April 13, 2012: Press Reports Super PAC Spending in US House Race

AFC logo. [Source: Think Progress]A Republican House primary in North Carolina is one of the first US House races to feature the involvement of an active super PAC. After North Carolina’s House districts were remapped, Representative Brad Miller (D-NC) chose not to seek re-election. The two strongest Republican candidates for the position, former US Attorney George Holding and Wake County Commissioner Paul Coble, are engaged in a heated primary challenge, with each candidate’s campaign accusing the other candidate of being more moderate than their candidate. Holding is being supported by the American Foundation Committee (AFC), a super PAC that began operation on February 28. Though the organization’s Web site does not mention either candidate, the AFC has made the total of its expenditures—$366,715 so far—in support of Holding and against Coble. AFC has outspent both candidates. According to data provided by liberal news Web site Think Progress, not counting super PACs working on behalf of presidential candidates, the AFC is among the top 10 highest-spending super PACs of this election cycle. Coble’s campaign calls AFC “a shadowy group” with “dirty money” from “special interest… trial lawyers.” Holding notes that AFC discloses its donors, most of whom are relatives and close friends of Holding. The average contribution from each donor is $26,000. Think Progress’s Josh Israel writes, “Voters around the country, already fed up with super PACs, should expect to see a lot more of them in the coming months.” [Think Progress, 4/13/2012; Center for Responsive Politics, 8/9/2012] Data released in mid-August 2012 will show that AFC spends $312,245 in campaign activities attacking Coble, and $222,837 on behalf of Holding, for a total of $535,082. [Center for Responsive Politics, 8/9/2012] Holding will win the primary race against Coble and a third candidate. [Raleigh News and Observer, 5/8/2012] He will go on to win the main election easily over his Democratic challenger. [National Journal, 11/9/2012]