Parks, a Ventura County supervisor. Parks was targeted by the group during the state’s “jungle primary” to help ensure Brownley would advance to the November election, where she prevailed against Strickland.

Over the entire 2012 election cycle, House Majority PAC saw its preferred candidates win in 40 of 71 races, the Center for Public Integrity calcuated.

Advertisements:

• “Independence” supported Christie Vilsack, the former first lady of Iowa and Democratic candidate for U.S. House. The ad was produced in conjunction with the SEIU and AFSCME.
• “Brew” opposed Colorado Republican House candidate Joe Coors for his anti-abortion position.
• “Neon” opposed Arizona state Sen. Jonathan Paton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. House, who was a registered lobbyist for the payday loan industry.
• For more ads, see House Majority PAC’s YouTube channel.

Last Updated: Jan. 17, 2013