Political leanings: Republican/Conservative
Spending target: Unknown
The Republican Majority Campaign says it is “dedicated to advocating on behalf of Republican principles such as lower taxes, limited government, and a strong national defense.” And it says its goal, as its name suggests, is to “elect an enduring Republican majority.” It is a California-based federal political action committee that reports its spending and donors to the Federal Election Commission.
One of the group’s founders, and its executive director, is California attorney Gary Kreep, who is also the executive director of the United States Justice Foundation, an organization that was founded more than 30 years ago to “advance the conservative viewpoint in the judicial arena,” according to its website. Kreep is also known for being one of the most vocal members of the “birther” movement, which questions President Barack Obama’s eligibility to hold the office based on the mistaken belief (which FactCheck.org and others have debunked) that he was not born in the United States. In 2009, Kreep was featured in the “Birthermercial” — a television infomercial hosted by televangelist Bill Keller — which asked: “Where was President Obama born?”
The Republican Majority Campaign spent almost $3.9 million during the 2010 election cycle. However, only $105,220 of that amount was spent on activities such as independent expenditures or campaign ads that expressly advocate the election or defeat of a particular candidate, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. It also gave $20,600 to federal candidates, including $5,000 each to Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Rep. Bill Posey of Florida and Doug Hoffman, who lost to Bill Owens in a special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District.
But the PAC spent the most money — nearly $2.7 million — on services described as “phone and mail communication” through a firm called Political Advertising in Arizona. We tried to contact Kreep to see exactly what type of work the firm did for the PAC, but our call was not returned.
One of the political candidates that the group did target in 2010 was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. It spent more than $25,000 — the most it spent against one candidate — trying to defeat the Nevada senator with controversial ads linking him to United Arab Emirates Prime Minister Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Update, July 24: Republican Majority Campaign spent $2.2 million in 2011, according to its year-end report. So far, the group has raised and spent about $1.4 million in 2012. Most of its independent expenditures — about $1.1 million this campaign cycle — is going to target President Obama.