Liberty Principles PAC
Liberty Principles PAC is an Illinois-based super PAC (political action committee). The PAC supports political candidates for state and local offices in Illinois who "are committed to the economic liberty policy agenda."[1] The PAC is an independent expenditure PAC, which means that it cannot coordinate with candidates that supports. Liberty Principles PAC focuses on supporting candidates who are supportive of policies and ideology around economic liberty in Illinois.[1]
The chairman and treasurer is Dan Proft.[2] The idea behind Liberty Principles PAC, according to Proft, was to "improve the quality of policy thinking" and "change the balance of power in the Illinois General Assembly."[3]
Economic Liberty Candidates 2016
In the 2016 election cycle, the PAC supported the following slate of candidates, named "Economic liberty candidates":[1]
- Dan McConchie, (State Senate, 26th District)
- Bryce Benton, (State Senate, 50th District)
- Paul Schimpf, (State Senate, 58th District)
- Mike DeSutter, (State Representative, 74th District)
- Brad Halbrook, (State Representative, 102nd District)
- Rep. Reggie Phillips, (State Representative, 110th District)
- Allen Skillicorn, (66th House District)
- Brandi McGuire, (72nd House District)
Political activity
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the PAC "has become a chief conduit for allies of Rauner to influence legislative races across the state."[3] Donors include shipping magnate Richard Uihlein and Governor Bruce Rauner. Uihlein is the PAC's largest contributor.[3]
Chairman Proft and Richard Uihlein are associated with the Illinois Policy Institute, an economic conservative think tank. The think tank released a documentary in 2016 that criticized the policies of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.[3]
In addition to funding candidates in 2016 (the "Economic Liberty Candidates), Liberty Principles PAC was also active in the 2012 and 2014 election cycles.[3]
Financial
In its September 30, 2016 quarterly report, Liberty Principles PAC had $3.8 million funds available.[2]
The following table lists the PAC's key financial figures for the 2014 and 2012 election cycles.
| Cycle | Total receipts | Total spent | Debts | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | $278,200 | $179,131 | $0 | [4] |
| 2014 | $1,787,478 | $1,802,410 | $0 | [5] |
References
- 1 2 3 "Liberty Principles PAC – Liberty Principles PAC". www.libertyprinciples.org. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
- 1 2 "Liberty Principles PAC". Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (Illinois Sunshine). Retrieved 2016-11-10.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Sfondeles, Tina (2016-10-22). "Through Liberty Principles PAC, Dan Proft spreads millions to GOP". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
- ↑ "2012 - Liberty Principles PAC Summary | OpenSecrets". www.opensecrets.org. Retrieved 2016-11-10.
- ↑ "2014 - Liberty Principles PAC Summary | OpenSecrets". www.opensecrets.org. Retrieved 2016-11-10.