Political leanings: Democratic/Liberal
Spending target: Not stated
The House Majority PAC was organized by Alixandria Lapp, a former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee official and wife of current DCCC consultant John Lapp). It is one of several spending groups formed by Democrats in reaction to the heavy spending by similar Republican organizations in the 2010 midterm elections. It first registered in April 2011, saying it would accept unlimited donations and would “hold Republican Representatives and candidates accountable.” Its name is meant to imply that it is focused on returning Democrats to the majority in that chamber.
As a so-called “super PAC,” it can take donations of any size from individuals, labor unions and corporations, but must disclose its donations and expenditures periodically in reports to the Federal Election Commission. As of mid-2011, it had reported total receipts of $985,000 — including $75,000 from liberal billionaire George Soros and $200,000 from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a politically active labor union representing government workers.
Its major initial effort was to spend nearly $375,000 attacking GOP candidate Jane Corwin in a special election to fill a vacant House seat in upstate New York’s 26th congressional district. The race was marked by large spending and deceptive claims on both sides, as we reported in our May 19, 2011, article “Test Market for Spin.” Corwin was defeated in what one local newspaper described as an “odds-defying” Democratic victory.