Hoping to tap into political action committee funds that are collected in Arizona but are often spent outside the state, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce has launched a PAC to promote the election of pro-business candidates for the Legislature.

Farrell Quinlan, vice president of the state chamber, said Arizona is home to numerous subsidiaries of companies that are headquartered outside the state. Many of those companies have political action committees that collect contributions from employers.

“Until now, there hasn’t been much of an avenue for those funds that are collected in Arizona to be used in Arizona,” Mr. Quinlan said. “That money then ends up being used in California and other states. BizPAC gives these companies an opportunity to have a critical impact here in Arizona.”

Under state law, so-called independent expenditure committees are not subject to the limits on contributions from individuals that candidates’ campaign committees are. Individuals and other political action committees may make unlimited contributions to PACs, although contributions cannot be accepted from corporations. As with candidates’ campaign committees, political action committees must report contributions and expenditures to the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.

PAC Has Raised $20,000

As of Feb. 24, when Mr. Quinlan spoke to Arizona Capitol Times, BizPAC had raised or received pledges of about $20,000. “We hope to raise funds somewhere around the high five-figure mark, although we’ll take all we can get,” Mr. Quinlan said.

“We want to spend the money helping to get pro-business candidates elected, and, in the case where voters may have a choice among pro-business candidates, to pick the best,” Mr. Quinlan said. He declined to identify any particular district or candidates.

“The chamber has traditionally identified the best pro-business bills in the Legislature, and tracks who votes for those bills, so you get a pretty good idea during the session who the best business candidates are,” Mr. Quinlan said. “The chamber also surveys all candidates on business issues. We will continue those efforts. When the session ends and the filing deadline [for candidacies] rolls around in June, then we’ll take the next step of deciding where to invest our funds to promote the best candidates in a few key races.”

Looking At District Races

Because of the continuing legal battle over legislative district lines, BizPAC might be forced to increase the number of races in which it takes a stand.

The founders of BizPAC, who include Wells Fargo Vice President David Howell, originally intended to promote legislative candidates in “two or three districts where there might be close races,” Mr. Quinlan said. But if a new map is drawn that creates more competitive districts, BizPAC may have to spread its funding around to more races.

The PAC won’t be spending money that advocates the defeat of any candidate, Mr. Quinlan said.

“We’re not even making a pledge to support all pro-business candidates,” Mr. Quinlan said. “Frankly, many of them won’t need our help getting elected. We’ll concentrate our efforts on those districts where the outcome might be close.”

BizPAC will look at each legislative district before deciding on a medium for its message, Mr. Quinlan said. “We might use newspaper ads, direct mail or phone banks. In the Phoenix area, radio advertising is pretty expensive, but you can get it much cheaper in rural areas where a lot more people may be tuning in. So we want to make the best use of the dollars that we can.”

BizPAC hasn’t yet named its entire board, which Mr. Quinlan said would probably number fewer than 12 people. —