Hitting Home PAC was a

527 organization A 527 organization or 527 group is a type of U.S. tax-exempt organization organized under Section 527 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code (). A 527 group is created primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defea ...

founded by Pete Buttigieg in 2017. Buttigieg launched the PAC in June 2017, several months after his failed bid for the Democratic National Committee chairmanship in its 2017 election. Hitting Home PAC was a Carey committee, also known as a " Hybrid PAC", a type of 527 organization which is a hybrid of a super PAC and traditional PAC. The organization aimed to support the Democratic Party in the 2018 election cycle. It aimed to refocus the party to place an emphasis on the message that it would "protect and support people going about their lives." Buttigieg stated a desire for the PAC to focus on supporting heartland Democrats. It was shut down in May 2019, amid Buttigieg's

presidential campaign President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...

Expenditures

The PAC raised $403,503, and spent nearly all of it by the end of the 2018 election cycle. A total of $399,267 was spent by the PAC during the 2018 cycle. Before being shut down in 2019, the PAC raised an additional $5,970 and spent an additional $10,206 in the 2020 cycle. Only 10% of the PAC's spending directly supported candidates, with a mere $37,000 given to candidates. This has led to an accusation by

HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

that the PAC did little but spend money to boost Buttigieg's image. Of the $37,000 given directly to candidates, $36,000 was distributed among 22 different Democratic candidates for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

. The sole

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

candidate to receive a contribution from the PAC was fellow Indiana politician,

Joe Donnelly Joseph Simon Donnelly Sr. (born September 29, 1955) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as a United States senator from Indiana from 2013 to 2019. Since 2022, he has served as the United States Ambassador to the Holy S ...

, who received $1,000. The PAC paid $70,000 to

Lis Smith Lis Smith (born October 15, 1982) is an American political strategist affiliated with the Democratic Party. She is most well known for being the senior advisor for Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential campaign and the director of rapid response fo ...

, who served as Buttigieg's spokesperson and subsequently became the communications director for his presidential bid. The PAC paid $27,500 to Michael Schmuhl, who was the PAC's treasurer and subsequently became Buttigieg's presidential campaign manager. The PAC's finance director was paid $34,500. A major Democratic media consulting firm was paid $28,500.

References

{{reflist Pete Buttigieg 2017 establishments in the United States 2019 disestablishments in the United States United States political action committees