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ESAFund

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ESAFund
Ending Spending Action Fund.jpg
Basic facts
Location:Tampa, Florida[1]
Type:Super PAC
Founder(s):Joe Ricketts
Year founded:2010
Website:Official website


TheESAFund, formerly known as theEnding Spending Action Fund, is asuper PAC that was founded to support candidates who focus on balancing the nation's budget and reducing the size of the federal government. The group is affiliated with Ending Spending, a501(c)(4)nonprofit organization aimed at educating the public about government spending and the national debt.[2][3]

Mission

As of July 2017, the website for the ESAFund listed the following statement about the organization's purpose:[4]

“ESAFund (formerly Ending Spending Action Fund) is an independent organization that proudly supports candidates regardless of party affiliation who favor enhancing free enterprise, reducing the size of government, and balancing our nation's budget. We are also proud to strongly oppose those who do not.[5]”

Background

The ESAFund was originally established as the Ending Spending Fund in 2010 by TD Ameritrade founderJoe Ricketts. The group changed its name to the Ending Spending Action Fund in 2012 and became the ESAFund in 2015. The ESAFund is affiliated with Ending Spending, a501(c)(4)nonprofit organization aimed at educating the public about government spending and the national debt.[1][3][6]

The ESAFund aims to support or oppose candidates based on their fiscal policy positions. Though the group states that it supports candidates "regardless of party affiliation," the ESAFund favors a conservative approach to fiscal policy with an emphasis on free enterprise, balanced budgets, and limited government.[2]

Work

Super PACs
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2016 elections

According toOpen Secrets, the ESAFund supported or opposed the following 2016 candidates as of July 2016:[7]

ESAFund's 2016 candidates
CandidatePartyOfficeStateAmountPosition
Kelly AyotteRepublican PartyU.S. SenateN.H.$2,418,434Supported
Joe HeckRepublican PartyU.S. SenateNev.$1,940,621Supported
Jacky RosenDemocratic PartyU.S. HouseNev.$1,515,957Opposed
Evan BayhDemocratic PartyU.S. SenateInd.$1,096,528Opposed
Charles Boustany Jr.Republican PartyU.S. SenateLa.$1,096,043Opposed
John FlemingRepublican PartyU.S. SenateLa.$1,000,281Opposed
Bernie SandersDemocratic PartyPresident--$804,319Opposed
Tim HuelskampRepublican PartyU.S. HouseKan.$773,081Opposed
Catherine Cortez MastoDemocratic PartyU.S. SenateNev.$759,564Opposed
Donald John BaconRepublican PartyU.S. HouseNeb.$636,877Supported
Foster CampbellDemocratic PartyU.S. SenateLa.$577,767Opposed

Bernie Sanders ad

The ESAFund spent $600,000 in January 2016 to produce and run a campaign ad inIowa attacking former 2016Democratic presidential candidateBernie Sanders. “When it comes to federal spending and piling on our massive debt, Secretary Clinton is a five-car pile-up, but Senator Sanders is a trainwreck,” stated ESAFund's president, Brian Baker. “Given that Senator Sanders is the leading candidate in Iowa and New Hampshire and way ahead in the general election polls, ESAFund will work hard to inform voters about his record and future plans.”[6]

2014 elections

Supported candidates

The ESAFund supported the following 2014 candidates:[8]

Opposed candidates

The ESAFund opposed the following 2014 candidates:[8]

North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District

The ESAFund spent roughly $750,000 in theRepublican primary forNorth Carolina's 3rd Congressional District. The group opposed incumbentWalter Jones and supported challengerTaylor Griffin, who was defeated. Brian Baker, the organization's president, said, "For us, it was an easy and obvious choice to oppose Mr. Jones. He has voted with President Obama more than any other Republican in the House of Representatives."[9][10]

2012 elections

According to theSunlight Foundation, the ESAFund spent $13,250,796 during the 2012 elections. An analysis byOpen Secrets found that 15.3 percent of the total funds achieved the desired result.[11][12][13][14]

The ESAFund's 2012 spending success rate.

Supported candidates

The ESAFund supported the following 2012 candidates:[15]

Opposed candidates

The ESAFund opposed the following 2012 candidates:[16]

Expenditures

The ESAFund spent $13.2 million during the 2012 election cycle. Of the total funds, $6.67 million opposedDemocrats, $6.45 million supportedRepublicans, and $124,181 opposedRepublicans.[9]

ESAFund's 2012 independent expenditures[9]
CandidatePartyStateOfficeTotalForAgainstDesired Result
Barack ObamaDemocratic PartyN/APresident$5,172,804$0$5,172,804
No.png
Mitt RomneyRepublican PartyN/APresident$4,737,866$4,737,866$0
No.png
Deb FischerRepublican PartyNeb.Senate$856,735$856,735$0
Yes.png
Bob KerreyDemocratic PartyNeb.Senate$653,776$0$653,776
Yes.png
Josh MandelRepublican PartyOhioSenate$416,289$416,289$0
Yes.png
Sherrod BrownDemocratic PartyOhioSenate$402,680$0$402,680
No.png
Richard CarmonaDemocratic PartyAriz.Senate$310,250$0$310,250
Yes.png
Jeff FlakeRepublican PartyAriz.Senate$275,572$275,572$0
Yes.png
Ted CruzRepublican PartyTexasSenate$162,156$162,156$0
Yes.png
Tim KaineDemocratic PartyVa.Senate$134,950$0$134,950
No.png
Jon BruningRepublican PartyNeb.Senate$124,181$0$124,181
Yes.png
Connie MackRepublican PartyFla.Senate$1,372$1,372$0
No.png
George AllenRepublican PartyVa.Senate$735$735$0
No.png
Richard MourdockRepublican PartyInd.Senate$662$662$0
No.png
Tommy ThompsonRepublican PartyWis.Senate$549$549$0
No.png
Dean HellerRepublican PartyNev.Senate$189$189$0
Yes.png

Finances

The following table identifies total federal receipts and disbursements for the ESAFund according to reports filed with theFederal Election Commission:[1]

Annual federal receipts and disbursements for the ESAFund, 2010-2016
YearTotal receiptsTotal disbursements
2016[17]$13,702,880$14,973,924
2015[18]$2,674,489$1,583,141
2014[19]$24,015,113$23,767,069
2013[20]$436,879$434,682
2012[21]$14,169,830$14,170,950
2011[22]$0$0
2010[23]$1,180,672$1,178,690.53

Legal status

ESAFund is asuper PAC. A super PAC is a political committee that can solicit and spend unlimited sums of money. A super PAC cannot contribute directly to a politician or political party, but it can spend independently to campaign for or against political figures. These committees are also called independent expenditure-only committees. A super PAC is not legally considered apolitical action committee (PAC) and as such is regulated under separate rules.[24][25]

Noteworthy events

John Doe investigations

See also:John Doe investigations related to Scott Walker

TwoJohn Doe investigations, beginning in 2010 and ending in 2015, were launched byMilwaukee County District AttorneyJohn Chisholm (D) into the activities of staff and associates of Gov.Scott Walker (R).[26] The Ending Spending Action Fund was one of 29 conservative organizations that were targeted during the course of the second of twoJohn Doe investigations inWisconsin related to Gov.Scott Walker (R).[27][28]

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the termsESAFund. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑1.01.11.2Federal Election Commission, "Details for Committee ID : C00489856," accessed July 22, 2016
  2. ↑2.02.1ESAFund, "Home," accessed July 22, 2016
  3. ↑3.03.1Ending Spending, "About," accessed July 23, 2016
  4. ↑ESAFund, "ESAFund," accessed July 5, 2017
  5. ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  6. ↑6.06.1The New York Times, "Bernie Sanders a Target of Ads by Republican Donor," January 25, 2016
  7. ↑Open Secrets, "Ending Spending Action Fund-Outside Spending Summary 2016," accessed July 23, 2016
  8. ↑8.08.1Open Secrets,"Ending Spending Action Fund-Outside Spending Summary 2014," accessed July 23, 2016
  9. ↑9.09.19.2Open Secrets, "Hot Races 2014: In N.C., Outside Groups Work to Oust Wayward GOP Incumbent", May 2, 2014Cite error: Invalid<ref> tag; name "os" defined multiple times with different content
  10. ↑National Review, "North Carolina: The New Front in the GOP’s Foreign-Policy Civil War", April 10, 2014
  11. ↑Sunlight Foundation, "Ending Spending Action Fund" accessed July 10, 2013
  12. ↑Sunlight Foundation, "Outside spenders' return on investment," accessed July 11, 2013
  13. ↑OpenSecrets, "Ending Spending Action Fund," accessed July 10, 2013
  14. ↑Sunlight Foundation, "Ending Spending Action Fund" accessed July 10, 2013
  15. ↑Sunlight Foundation, "Independent Expenditure Summary" accessed July 10, 2013
  16. ↑Sunlight Foundation, "Independent Expenditures 2012 Cycle" accessed July 10, 2013
  17. ↑Federal Election Commission, "ESAFund Year-End Report, 2016," January 31, 2017
  18. ↑Federal Election Commission, "ESAFund Year-End Report, 2015," January 31, 2016
  19. ↑Federal Election Commission, "ESAFund Year-End Report, 2014," January 30, 2015
  20. ↑Federal Election Commission, "ESAFund Year-End Report, 2013," January 31, 2014
  21. ↑Federal Election Commission, "ESAFund Year-End Report, 2012," May 28, 2013
  22. ↑Federal Election Commission, "ESAFund Year-End Report, 2011," January 7, 2012
  23. ↑Federal Election Commission, "ESAFund Year-End Report, 2010," January 19, 2011
  24. ↑The Atlantic, "The New York Times' Disingenuous Campaign Against Citizens United," February 24, 2012
  25. ↑The New York Times, "Who's Financing the 'Super PACs?" May 7, 2012
  26. ↑United States District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin, "Case No. 14-C-139," accessed December 1, 2025
  27. ↑Wisconsin Watchdog, "Wall Street Journal: GAB targeted conservative justices in John Doe defense," September 17, 2015
  28. ↑Eric O'Keefe v. Francis Schmitz, et al., "Complaint," accessed September 16, 2015
v • e
John Doe investigations related to Scott Walker
Background
Lawsuits
State court lawsuits: •Three Unnamed Petitioners v. Gregory A. Peterson •Eric O'Keefe, et al. vs. Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, et al. •Two Unnamed Petitioners v. Gregory A. Peterson •Christopher Brekken v. Bruce J. Landgraf •Christopher L. Wiesmueller v. Neal Nettesheim •Francis D. Schmitz v. Gregory A. Peterson •Cynthia Archer v. John Chisholm, et. al. •Federal court lawsuits: •Eric O'Keefe and Wisconsin Club for Growth, Inc. v. Francis Schmitz, et. al. •Relevant rulings: •McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission •Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission •Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. v. Thomas Barland •Citizens for Responsible Government v. Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, et. al. •Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. •Wisconsin Coalition for Voter Participation Inc., et. al. v. State of Wisconsin Elections Board, et. al.
Prosecutors
Special prosecutor: •Francis Schmitz •Personnel in Milwaukee County DA's Office: •John Chisholm •Bruce Landgraf •David Budde •David Robles •Robert Stelter •District attorneys in the five John Doe counties •John Chisholm •Ismael Ozanne •Jane Kohlwey •Larry Nelson •Kurt Klomberg
Courts
Judges
Attorneys
Attorneys of JD targets: •Steven Biskupic •Todd Graves • Michael Bresnick •Edward Meyers •Dean Strang •Matthew O'Neill •David Rivkin • Andrew Grossman •Attorneys of JD prosecutors and judges: •Patrick Fiedler • Samuel Leib •Randall Crocker •Douglas Knott •Joseph M. Russell
Supporters of JD investigations
Media
Elected Officials
Government Accountability Board
•Wisconsin Government Accountability Board •Current board members: •Gerald Nichol •Timothy Vocke •Thomas Cane •Harold Froehlich •John Franke •Elsa Lamelas •Past board members: •Thomas Barland •Michael Brennan •Staff: •Kevin Kennedy •Dean Nickel •Jonathan Becker •Shane Falk • Nathan Judnic • Elizabeth Blackwood • J. Douglas Haag •Vendors: •Digital Intelligence
Targets of John Doe I
Prosecuted: •Kelly Rindfleisch •Darlene Wink •Kevin Kavanaugh •Tim Russell •Brian Pierick • Wiliam Gardner •Investigated: •Friends of Scott Walker • Christopher Wiesmueller •John Hiller •Jim Villa •Cindy Archer •Jailed by prosecutors/No charges filed: •Christopher Brekken •Andrew P. Jensen, Jr. •Home or office raided: •Kelly Rindfleisch •Cindy Archer •Darlene Wink •Tim Russell •Brian Pierick • Christopher Wiesmueller •Compelled to testify: •R.J. Johnson
Targets of John Doe II
Individuals: •Kelly Rindfleisch •Eric O'Keefe •R.J. Johnson •Deborah Jordahl •Jed Sanborn •Carol Valley •William Eisner •Keith Gilkes •Sean Hannity •Charlie Sykes •Organizations: •Wisconsin Club for Growth •Club for Growth •Wisconsin Right to Life •United Sportsmen of Wisconsin •Coalition Partners, LLC •R.J. Johnson and Associates • Nonbox • TenCAPITOL •Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce •American Federation for Children •Americans for Prosperity •Americans for Prosperity Wisconsin •Right Direction Wisconsin PAC •Republican State Leadership Committee • Committee to Elect a Republican Senate •Wisconsin Recall Action Fund •Jobs First Coalition •Ending Spending Action Fund • Mary Stitt & Associates •Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce •League of American Voters •Citizens for a Strong America •Republican Party of Wisconsin •Republican Governors Association •American Crossroads •Wisconsin Family Action
Other
v • e
Influencers
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