This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 15, 2012 - The Now or Never PAC was a running subplot in the race for the Republican nomination for Missouri's U.S. Senate contest. Able to accept donations of unlimited size for television ads, the so-called “Super PAC” leveraged big money from a small circle of donors to support former state Treasurer Sarah Steelman.
The PAC's primary backers were retired financer Rex Sinquefield and St. Joseph businessman Stanley Herzog, two frequent and generous Missouri contributors who chipped in at least $350,000. And the PAC, which ran TV ads criticizing Frontenac businessman John Brunner and U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, R-Wildwood, helped Steelman, a Rolla native who at times struggled with fundraising.
Obviously, Now or Never PAC’s help wasn’t enough, as Steelman came in third behind Akin and Brunner. But rather than becoming relegated to a footnote, the Now or Never PAC may be part of a small revolution in congressional campaigning.
The PAC reemerged recently, pouring big money into TV ads in the nationally watched contest in Illinois’ 8th congressional district between U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh, R-Ill., and Democratic nominee Tammy Duckworth. The cash infusion may have altered the dynamics of a race that once seemed like a sure win for Democrats.
Now or Never's involvement allows more traditional outside groups like the National Republican Congressional Committee to shift money elsewhere. It may also prompt Democratic groups to spend money that could have been used on other competitive contests in the Land of Lincoln and elsewhere.
Super PACs proved to be a significant force during this election cycle especially because federal campaigns face strict limits on individual donations. While most attention has been focused on PACs involved in the presidential race or U.S. Senate contests, some that are primarily involved in U.S. House contests are gaining notice.
The New York Times recently wrote that Democratic and Republican-aligned groups “are picking a few congressional races in which advertising is cheaper or the airwaves less cluttered and transforming them with a barrage of outside money, swamping incumbents and challengers alike.” Now or Never PAC was used as an example in the article.
In an interview with the Beacon, Now or Never PAC advisor Tyler Harber said his group was originally put together by political operatives and businesspeople “who are interested in using a Super PAC and entering a race where they can make a positive impact.”
Harber said he can't reveal who started the PAC or the political operatives working for it. But unlike some Super PACs and outside groups, Now or Never PAC does disclose its donors and is fairly open about its strategy.
For instance, Harber said the Now or Never PAC probably would steer clear of spending money in, say, the U.S. Senate race in Connecticut. The battle there between Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy and Republican professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon would require literally millions of dollars to make a difference. That's opposed, he said, to hundreds of thousands needed in a U.S. House contest.
“Getting in a race like Illinois’ 8th – which is right outside the target line for a lot of these committees and other outside groups – we can spend the money that we spend in Illinois’ 8th and make a difference,” said Harber, adding that their entry could prompt other outside groups to jump into the fray. “But the idea is that Now or Never PAC – even though it has roots in Missouri – becomes an organization that can target races that may be right outside of the focus of the larger outside groups.”
A similar situation is unfolding in Illinois’ 12th congressional district contest, where a Super PAC called the YG Action Fund is spending significant amounts of money on TV ads. The group – funded almost exclusively by casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his wife Mariam Adelson – funded a string of commercials praising Republican nominee Jason Plummer and bashing Democratic hopeful Bill Enyart.
The PAC’s presence wasn’t lost on Enyart during last week’s debate in Belleville. He repeatedly criticized both Adelson and said the ads contributed to the coarsening discourse of an already contentious race.
“If I had known that Sheldon Adelson – the Chinese gambling tycoon – was going to spend $1.2 million against me along with the other Republican attack ads, you know they could have offered me the money and maybe I’d sat at home,” Enyart quipped. “But they didn’t do that.”
The Times article pointed out that some Democratically aligned PACs aimed at congressional races emerged, too, including one targeting U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Fla. Another Democratic-leaning Super PAC went after Utah Republican Mia Love, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.
In the case of Now or Never PAC, there’s no guarantee that the result in Illinois’ 8th District will be different from Steelman's outcome. Most political prognostication services -- like the Rothenberg Political Report or the Cook Political Report -- still favor Duckworth over Walsh.
But, Harber said, PACs like Now or Never are still trying figure out "what formula works" in the brave new world of federal campaign finance.
"Unless you're [a Super PAC] that's sitting on a couple hundred million dollars, you're trying to figure out how to cut out the niche so you can serve ... in a way that continues to attract donors and be effective on the campaign battlefield," he said.
Missourians take supporting role – so far
The Beacon’s Power Players series tracked Missouri's biggest individual donors. And the tally included donations to Super PACs that disclose their donors, which are tracked on OpenSecrets.org.
The available data showed Missouri donors play a supporting, but not insignificant, role thus far in Super PAC donations. The “so far” caveat is important, since available data aren't complete. Monday’s disclosure deadline will assuredly provide more insight into the depth and breadth of Missouri contributions.
With that qualification in mind, an analysis of the available data showed that Restore Our Future – a Super PAC aimed at helping GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney – was by far the biggest beneficiary from the state’s biggest donors. The PAC received $500,000 from TAMKO CEO David Humphreys and another $500,000 from his sister, Virginia native Sarah Atkins. It also nabbed $290,000 from Clayton residents Sam and Marilyn Fox; $100,000 from Harbour Group CEO Jeff Fox; $25,000 from World Wide Technology founder David Steward and $45,000 from GOP gubernatorial candidate Dave Spence.
Winning our Future, a Super PAC created to help former House Speaker Newt Gingrich during the primary season, received a $1,000 contribution from Jack Henry and Associates CEO Jerry Hall.
By contrast, the biggest individual donation from Missouri to Priorities USA – a Super PAC aimed at helping President Barack Obama’s campaign – appeared to be a $5,000 contribution from Ballwin resident Francine Cohn.
While Super PACs involved in the presidential contest drew the most interest from Missouri contributors, some U.S. Senate-focused entities received a look too. Prominent Democratic donors contributed to Heart of America PAC, formed to help U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill. The PAC took $50,000 from James Nutter Sr., $25,000 from St. Louis-based Clayco and $10,000 from Kansas City-based Dollar Burns & Becker.
Richard Martin, a Democratic consultant who was involved in McCaskill's 2006 campaign, said the Heart of America PAC provided some assistance thus far to Majority PAC, a Super PAC aimed at helping Democratic U.S. Senate candidates.
He said the Heart of America PAC may have raised even more money if GOP-leaning Super PACs - such as Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS - had decided not to abandon U.S. Rep. Todd Akin's U.S. Senate bid.
“We’re not raising millions of dollars - we’ve raised, like I said, around $500,000," Martin said. "I think we probably would have raised more if the Karl Roves and the Americans for Prosperity and some of those PACs ... if they had stayed in, we'd be pounding the phones a little harder."
Elsewhere, a group of Missouri donors anted up thousands to two Super PACs to help U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar, an Indiana Republican who lost a primary earlier this year to state Treasurer Richard Mourdock.
Hoosiers for Jobs received $25,000 from Sam Fox and $50,000 from international affairs relationships consultant Roy Pfautch. Indiana Values Super PAC received a combined $100,000 from Sam and Marilyn Fox.
In a telephone interview while he was in Japan, Pfautch said his long-time admiration for Lugar prompted him to help him out during what turned out to be his last political campaign.
"I think he was one of the finest men I ever met in public service," Pfautch said. "And that's no criticism of anybody who ran against him. I'm just personally very admiring of what he did for the international concourse of America. ... I think he's an incredible internationalist."
That "probably hurt him back home a bit, particularly in a time of stress,” he added. “And it is a time of stress of America."
Rex Sinquefield, Sam and Marilyn Fox, and Roy Pfautch are donors to the St. Louis Beacon.
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