By Desirée Taylor
NJ Today
You’d be hard pressed to find an elected official in New Jersey who hasn’t taken money from a PAC (Political Action Committee), typically formed by a special interest group. “We found PACs, in terms of participating in New Jersey, spent $18 million on legislative campaigns, on leadership committees, local and county party committees and local candidates,” said Jeff Brindle, Executive Director of ELEC, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. “And that’s continued to be an increase that started after 2006.”
That’s when New Jersey’s pay-to-play law went into effect, which put restrictions on how much contractors can contribute directly to candidates. This left a funding void that PACs appear to be filling. According to an analysis by ELEC, last year incumbents received 89 percent of PAC contributions compared to 71 percent in 1997. This puts challengers at a disadvantage.
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“You’re not going to see this PAC money supporting upstarts and grassroots candidates,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute. “These people spend money looking for a bigger impact.”
Business PACs gave more to Republicans last year while Democrats got the bulk of support from union PACs. Overall, Democrats received the most PAC money — 78 percent. That’s because Democrats hold 60 percent of the seats in the Legislature. The money usually flows to the party in control.
ELEC figures show candidates are raising more money than in the past. In 1999, the average Assembly campaign raised $180,000. In 10 years, that figure has risen to $255,000, an increase of 42 percent.
“People are relying on these PACs more and more,” Murray said. And since funding is crucial in competitive districts and statewide races, PACs and their cousins Super PACs, which typically fund TV ads, are sure to play a leading role in next year’s gubernatorial race.