It seems the people affiliated with the Our Country Deserves Better PAC (a.k.a. the Tea Party Express PAC) — known for sending much of its money to the GOP consulting firm that created it — wants to get on the “super PAC” bandwagon.
The newly formed Tea Party Express Presidential Campaign super PAC intends to use its funds exclusively to make independent expenditures and raise funds “in unlimited amounts from individuals, corporations, labor organizations and/ or other political committees,” treasurer Kelly Lawyer wrote in a letter to the Federal Election Commission this week.
The Tea Party Express Presidential Campaign, the Campaign To Defeat Barack Obama and the Our Country Deserves Better PAC all share the same post office box in Willows, California.
Unlike the Our Country Deserves Better PAC, Tea Party Express Presidential Campaign’s “super” status will allow it to accept unlimited donations to fund independent expenditures. Our Country Deserves Better PAC played a major role in helping Alaska’s Joe Miller clinch the Republican Senate nomination.
Russo Marsh and Associates was the top vendor for Our Country Deserves Better PAC during the 2010 election cycle, receiving $668,948 of the group’s expenditures, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. After a mailing company, it’s also been the top recipient of expenditures in the 2012 cycle so far. The PAC’s website listed Sal Russo as a “chief strategist” for the organization.
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
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