Hitting Home PAC explained
Hitting Home PAC was a 527 organization founded by Pete Buttigieg in 2017.[1] Buttigieg launched the PAC in June 2017, several months after his failed bid for the Democratic National Committee chairmanship in its 2017 election.[2]
Hitting Home PAC was a Carey committee, also known as a "Hybrid PAC", a type of 527 organization which is a hybrid of a super PAC and traditional PAC.[1] The organization aimed to support the Democratic Party in the 2018 election cycle.[3] It aimed to refocus the party to place an emphasis on the message that it would "protect and support people going about their lives."[4] Buttigieg stated a desire for the PAC to focus on supporting heartland Democrats.[5]
It was shut down in May 2019, amid Buttigieg's presidential campaign.[2]
Expenditures
The PAC raised $403,503, and spent nearly all of it by the end of the 2018 election cycle. A total of $399,267 was spent by the PAC during the 2018 cycle.[6] [7] Before being shut down in 2019, the PAC raised an additional $5,970 and spent an additional $10,206 in the 2020 cycle.[8]
Only 10% of the PAC's spending directly supported candidates, with a mere $37,000 given to candidates.[9] This has led to an accusation by HuffPost that the PAC did little but spend money to boost Buttigieg's image.[10] Of the $37,000 given directly to candidates, $36,000 was distributed among 22 different Democratic candidates for the United States House of Representatives.[11] The sole United States Senate candidate to receive a contribution from the PAC was fellow Indiana politician, Joe Donnelly, who received $1,000.
The PAC paid $70,000 to Lis Smith, who served as Buttigieg's spokesperson and subsequently became the communications director for his presidential bid. The PAC paid $27,500 to Michael Schmuhl, who was the PAC's treasurer and subsequently became Buttigieg's presidential campaign manager. The PAC's finance director was paid $34,500. A major Democratic media consulting firm was paid $28,500.
| + style="background-color:#f2f2f2;margin-bottom:-1px;border:1px solid #aaa;padding:0.2em 0.4em" | 2018 candidate recipients of Hitting Home PAC Funds |
| Candidate | House or Senate | State | District | Amount given | Won or lost |
|---|
| Clarke Tucker | House | Arkansas | AR-2 | $1,500 | Lost |
| Jason Crow | House | Colorado | CO-6 | $1,500 | Won |
| Lauren Underwood | House | Illinois | IL-14 | $2,000 | Won |
| Abby Finkenauer | House | Iowa | IA-1 | $2,000 | Won |
| Dave Loebsack | House | Iowa | IA-2 | $500 | Won |
| Sharice Davids | House | Kansas | KS-3 | $2,000 | Won |
| Amy McGrath | House | Kentucky | KY-6 | $2,000 | Lost |
| Elissa Slotkin | House | Michigan | MI-8 | $1,500 | Won |
| Haley Stevens | House | Michigan | MI-11 | $1,500 | Won |
| Daniel Feehan | House | Minnesota | MN-1 | $1,500 | Lost |
| Steven Horsford | House | Nevada | NV-4 | $1,500 | Won |
| Chris Pappas | House | New Hampshire | NH-1 | $2,000 | Won |
| Andy Kim | House | New Jersey | NJ-3 | $1,500 | Won |
| Max Rose | House | New York | NY-11 | $1,500 | Won |
| Dan McCready | House | North Carolina | NC-9 | $2,000 | Lost |
| Aftab Pureval | House | Ohio | OH-1 | $1,500 | Lost |
| Ken Harbaugh | House | Ohio | OH-7 | $2,000 | Won |
| Chrissy Houlahan | House | Pennsylvania | PA-6 | $2,000 | Won |
| Joseph Kopser | House | Texas | TX-21 | $1,000 | Lost |
| Gina Ortiz Jones | House | Texas | TX-23 | $2,000 | Lost |
| Colin Allred | House | Texas | TX-32 | $1,500 | Won |
| Abigail Spanberger | House | Virginia | VA-7 | $1,500 | Won |
| Joe Donnelly | Senate | Indiana | - | $1,000 | Lost | |
Notes and References
- Web site: Arke . Raymond . Buttigieg debuted Washington ambitions through 2018 PAC donations . . January 23, 2019 . September 9, 2019.
- Web site: Breuninger . Kevin . Schwartz . Brian . Pete Buttigieg shuts down PAC as rival 2020 Democrats reject PAC money . . September 9, 2019 . May 14, 2019.
- Web site: Buttigieg . Pete . Hitting Home: a new politics of the everyday . June 22, 2017 . Medium . September 9, 2019.
- Web site: Cramer . Ruby . Democratic Mayor Launches PAC Aimed At "Politics Of The Everyday" . Buzzfeed News . September 9, 2019 . June 22, 2017.
- Web site: Parrott . Jeff . Pete Buttigieg backers donate thousands to help him but aren't banking on a presidential run . South Bend Tribune . October 26, 2019 . August 12, 2018.
- Web site: FEC Itemizer. August 12, 2015 . ProPublica. en. November 27, 2019.
- Web site: Hitting Home PAC Summary OpenSecrets. www.opensecrets.org. November 27, 2019.
- Web site: Hitting Home PAC Summary OpenSecrets . www.opensecrets.org . November 27, 2019.
- Web site: Buttigieg debuted Washington ambitions through 2018 PAC donations . January 23, 2019. OpenSecrets.
- Web site: Pete Buttigieg's PAC Was Supposed To Help Elect Democrats. It Mostly Touted Him.. Robillard. Kevin. November 26, 2019. HuffPost. en. November 27, 2019.
- Web site: Hitting Home PAC Contributions to Federal Candidates, 2018 cycle OpenSecrets . www.opensecrets.org . November 27, 2019.
