Hitting Home PAC

Hitting Home PAC was a 527 organization founded by Pete Buttigieg in 2017.[1] Buttigieg launched the PAC in June 2017, several months after his failed bid for the Democratic National Committee chairmanship in its 2017 election.[2]

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Hitting Home PAC was a Carey committee, also known as a "Hybrid PAC", a type of 527 organization which is a hybrid of a super PAC and traditional PAC.[1] The organization aimed to support the Democratic Party in the 2018 election cycle.[3] It aimed to refocus the party to place an emphasis on the message that it would "protect and support people going about their lives."[4] Buttigieg stated a desire for the PAC to focus on supporting heartland Democrats.[5]

It was shut down in May 2019, amid Buttigieg's presidential campaign.[2]

Expenditures

The PAC raised $403,503, and spent nearly all of it by the end of the 2018 election cycle. A total of $399,267 was spent by the PAC during the 2018 cycle.[6][7]Before being shut down in 2019, the PAC raised an additional $5,970 and spent an additional $10,206 in the 2020 cycle.[8]

Only 10% of the PAC's spending directly supported candidates, with a mere $37,000 given to candidates.[9] This has led to an accusation by HuffPost that the PAC did little but spend money to boost Buttigieg's image.[10] Of the $37,000 given directly to candidates, $36,000 was distributed among 22 different Democratic candidates for the United States House of Representatives.[11] The sole United States Senate candidate to receive a contribution from the PAC was fellow Indiana politician, Joe Donnelly, who received $1,000.[11]

The PAC paid $70,000 to Lis Smith, who served as Buttigieg’s spokesperson and subsequently became the communications director for his presidential bid.[10] The PAC paid $27,500 to Michael Schmuhl, who was the PAC’s treasurer and subsequently became Buttigieg’s presidential campaign manager.[10] The PAC’s finance director was paid $34,500.[10] A major Democratic media consulting firm was paid $28,500.[10]

2018 Candidate Recipients of Hitting Home PAC Funds[11]
CandidateHouse or SenateStateDistrictAmount GivenWon or Lost
Clarke TuckerHouseArkansasAR-2$1,500Lost
Jason CrowHouseColoradoCO-6$1,500Won
Lauren UnderwoodHouseIllinoisIL-14$2,000Won
Abby FinkenauerHouseIowaIA-1$2,000Won
Dave LoebsackHouseIowaIA-2$500Won
Sharice DavidsHouseKansasKS-3$2,000Won
Amy McGrathHouseKentuckyKY-6$2,000Lost
Elissa SlotkinHouseMichiganMI-8$1,500Won
Haley StevensHouseMichiganMI-11$1,500Won
Daniel FeehanHouseMinnesotaMN-1$1,500Lost
Steven HorsfordHouseNevadaNV-4$1,500Won
Chris PappasHouseNew HampshireNH-1$2,000Won
Andy KimHouseNew JerseyNJ-3$1,500Won
Max RoseHouseNew YorkNY-11$1,500Won
Dan McCreadyHouseNorth CarolinaNC-9$2,000Lost
Aftab PurevalHouseOhioOH-1$1,500Lost
Ken HarbaughHouseOhioOH-7$2,000Won
Chrissy HoulahanHousePennsylvaniaPA-6$2,000Won
Joseph KopserHouseTexasTX-21$1,000Lost
Gina Ortiz JonesHouseTexasTX-23$2,000Lost
Colin AllredHouseTexasTX-32$1,500Won
Abigail SpanbergerHouseVirginiaVA-7$1,500Won
Joe DonnellySenateIndiana-$1,000Lost
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References
  1. Arke, Raymond (23 January 2019). "Buttigieg debuted Washington ambitions through 2018 PAC donations". Open Secrets. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  2. Breuninger, Kevin; Schwartz, Brian (14 May 2019). "Pete Buttigieg shuts down PAC as rival 2020 Democrats reject PAC money". CNBC. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  3. Buttigieg, Pete. "Hitting Home: a new politics of the everyday". Medium. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  4. Cramer, Ruby (22 June 2017). "Democratic Mayor Launches PAC Aimed At "Politics Of The Everyday"". Buzzfeed News. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  5. Parrott, Jeff (12 August 2018). "Pete Buttigieg backers donate thousands to help him but aren't banking on a presidential run". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  6. "FEC Itemizer". ProPublica. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  7. "Hitting Home PAC Summary | OpenSecrets". www.opensecrets.org. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  8. "Hitting Home PAC Summary | OpenSecrets". www.opensecrets.org. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  9. "Buttigieg debuted Washington ambitions through 2018 PAC donations". OpenSecrets News. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  10. Robillard, Kevin (26 November 2019). "Pete Buttigieg's PAC Was Supposed To Help Elect Democrats. It Mostly Touted Him". HuffPost. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  11. "Hitting Home PAC Contributions to Federal Candidates, 2018 cycle | OpenSecrets". www.opensecrets.org. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
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