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 Sporting names such as Madam Hillary 2016, HillaryFTW and other
variations on Clinton's name, the new crop of political action
committees (PACs) is a sign of the 66-year-old's enduring star power
more than 20 years after she first became a national figure as the
wife of President Bill Clinton.
Some of the groups hope to emulate the success of Ready for Hillary,
the organization of well-connected Democrats that already has raised
millions of dollars to encourage Hillary Clinton to launch a bid to
become the United States' first woman president.
Others don't have much to show for their efforts. A few won't say
what they plan to do with any money they raise.
The groups illustrate the Wild West landscape of political finance
four years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that independent
groups can raise and spend as much as they want on elections, as
long as they don't work directly with a candidate.
In the 2012 election, the dozens of "Super PACs" and nonprofit
groups that popped up to take advantage of that decision largely
were run by political insiders such as former White House aide Karl
Rove, whose American Crossroads PAC spent more than $100 million to
help Republicans that year.
This time around, Super PACs also have become a tool for ambitious
citizens who in previous elections might have simply opted for a
yard sign.
Anyone can file the paper work with the Federal Election Commission
to set up a Super PAC, and such groups can spend whatever money they
raise however they wish. That means it's up to donors to do their
homework before writing a check, election-law specialists say.
"It would be legal under campaign-finance laws to buy a yacht and
sail off into the sunset," Paul S. Ryan, an election-law specialist
at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, said of the lack of
restrictions on PACs and nonprofit groups.
None of the 12 Clinton-themed Super PACs has reported any yacht
purchases. Three of the PACs — groups called The Hillary Project,
Time for Hillary and Hillaryclintonsuperpac — have drawn warnings
from the FEC for not disclosing how they have spent any money they
have raised.
Ready for Hillary, which boasts a staff of Democratic heavy hitters
and a donor base of 50,000 supporters, doesn't seem worried by the
competition.
"Our mission is clear and critical: to build a massive list of
Hillary supporters who will be ready to help Hillary win if she
decides to run," spokesman Seth Bringman said.
Some of the other recently established groups share similar goals,
though they have just begun to raise money.
Los Angeles labor lawyer Samuel Deskin set up Hillary PAC last month
to promote a Clinton presidential run and elect more Democrats to
Congress. The group has produced a slick Internet video and plans a
fundraising event this summer.
"We want Hillary to be in office, but we want her to be able to do
something. We don't want her plans to be stifled," Deskin said.
UNCONVENTIONAL GROUPS
Other PACs carrying Clinton's name are a bit less conventional.
In San Francisco, Clinton supporter Sam Lucas has set up Madam
Hillary 2016, which he calls a "gay Super PAC gone wild," to rally
the gay and lesbian community around Clinton.
"I am going to preach the word 'Madam,' " Lucas said. "I am going to
etch it into ears and tattoo it into psyches ... all around this
country and around this globe."
Lucas said he already has a vice presidential running mate for
Clinton in mind, but said he is keeping that person's identity
secret for now.
Other groups whose names refer to Clinton appear to have made little
headway so far.
"Everyone at Hillary FTW is focused like a laser beam on drafting
Hillary into the 2016 race," reads the web site of a Super PAC
called Hillary FTW.
The group says it has collected six signatures on a petition and
recruited 22 volunteers, but reported no fundraising during its
first 10 months of operation. The group's treasurer did not respond
to an emailed request for comment.
In Alexandria, Virginia, a man named Eric Williams said he has
fielded "millions" of media inquiries since he set up a Super PAC
called Hillary 2016 in February, but he declined to discuss his
activities further.
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The fundraising activities for such groups, if there have been any,
should become somewhat clearer in June, when the next quarterly
fundraising reports are supposed to be filed with the FEC.
Despite such deadlines, potential donors still might have a
difficult time figuring out how some Clinton-themed Super PACs spend
their money. For example, a man named Nigel Wallace has failed to
file two required fundraising reports since setting up
Hillaryclintonsuperpac in January 2013, drawing the threat of legal
action from the FEC. He did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, the founders of a Super PAC called Time for Hillary have
a record of financial problems and failed business ventures,
according to the Center for Public Integrity, an investigative news
outlet. The two people listed as officers for the group did not
respond to a request for comment.
Another web site, Hillary.org, solicits donations for an "HRC for
President in 2016 Committee." The committee's identification number
points to a separate PAC that was shut down by a relative of its
founder in 2006. A California phone number listed in the web site's
registration records has been disconnected and a contact email
appears not to be working.
Dubious fundraising groups aren't unusual in politics, one
election-law specialist said.
"There are so many committees with similar names, people parading
around looking like candidates that aren't candidates, or political
committees that aren't the real deal," said Kenneth Gross, a former
FEC lawyer now with Skadden Arps, a Washington law firm.
THE ANTI-CLINTON GROUPS
At least five Super PACs have been set up to oppose to a Clinton
candidacy.
A group called Stop Hillary PAC raised $274,000 last year and
already has crossed swords with pro-Clinton forces.
The group complained to the FEC that Ready For Hillary is violating
campaign-finance laws because it rented an email list left over from
Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. That type of activity
generally is permitted under federal law as long as the campaign and
independent groups do not coordinate their messages.
Another group called Dick Morris' Just Say No To Hillary PAC was set
up by a conservative political strategist who once advised Bill
Clinton, but who more recently has become a harsh critic of both
Clintons. Morris did not respond to a request for comment.
Because federal law generally prohibits independent political groups
from using a candidate's name, most of these groups likely will have
to change their name if Clinton decides to run for the presidency,
election-law specialists said.
But a Clinton candidacy could give a boost to the already-thriving
trade in unauthorized T-shirts, coffee mugs and other trinkets that
bear her name.
Online retailer CafePress Inc. sold tens of thousands of
Clinton-themed items during the first three months of 2014,
outpacing sales for every political figure except President Barack
Obama, a CafePress spokeswoman said.
Seattle designer Holly Hertzel said she has sold fewer than 100
T-shirts and other items with slogans such as "Hillary 2016," but
she expects business to pick up at the end of the year. As a public
figure, Clinton is not entitled to a cut of the proceeds from those
T-shirt sales or to have commercial control of her image.
Hertzel said she did not feel obligated to share her profits with
Clinton.
"The only obligation I feel is that I support her," Hertzel said.
(Editing by David Lindsey)
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