Hundreds of officials who worked for former President George W. Bush have launched a Super PAC to support Democrat Joe Biden in his quest to oust President Donald Trump this fall.
The Super PAC, 43 Alumni for Biden, says its goal is to "unite and mobilize a community of historically Republican voters who are dismayed and disappointed by the damage done to our nation by Donald Trump's presidency.
“Our efforts will focus on engaging voters with shared concerns about the future of our country and compelling them to make the right choice by voting for Joe Biden on Election Day, November 3rd, 2020,” it says.
The group was formed Monday, according to a Tuesday filing with the Federal Election Commission. Karen Kirksey, who served as a U.S. Treasury official in the Bush administration, is the group’s treasurer.
Jennifer Millikin, who worked on Bush's 2004 reelection campaign and later in the General Services Administration, told Reuters, "We know what is normal and what is abnormal, and what we are seeing is highly abnormal. The president is a danger."
Another former Bush official, Kristopher Purcell, said, “We believe that a Biden administration will adhere to the rule of law ... and restore dignity and integrity to the White House.”
As a Super PAC, the group’s members are forbidden by law from working with or communicating with the Biden campaign, but they can raise unlimited amounts of money to support the candidate.
While Biden's fundraising efforts have reached record limits for his campaign recently, Trump holds a massive financial lead. Biden said Tuesday he will not make personal campaign appearances during the coronavirus pandemic, but Trump has already held several recent campaign and fundraising efforts.
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Trump’s reelection plans have been rocked by the coronavirus pandemic, a severe economic recession and weeks of nationwide protests over racial injustice. That’s added to a sense of urgency to build on the more than $250 million Trump already has in the bank to overcome stiff headwinds.
Credit: AJC
“There is definitely pent-up excitement for in-person fundraisers,” said Republican National Committee spokesman Michael Ahrens. “Donors are eager to support the campaign and our party.”
Republican Party and Trump campaign officials held virtual fundraising events during the pandemic, but in-person events featuring the president are far more lucrative. Trump is planning a steady stream of fundraisers to keep his campaign flush with cash through Election Day.
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Trump’s return to the fundraising circuit comes after his cash intake slowed during the pandemic. He barely eked out a lead over Biden in April, taking in $61.7 million, compared with the $60 million Biden raised with the Democratic National Committee.
Credit: AJC
Biden’s April haul was all the more impressive because for much of that month he had not yet entered into a joint fundraising agreement with the DNC, a step that now allows him to rake in massive checks from wealthy donors that can top $600,000.
And while Trump has raised a record-breaking $742 million and sits on massive cash reserves, he will need a new influx of money as he seeks to redefine Biden and bolster his own approval rating.
One bright spot for Trump is his grassroots fundraising from donors who typically chip in small amounts online. While this important stream of revenue also dipped during the pandemic, it has significantly rebounded and accounted for about 44% of the money his presidential committee took in in April, records show.
Credit: AJC
Much of that has been raised through an aggressive small-dollar fundraising campaign flooding populous-but-less competitive states including California, New York and Texas with online advertising geared toward raising massive amounts of money that he could unleash in the general election campaign.
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In late May, the Trump campaign placed a $5 million ad buy on broadcast and cable TV, according to Advertising Analytics. The spending targeted battlegrounds including Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin and Iowa.
Facebook advertising figures show the campaign has run more than $11.5 million in ads during the last 90 days. And his campaign committees have spent $10.6 million on Google ads since early April.
Biden recently launched his first major television ad campaign of the general election, a $15 million, five-week blitz in six battleground states that Trump won in 2016. The campaign includes TV and digital ads in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Florida and Arizona.
The campaign also began Spanish-language ads in Florida and Arizona and began putting emphasis on African American print and radio outlets on Juneteenth.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
