Comparing PAC Expenses
To generate a group of PACs whose spending could be fairly compared to that of the Minuteman PAC, the Intelligence Report asked the Federal Election
Commission to provide a list of all "non-connected" PACs (those not legally connected to another organization) that spent between $1.2 million and $2.2 million during the
2007-08 election cycle (as of the end of the latest filing period, Nov. 24).
To ensure that the PACs were as similar as possible to the Minuteman PAC, the Report eliminated
from the list all leadership PACs (those affiliated with lawmakers); PACs involved in joint fundraising with other organizations; "non-qualified" PACs that were recently
established and hadn't met certain criteria; and PACs that appeared to be sponsored by a partnership. The remaining PACs were used to calculate average direct contributions
to federal campaigns and average indirect spending aimed at electing and defeating specific candidates.
The sampled PACs were: Automotive Free International Trade PAC,
Black Republican PAC, Blue Dog Political Action Committee, Freedom Defense Fund, the Legacy Committee Political Action Committee, Minuteman PAC, National Committee for an
Effective Congress, New Democrat Coalition Political Action Committee and Veterans for Victory PAC.
