Public Affairs Council

Happy election day! Council staff showed up at the polls today making their voices heard 🗳️

New Research Finds Widespread Approval for Self-Funded Political Campaigns, Individual Contributions and PACs Americans have been remarkably consistent in how they rank different campaign funding methods, reports a new poll from the Public Affairs Council and Morning Consult. For the seventh straight year, the Public Affairs Pulse survey finds the most acceptable way to fund campaigns is for candidates to spend their own money, though that strategy has dropped three percentage points in popularity to 63% since last year. Holding steady in second place at 62% are individual contributions. In third place, but with a six percentage-point gain and a score of 57%, are political action committees (PACs). When the data on PACs are sorted by political party, the numbers are striking: 61% of Democrats and 60% of Republicans now support PACs, and only 16% of Democrats and 18% of Republicans believe PACs should not be a source of campaign funding. Support is especially strong among Democratic men, of which 65% now support PACs. Backing for PACs is strong among all age groups including those aged 18-34 (55%) and 35-44 (56%). Trailing again this year are super PACs, which are considered acceptable by 45% of the public, and the use of federal tax dollars to fund elections, which is supported by only 37% of the public. This year the poll also posed a series of questions covering different reasons for a company to lobby elected representatives, regulators and other government officials. Previous surveys have shown public acceptance of corporate advocacy varies widely depending on the purpose of that advocacy. While this year’s survey supports that conclusion, it also reveals growing skepticism of business lobbying in general. According to the 2024 Pulse Survey, the most acceptable type of lobbying is advocacy designed to protect company jobs, which is supported by 54% of the public and opposed by only 18%. When this question was last fielded in 2019, 62% of the public found job-protection lobbying acceptable. In second place was lobbying to create a level playing field with competitors, which was supported by 50% of respondents and opposed by only 19%. In third place was lobbying to support social causes, which was favored by 49% and opposed by 23%. These two lobbying types were supported by more than 50% of the public in 2019. When one scrolls down the list of reasons for lobbying, it’s notable that all of them — including “lobbying to secure government funding” — were still deemed appropriate to varying degrees.

Public Affairs Council President Douglas Pinkham examines what Americans are most nervous about as the U.S. closes in on Election Day. Diving into the results of the 2024 Pulse Survey, Pinkham unpacks public concerns about the rise of disinformation, whether we’ll have fair and open elections, and the possibility of post-election protests and violence. https://lnkd.in/gmVcVNGe

Congrats to Jacob Bruynell, RCE of Greater Tampa REALTORS® on earning his Certificate in Government Relations and Lobbying! Start your path to a certificate and connect with the best in the business: https://lnkd.in/gGAb83sk

A "best of" speaker lineup at the 2024 Fall Board Meeting. Thanks to everyone who participated!

An important read. Public Affairs Council President Douglas Pinkham co-authored with joel poznansky an opinion piece in The Hill today on how associations can help defend Democracy: https://lnkd.in/eckhivkD

A big hi from members of the Executive Committee at the Fall Board Meeting this week in California. The Executive Committee helps drive the strategic direction of the Council. Thanks for the work that you do! Pictured: Courtney Geduldig, Scott Orr, CFA, Ellie Shaw, Cody Tubbs, Genna Gent, Lee Anderson, Pierce Haley, Brian Wolff, Roi L. Ewell, Douglas Pinkham. Executive Committee members not pictured: Makini Nyanteh, Greg Crist, Isaac Reyes, Maureen Kline, Jill Kozeny, Darlene Bright Rosenkoetter, Alison Weiss.

Happy 3rd staff anniversary to the Council’s Amanda Crafford! Program Assistant of the European Office, Amanda, is especially proud of streamlining our administrative processes to improve efficiency and providing effective support for events both virtual and in-person, ensuring they ran smoothly. Congrats Amanda!

Congrats to 2024 Volunteer of the Year Jessica Cooper with National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)! Jessica was honored during the Fall Board Meeting in California last night. Pictured here with Council President Doug Pinkham (left) and 2023-24 Council Chair Roi L. Ewell.

The Public Affairs Council elected Courtney Geduldig as 2024-25 board chair during its Fall Board Meeting today. In her acceptance address, Geduldig thanked outgoing board chair Roi Ewell and emphasized the importance of collaboration in tackling the challenges before the profession.