CUNA’s political action committee, CULAC, made its first independent expenditure of the fall campaign, recently spending $250,000 on an ad for Rep. Brad Ashford (D-Neb.), considered one of the most vulnerable House Democrats.
PACs may make such contributions on behalf of a candidate as long as the spending is done independent of the candidate’s campaign. CULAC is identified as the sponsor of the 30-second ad.
Ashford, a freshman Democrat, is a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s Frontline Program, which is designed to assist the most vulnerable candidates. He defeated Republican Rep. Lee Terry in 2014, one of only two Democrats who unseated incumbent Republicans.
His opponent, this year, Don Bacon, a retired United States Air Force Brigadier General, is a member of the National Republican Campaign Committee’s Young Guns Program, which supports Republican challengers.
The TV ad states that Washington is broken and that through his independence, Ashford has been able to ensure funding for a new veterans hospital. It states that Ashford opposes investing Social Security funds in stocks and is an advocate of equal pay for women. It does not mention specific issues related to credit unions.
“CULAC’s mission is to elect credit union champions to Congress,” CUNA Vice President of Political Affairs Trey Hawkins said, in explaining why CULAC decided to support Ashford. “Already in only his first term Rep. Ashford has proven to be a champion on credit union issues, but he also happens to be facing a highly competitive, toss-up race for re-election. Simply put, we are spending here to help a credit union friend win re-election.”
In addition to CULAC, Ashford has the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Businesses—two groups normally identified as supporting GOP candidates.
CUNA officials declined to discuss additional independent expenditures the PAC is expected to make this year, but it is expected to support additional candidates.
