Who Gives to American Trade and Professional Association Political Action Committees and Why?

Abstract

This paper asks: Why do people contribute to American trade and professional association political action committees (PACs)? Our data, which come from an original survey of donors during the 2021–2022 federal election cycle, indicate that trade and professional association PAC donors are not like other campaign donors. Specifically, unlike donors to candidates, who appear to be motivated primarily by purposive benefits and ideology, these PAC donors are motivated largely by material benefits. Our data also showthat trade and professional association PACs are constraining forces in American politics. While donors tend to hue to a strict ideological lane, PACs do not. In short, PACs are balanced in their giving, while individual donors are not.

Keywords

campaign contributions political action committees interest groups

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