WASHINGTON -- The main super PAC supporting House Democrats reported raising more than $1 million in less than six weeks during April and May.
House Majority PAC reported the haul in a filing it was required to make after spending $446,084 against Mark Sanford in his successful comeback bid in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District special election.
The Democratic super PAC tapped the same donors who helped fund its efforts in the 2012 elections. Donations from labor unions and their PACs included $250,000 from the Committee On Letter Carriers Political Education, $150,000 from American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, $100,000 from Laborers' International Union of North America PAC and $50,000 from IBEW PAC.
The top individual donor was California real estate investor George Marcus, who gave $250,000. The law firm of Texas trial lawyer Steve Mostyn, who emerged as a major national donor in the 2012 election, pitched in $100,000. The rest of the contributions came from individuals and one PAC giving $5,000 or less.
House Majority PAC spent more on House races in the 2012 elections than any other super PAC. The group was founded to support House Democrats after party candidates were crushed in the 2010 elections with the help of super PACs and nonprofit groups run by Republicans.
Super PACs can raise unlimited sums from corporations, unions and individuals. They were created after the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision and a subsequent lower court ruling opened the door to unlimited independent spending.
The group has raised $1.9 million so far this year and still had $1 million cash on hand at the end of May. Few super PACs have reported any fundraising this year as they switched their filing schedule from monthly to quarterly, which, for super PACs, only require bi-annual filing in non-election years.
Super PACs that have spent money on special elections, like in South Carolina's 1st District, Illinois' 2nd District or the Massachusetts Senate race, must file pre-election and post-election reports. House Majority PAC has raised the second-most of super PACs that have reported any fundraising this year, trailing only the $2 million raised by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Independence USA PAC.
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