CAMPAIGN ’88 : PACs Spending Record Sums in 1988 Elections

Special interest political action committees are spending record sums on the 1988 elections, led by the Teamsters Union PAC, which has given out close to $1 million and has $4.5 million in the bank, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Some 4,000 PACs are registered with the FEC for participation in the federal election process. In the 15 months ending March 31, they raised more than $213 million, up 7% over the same period in 1986, and spent $162 million, up 8.4% over spending in the last election cycle, the FEC reported.

The Teamster-affiliate PAC, called Democratic Republican Independent Voter Education Committee (DRIVE), raised the most during the period--$5.5 million. It was followed by the American Medical Assn. PAC at just under $4 million, and the Realtors Political Action Committee at $3.7 million.

Labor unions and corporations are prohibited by law from giving money to federal campaigns, so many set up PACs to which their members, employees and others can give money voluntarily. Politicians and interest groups also form PACs to promote their own interests.

Others in the top 12 that raised the most money are:

The National Congressional Club, founded by supporters of Republican Sen. Jesse Helms in North Carolina, $2.7 million; Auto Dealers and Drivers For Free Trade PAC, a Jamaica, N.Y.-based committee funded significantly with money from imported and domestic car dealers, $2.7 million; Campaign America, founded by Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), $2.6 million; American Citizens for Political Action, a committee founded by former Young Americans For Freedom chairman Robert Dolan, which has given to a variety of conservative candidates, $2.4 million;

League of Conservation Voters, an environmentally oriented group, $2.4 million; National Education Assn. Political Action Committee, $2.3 million; Assn. of Trial Lawyers Political Action Committee, $2.2 million; United Auto Workers Voluntary Community Action Program, $2.1 million; National Conservative Political Action Committee, once the leading conservative PAC, $1.8 million.