Campaign-finance experts say they’ve never seen anything like U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint’s efforts on behalf of Marco Rubio.
DeMint, a Republican who has said he wants to surround himself with a nucleus of ideological conservatives in the U.S. Senate, has set up a personal political-action committee called the Senate Conservatives Fund to sponsor candidates. Rubio, a former Florida House speaker, has become a primary benefactor. Continue reading here.
DeMint’s fund, known as a congressional leadership PAC, has provided more than $103,000 in direct contributions and indirect fundraising expenses for Rubio through March 31, the most recent campaign finance reporting deadline.
DeMint’s fund says it has raised an additional $240,000 in individual campaign contributions forwarded to Rubio’s campaign, fueling his Senate bid with a total of $343,000 so far. That’s about 1 of every 20 dollars of the $7 million that Rubio has raised so far for the race.
“This is amazing,” said Craig Holman, legislative representative for Public Citizen, a nonpartisan but liberal government-watchdog group. “This is a full-fledged campaign organization that this leadership PAC has become.
