MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Political action committees have already thrown almost half a million dollars into the race to represent Alabama’s reshaped 2nd Congressional District, according to campaign reports through June.
The industries represented by PACs vary widely, with the agricultural industry and organizations seeking to elect women backing Republican candidate Caroleene Dobson, while labor organizations have rallied behind Democrat Shomari Figures.
Both candidates have achieved impressive fundraising hauls as the end of June, with Dobson raking in $797,190 this election cycle, and Figures, $868,722. Of those hauls, around $190,800 of Dobson’s contributions came from PACs, and $235,650 for Figures.
By far Dobson’s strongest PAC supporter has been E-PAC Majority Makers, a New York-based PAC affiliated with E-PAC, established in 2018 to help elect Republican women.
In total, the PAC contributed $51,498 to Dobson’s campaign; $36,498 in the current general election, and $15,000 during the primary.
“In the 2022 cycle, E-PAC helped recruit and support a record number of Hispanic GOP women and built on 2020’s success to help elect an even higher number of GOP women to serve in the 118th Congress,” reads an excerpt from E-PAC’s website.
Another PAC strongly supporting Dobson was the Value in Electing Women PAC, based in Alexandria, Virginia, which contributed $15,000 to her campaign. Like E-PAC Majority Makers, the Value in Electing Women PAC seeks to support Republican women political candidates.
Agriculture PACs are also supporting Dobson. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association PAC, based in Washington, D.C., was among Dobson’s strongest supporters, contributing $15,000 to her campaign to date. The PAC advocates for “pro-business, pro-agriculture representatives in Congress,” and overwhelmingly donates to Republican candidates. Between 2019 and 2020, 89% of the PAC’s $806,500 was spent on Republican candidates.
The Alabama Farmers Federation has given Dobson’s campaign $10,000 to date. Other PACs representing the agriculture industry and supporting Dobson include the Alabama Peanut Producers Association, based in Dothan and contributing $3,000; the Texas-based American Quarter Horse Association PAC, $4,500; the BEEF-PAC, also based in Texas and contributing $2,500; and the Steer PAC, based in Alexandria, Virginia and contributing $5,000.
“The cattle farm where I was raised is in the heart of the 2nd Congressional District and has been in my family for generations,” Dobson told Alabama Daily News Tuesday on her strong support from the industry.
“This experience taught me the lessons of self-reliance and good stewardship that farmers value, and it made me aware of the needs and challenges farm families face,” she said. “My agricultural roots are why farmers, seeing me as one of their own, trust me to stand tall for them in Congress.”
A wide range of PACs representing labor and labor unions are supporting Figures’ campaign.
The Washington, D.C.-based American Federation of Teachers, which represents nearly two million teachers and school faculty, government employees and health care professionals, contributed $5,000 to Figures’ campaign.
The PAC, which advocates for “high-quality public education, health care and public services,” almost exclusively supports Democratic candidates. Between 2019 and 2020, of the $2.4 million spent backing campaigns, nearly 99% was for Democratic candidates.
Other labor-backed PACs supporting Figures include the American Postal Workers Union PAC, based in Washington, D.C. and contributing $2,500; the DRIVE Committee representing the Teamsters Union, based in Washington, D.C. and contributing $5,000; and the UA Union Plumbers & Pipefitters Vote PAC, based in Annapolis, Maryland and contributing $5,000.
Figures also received backing from the United Mine Workers of America, based in Triangle, Virginia and contributing $2,500; the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, based in Washington, D.C. and contributing $2,500; the Laborers’ International Union of North America PAC, based in Washington, D.C. and contributing $5,000; and the Engineers Political Education Committee, based in Washington, D.C. and contributing $5,000.
On his strong support from labor organizations, Figures told ADN that his family had a long history of working union jobs, and that he had seen first-hand the benefits protecting and expanding workers’ rights.
“My father was a labor lawyer and my grandfathers were both union men; their jobs fed their families, contributed to this state’s economy, and sent my parents to college,” Figures said.
“Workers are the lifeline of America’s economy, so we must protect their right to advocate as a collective and when they choose to do so. We cannot say we are serious about creating and maintaining a strong workforce for the future, if we fight against workers’ rights.”
Figures strongest PAC supporter, however, was by far the Democracy Engine Inc. PAC, which contributed a total of $31,060 to his campaign.
Based in D.C., the Democracy Engine Inc. PAC is affiliated with Democracy Engine, a fundraising platform, and almost universally supports Democratic candidates. The PAC spent nearly $2 million since January 2023, largely supporting Democratic candidates.
The PACs supporting both candidates also varied wildly based on location.
For Dobson, PACs based out of Washington, D.C. or surrounding Virginia or Maryland made up about a third of her contributions from PACs. New York-based PACs made up just over a quarter, and PACs based in Alabama made up about 23%.
Texas-based PACs made up close to 8% of Dobson’s contributions from PACs.
On the other hand, the vast majority of PACs supporting Figures were based in Washington, D.C., making up roughly 81% of his contributions from PACs. When including surrounding Virginia and Maryland, PACs based in D.C. and surrounding areas made up almost 97% of his contributions from PACs.
