FEC Releases Information on PAC Activity for 1997-98
For Immediate Release: Contact: Ian Stirton
June 8, 1999 Ron Harris
Sharon Snyder
Kelly Huff
FEC RELEASES INFORMATION ON PAC ACTIVITY FOR 1997-98
WASHINGTON - Money raised and spent by political action committees (PACs) increased
during the 1997-98 election cycle when compared to the previous two-year cycle, according
to figures released today by the Federal Election Commission. From January 1, 1997,
through December 31, 1998, 4,599 PACs raised $502.6 million, an increase of 15% over
1995-96 and spent 10% more, $470.8 million. Cash on hand as of December 31, 1998, totalled
$138 million.
PACs contributed $219.9 million to federal candidates for the 1997-98 cycle, only
slightly more than the previous election cycle. Of this amount, $206.8 million went to
candidates seeking election in 1997-98 while the remaining $13.1 million was given to
candidates running for office in future years, or for debt retirement. The following table
shows the total amount contributed as well as the distribution of PAC contributions
between Senate and House candidates over several election cycles.
PAC CONTRIBUTIONS
97-98
95-96
93-94
91-92
89-90
87-88
85-86
83-84
81-82
79-80
77-78
All Federal
Candidates
$219.9
$217.8
$189.6
$188.9
$159.1
$159.2
$139.8
$113.0
$87.6
$60.2
$35.2
Current Candidates
$206.8
$203.9
$179.6
$179.4
$149.7
$151.1
$132.7
$105.3
$83.6
$55.2
$34.1
Senate
$48.1
$45.6
$47.2
$51.2
$41.2
$45.7
$45.3
$29.7
$22.5
$17.3
$9.7
House
$158.7
$155.8
$132.4
$127.4
$108.5
$102.2
$87.4
$75.7
$61.1
$37.9
$24.4
As in previous elections, incumbents continued to receive the bulk of PAC
contributions. The following table shows the distribution of contributions to incumbents,
challengers, and open seat races over seven election cycles (in millions of dollars).
AMOUNT AND PERCENTAGE OF PAC CONTRIBUTIONS
ACCORDING TO CANDIDATE STATUS
1997-98
1995-96
1993-94
1991-92
1989-90
1987-88
1985-86
Incumbents
$170.9
78%
$146.4
67%
$137.2
72%
$135.3
72%
$125.8
79%
$118.2
74%
$96.2
69%
Challengers
$22.1
10%
$31.6
15%
$19.0
10%
$22.9
12%
$16.2
10%
$18.9
12%
$19.9
14%
Open
Seats
$27.0
12%
$39.8
18%
$33.4
18%
$30.7
16%
$17.1
11%
$22.2
14%
$23.8
17%
Republican congressional candidates received slightly more PAC contributions than their
Democratic counterparts. Republicans received $108 million from PACs, up $1.3 million from
the previous cycle, while Democrats received $98.3 million, up $4.4 million from the
1995-96 cycle. The following chart provides PAC contributions and percentages by political
party over several election cycles (in millions of dollars).
AMOUNT AND PERCENTAGE OF PAC CONTRIBUTIONS GIVEN BY PARTY
1997-98
1995-96
1993-94
1991-92
1989-90
1987-88
SENATE
DEMOCRAT
$20.7
43%
$16.6
36%
$23.9
51%
$29.0
57%
$20.2
49%
$24.2
53%
REPUBLICAN
$27.3
57%
$29.0
64%
$23.2
49%
$22.2
43%
$21.0
51%
$21.5
47%
HOUSE
DEMOCRAT
$77.6
49%
$77.3
50%
$88.2
67%
$85.4
67%
$72.2
67%
$67.4
66%
REPUBLICAN
$80.7
51%
$77.7
50%
$43.9
33%
$41.7
33%
$36.2
33%
$34.7
34%
In addition to contributions, PACs made $9.3 million in independent expenditures for
and against candidates. Of this amount, $7.9 million was spent on behalf of various
candidates and $1.5 million was spent against them.
The following pages provide data on PAC financial activity for the 1997-98 election
cycle and comparable summary statistics for several previous election cycles. Other tables
show the distribution of PACs by total amount spent and total contributed to candidates.
Also included are the rankings of the "Top 50" PACs in various categories, such
as money raised and spent.
This news release and accompanying statistics can be found on FEC’s Web site, http://www.fec.gov.
Summary
of PAC Financial Activity for 1997-98
PAC Contributions to Congressional
Campaigns by Office, Party, and Candidate Status 1997-98
Historical Overview of PAC Financial
Activity
Independent Expenditures by PACs during
1997-98
Historical Overview of PAC
Contributions to Congressional Candidates 1994,1996, and 1998
PAC Contributions to House Campaigns by
Candidate Status 1982-1998
PACs Grouped by Total Spending
PACs Grouped by Total Contributed to
Candidates
Top 50 PACs by Contributions to
Candidates
Top 50 PACs by Ending Cash on Hand
50 PACs with the Largest Dollar Growth
in Contributions 1996-1998
50 PACs with the Largest Dollar Decline
in Contributions 1996-1998
50 PACs with the Largest Dollar Growth
in Receipts 1996-1998
50 PACs with the Largest Dollar Decline
in Receipts 1996-1998