Political leanings: Democratic
Spending target: Unknown
The House Majority PAC was founded in April 2011 by Alixandria Lapp, a former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee official. Her husband, Democratic consultant John Lapp, has led advertising campaigns for the PAC.
It was one of several super PACs formed by Democrats in response to the heavy spending by conservative organizations in the 2010 midterm elections, when Republicans took control of the House. The PAC says it is focused on “holding Republicans accountable and helping Democrats win seats in the House.”
As a 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.
The House Majority PAC raised $56 million in the 2016 election cycle, the sixth largest total of any super PAC. Nearly three-quarters of the $47 million that the super PAC spent went to oppose Republicans. It spent more than $2 million each against six GOP candidates, including Donald Trump. Three of those candidates ended up winning their races.
The largest contributors to the PAC in 2016 were retired media executive Fred Eychaner, who gave $11 million, and Paloma Partners hedge fund executive Donald Sussman, who gave $10 million. Behind them were billionaire hedge fund managers James Simons and George Soros, who donated more than $2 million apiece.
A number of labor unions also chipped in large sums. The Laborers Union gave more than $1.9 million; the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees gave nearly $1.5 million; and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers gave $1.4 million.
As of Sept. 24, 2018, the House Majority PAC had spent more than $12 million in independent expenditures for the 2018 election cycle. The PAC has spent more than $2 million trying to unseat Rep. Tom MacArthur in New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District and Rep. Claudia Tenney in New York’s 22 District. Both races are considered toss ups by the Cook Political Report.
Last year, the super PAC spent $421,000 opposing Republican Karen Handel in the special election to fill a House seat in Georgia left vacant by former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price. The super PAC spent an additional $230,000 supporting Handel’s Democratic opponent, Jon Ossoff, who lost the race.
During this election cycle, the super PAC’s largest contributor, as of September, was Sussman, who so far has donated nearly $5 million. Eychaner has given the super PAC $4 million, and Simons gave more than $3 million. George Marcus, founder and chairman of the real estate company Marcus & Millichap, has donated $3.5 million.