The 2016 Committee
| The 2016 Committee | |
 | |
| Basic facts | |
| Location: | Virginia |
| Type: | Super PAC |
| Affiliation: | Ben Carson 2016 Presidential Campaign |
| Top official: | John Philip Sousa IV, Committee Chairman |
| Founder(s): | John Philip Sousa IV |
| Year founded: | 2014 |
| Website: | Official website |
The 2016 Committee is a super PAC that began as an organization to support Ben Carson's (R) presidential campaign. It was established in December 2014 by John Philip Sousa IV, the great-grandson of the American composer. The 2016 Committee was formed out of the National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee, changing its name after Carson had announced his official exploratory committee.[1]
Mission
In May 2016, when the super PAC still supported Carson's candidacy, The 2016 Committee's website listed the following mission statement:[1]
| “ |
The 2016 Committee’s mission is to raise support and awareness of Dr. Carson’s candidacy and organize a grassroots army of activists to propel Dr. Carson through the nomination process and into the White House.[2] |
” |
Background
In August 2013, John Philip Sousa IV established the National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee, a super PAC founded to encourage Ben Carson to run for president in 2016. The paperwork was filled out and submitted by Vernon L. Robinson III, a former congressional candidate in 2012.[3][1] After Carson announced his official exploratory committee, the super PAC had to drop Carson's name from the political group's title and became The 2016 Committee.[4][5]
Work
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Merge with Our Children's Future PAC
On October 22, 2015, The Wall Street Journal reported that The 2016 Committee was merging with Our Children’s Future PAC. According to the report, Terry Giles, Carson's former campaign chairman, oversaw the merger, saying that the merger was to be "much more beneficial to Ben."[6][7] The 2016 Committee aimed to focus on small donations while Our Children’s Future PAC focused on bigger donations.[6]
Support for Carson as vice presidential candidate
After Ben Carson suspended his campaign in March 2016, the super PAC endorsed Donald Trump. Sousa noted that the committee would focus on getting Carson to be Trump's running mate. Sousa stated in an email to supporters that "The 2016 Committee will now kind of morph itself into the objective of having Dr. Carson be Donald Trump's running mate," further adding "Honestly, I’m not a Donald Trump guy, [but] President Trump will need the wise counsel and moral compass of Dr. Ben Carson."[8]
Support for Carson as White House appointee
In late May 2016, after Carson endorsed Trump and acted as a surrogate on the Trump campaign, The 2016 Committee began to solicit donations in an effort to boost Carson's profile and promote him as a potential White House appointee should Trump win the presidency. Chairman John Phillip Sousa IV wrote, "The growing trust that Donald Trump has in Dr. Carson could very well mean that Ben Carson will end up as President Trump's chief of staff, the most powerful position in the White House after the president himself."[9]
Leadership
The following individuals were part of the leadership team for The 2016 Committee during the 2016 campaign:[10]
- John Philip Sousa IV, Committee chairman
- Bill Saracino, National director
- Chuck Muth, Communications director
- Sarah de la Cerda, Northeast regional director
- Tina Goff, Midwest regional director
- Eddie Facey, Western regional director
- Steven Arnold, Southern regional director
- Chris Horne, Deputy regional director/Southeast
- Gray Delany, Deputy regional director/Southwest
Finances
2016
According to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, The 2016 Committee reported $4,852,723 in total receipts and $5,349,397 in total disbursements during calendar year 2016.[11]
2015
According to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, The 2016 Committee reported $10,167,419 in total receipts and $9,412,941 in total disbursements during calendar year 2015.[12]
2014
According to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission, The 2016 Committee reported $0 in total receipts and $0 in total disbursements during calendar year 2014.[13]
Legal status
The 2016 Committee is a super PAC. A super PAC is a political committee that can solicit and spend unlimited sums of money. A super PAC cannot contribute directly to a politician or political party, but it can spend independently to campaign for or against political figures. These committees are also called independent expenditure-only committees. A super PAC is not legally considered a political action committee (PAC) and as such is regulated under separate rules.[14][15]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms The 2016 Committee. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Republican presidential election super PACs, 2016
- Ben Carson
- Ben Carson presidential campaign, 2016
- Super PAC
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The 2016 Committee, "Who We are," accessed May 31, 2016
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ FEC, "Statement of Organization, National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ Frank and Company, "Robert H. Frank," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ FEC, "Statement of Organization, The 2016 Committee," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 WSJ, "Two Ben Carson Super PACs Are Teaming Up," October 22, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Pro-Carson super PACs join forces," October 22, 2015
- ↑ U.S. News and World Report, "After Endorsing Trump, Carson Says He’s Not First Choice," March 15, 2016
- ↑ Washington Examiner, "Pro-Ben Carson super PAC fundraising off 'growing influence' in Trump's camp," May 26, 2016
- ↑ The 2016 Committee, "Committee Leadership," accessed October 22, 2015
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "The 2016 Committee Year-End Report, 2016," January 30, 2017
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "The 2016 Committee Year-End Report, 2015," October 21, 2016
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "The 2016 Committee Year-End Report, 2014," January 6, 2015
- ↑ The Atlantic, "The New York Times' Disingenuous Campaign Against Citizens United," February 24, 2012
- ↑ The New York Times, "Who's Financing the 'Super PACs?" May 7, 2012
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