527s
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These groups, formed under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, primarily were involved in issue advocacy and weren't permitted to tell the public explicitly to elect or defeat a particular candidate – until the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision in 2010. Now, they may engage in the full range of political activity, including asking the public to vote for or against a would-be officeholder. Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which ran "issue ads" critical of Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's Vietnam War record in 2004, was one of the more well-known 527 groups in the pre-Citizens United years. Some organizations, including labor unions, use 527 accounts to support or oppose state and local candidates and contribute to other committees.
In addition, some large, national party-connected groups are formed as 527s, such as the Republican State Leadership Committee and the Democratic Governors Association.
527 Party/Ideology Summary
* To avoid double-counting, these figures do NOT include fundraising by Joint Victory Campaign 2004, a joint fund-raising committee
527 Party/Ideology Split
Top Money
| Committee | 2018 Receipts |
|---|---|
| ActBlue | $92,101,947 |
| EMILY's List | $28,529,793 |
| Service Employees International Union | $27,465,223 |
| Citizens United | $18,526,147 |
| American Federation of Teachers | $17,927,893 |
| Organization | 2018 Contributions |
|---|---|
| Service Employees International Union | $18,992,658 |
| American Federation of Teachers | $18,728,746 |
| Laborers Union | $8,162,839 |
| Carpenters & Joiners Union | $6,394,443 |
| Karla Jurvetson MD | $5,037,465 |
| Contributor | 2018 Contributions |
|---|---|
| Lewis, Daniel R. & Jan (Coral Gables, FL) | $1,500,000 |
| Soros, George (New York, NY) | $1,350,000 |
| Henry P. van Ameringen (New York, NY) | $1,111,000 |
| Ackerman, Peter (Washington, DC) | $1,093,000 |
| Eychaner, Fred (Chicago, IL) | $1,000,000 |
This data is based on records released by the Internal Revenue Service on Wednesday, April 03, 2019.
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