Endorse Liberty
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| Endorse Liberty | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | •Salt Lake City, Utah[1] •Alexandria, Virginia[1] |
| Type: | Super PAC |
| Affiliation: | Republican |
| Top official: | Abraham David Niederhauser, Treasurer |
| Year founded: | 2011 |
| Website: | Official website |
Endorse Liberty was asuper PAC that primarily supported former CongressmanRon Paul's (R-Texas) 2012 presidential campaign. The group consisted of "an alliance of entrepreneurs, inventors and creators" who aimed to "promote the cause of liberty as the founding principle that powers America," according to its website.[2]
Endorse Liberty was terminated in September 2014.[1]
Mission
According to the organization's website, Endorse Liberty had the following mission statement prior to filing for termination:[2]
| “ | Liberty is the foundation of American culture. We believe America can regain its place as the world's role model. We endorse and promote leaders who champion liberty.[3] | ” |
Background
The group was founded in December 2011 by four businessmen: Jeffrey Harmon, Ladd Christensen, Stephen Oskoui, and Abe Niederhauser. According to theSunlight Foundation, the group established thesuper PAC in order to support former Rep.Ron Paul's (R-Texas) 2012 presidential campaign. Though none of the founders had a personal or professional connection to Paul, the businessmen saw Paul as the only presidential candidate who was “serious about the Constitution, spending cuts and balancing the budget,” according to the Sunlight Foundation's report[4]
Work
| Super PACs |
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| Read more aboutsuper PACs and thesuper PACs covered on Ballotpedia. |
2014 elections
According toOpen Secrets, Endorse Liberty did not make independent expenditures to support or oppose federal candidates during the 2014 election cycle.[5]
2012 elections
Endorse Liberty was the primarysuper PAC supportingRon Paul during the 2012 presidential election. Thesuper PAC dedicated the bulk of its independent expenditures toward daily internet advertising on websites such asGoogle,Facebook, andStumbleUpon.com. The group also created parody videos of 2012 presidential candidatesMitt Romney,Newt Gingrich andRick Santorum.[5][6]Cite error: Closing</ref> missing for<ref> tag
- Ted Cruz (U.S. Senate-Texas|)
- Kurt Bills (U.S. Senate-Minn.)
- Wes Riddle (Texas' 25th Congressional District)
- Tony Hernandez (Minnesota's 4th Congressional District)
- Chris Fields (Minnesota's 5th Congressional District)
- Steve Stockman (Texas' 36th Congressional District)
- Lee Byberg (Minnesota's 7th Congressional District)
- Jessica Puente Bradshaw (Texas' 34th Congressional District)
- David Gerson (Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District)
Expenditures
Endorse Liberty spent $3,580,138 during the 2012 election cycle to supportRepublican candidates. The following table identifies the groups largest 2012 expenditures:[7]
| Endorse Liberty's ten largest 2012 expenditures[7] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | State | Office | Total | For | Against | Desired Result |
| Ron Paul |  | N/A | Presidential | $3,420,145 | $3,420,145 | $0 |  |
| Ted Cruz | | TX | Senate | $123,356 | $123,356 | $0 |  |
| Kurt Bills | | MN | Senate | $21,608 | $21,608 | $0 | |
| Wes Riddle | | TX | House | $5,041 | $5,041 | $0 | |
| Tony Hernandez | | MN | House | $2,752 | $2,752 | $0 | |
| Chris Fields | | MN | House | $2,285 | $2,285 | $0 | |
| Steve Stockman | | TX | House | $1,898 | $1,898 | $0 | |
| Lee Byberg | | MN | House | $1,196 | $1,196 | $0 | |
| Jessica Puente Bradshaw | | TX | House | $1,173 | $1,173 | $0 | |
| David Gerson | | MN | House | $684 | $684 | $0 | |
Finances
The following table identifies Endorse Liberty's total federal receipts and disbursements according to reports filed with theFederal Election Commission:
| Annual federal receipts and disbursements for Endorse Liberty, 2011-2014 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Total receipts | Total disbursements |
| 2014 | $25.00 | $13,654.28 |
| 2013 | $0.00 | $2,964.19 |
| 2012 | $2,912,582.81 | $3,532,866.50 |
| 2011 | $1,000,000.00 | $415,720.50 |
Leadership
The following individuals held leadership positions with Endorse Liberty:[6]
- Abe Niederhauser,Co-founder and treasurer
- Jeffrey Harmon,Co-founder
- Ladd Christensen,Co-founder
- Stephen Oskoui,Co-founder
- Dan Backer,Assistant treasurer and counsel
Legal status
Endorse Liberty was 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.[8][9]
Media
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the termsEndorse Liberty. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.11.2Federal Election Commission, "Details for Committee ID : C00508002," accessed July 25, 2016
- ↑2.02.1Endorse Liberty, "Home," accessed July 10, 2013
- ↑Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑Sunlight Foundation, "Super PAC Profile: Endorse Liberty helps Ron Paul — and a founder's company," accessed July 11, 2013
- ↑5.05.1Open Secrets, "Endorse Liberty," accessed July 25, 2016
- ↑6.06.1The Center for Public Integrity, "PAC profile: Endorse Liberty," accessed July 25, 2016
- ↑7.07.1Open Secrets, "Endorse Liberty Recipients, 2012," accessed July 11, 2013
- ↑The Atlantic, "The New York Times' Disingenuous Campaign Against Citizens United," February 24, 2012
- ↑The New York Times, "Who's Financing the 'Super PACs?" May 7, 2012
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