Leadership pac

Definition

A political committee controlled by a sitting officeholder or candidate, separate from their campaign committee, nominally meant to support other candidates. It lets one member of Congress raise extra money and build influence within their party.

Why it matters

Federal personal-use rules ban spending campaign funds on personal expenses, but the FEC has ruled those rules don't clearly apply to leadership PACs. That gap lets lawmakers fund travel, meals, and entertainment while nominally supporting colleagues.

Seen in the wild

Issue One and the Campaign Legal Center documented lawmakers spending leadership PAC money on golf retreats, Broadway tickets, and country club dues.¹ Senator Rand Paul's leadership PAC spent $4,492 on limousine service in Rome, and Representative Devin Nunes's spent $15,000 on Boston Celtics tickets in 2017. In 2021, the FEC voted 4-2 in the Lou Barletta matter that personal-use rules don't apply to leadership PACs.²

Related

• Super pac
• In kind contribution
• 501(c) distinctions

Sources

1. Issue One, "Congressional Leadership PACs Continue to Subsidize Lavish Lifestyles." source ↩

2. Campaign Legal Center, "FEC Waves White Flag on Yet Another Issue of Leadership PAC Abuse." source ↩