American Future Fund

American Future Fund is a 501(c)(4) conservative nonprofit largely dedicated to running television and web ads that promote conservative causes and influence elections. Like many (c)(4) groups, the Fund has been very secretive about who controls or manages it. Their records indicate that they were incorporated by Alex N. Vogel and his wife, Jill Holtzman Vogel, who together run the consulting agency Holtzman Vogel. The first president of the group, Nicole Schlinger, was the former executive director of the Iowa Republican Party. According to NPR, a large number of AFF's leadership were members of Mitt Romney's 2008 failed campaign for president.

The American Future Fund received $1.1 million from the Center to Protect Patient Rights in 2011 after getting $1.3 million in 2009 and $11.7 million in 2010.

Jill Vogel, one of the Co-founders of the American Future Fund

Alex Vogel, one of the Co-founders of the American Future Fund

Influencing the 2012 Election

AFF's outside expenditures in the 2012 election totaled more than $25 million, with more than $11 million going to support Republican Mitt Romney in his presidential bid, or to defeat Democratic Incumbent President Barack Obama. In addition, the American Future Fund also ran ads targeting Democrats in close U.S. Senate and House Races.

AFF's outside expenditures in the 2012 election totaled more than $25 million, with more than $11 million going to support Republican Mitt Romney in his presidential bid, or to defeat Democratic Incumbent President Barack Obama. In addition, the American Future Fund also ran ads targeting Democrats in close U.S. Senate and House Races. The sections below detail Patriot Majority's involvement in races in the 2012 election, along with examples of ads they have aired against candidates in those races. At the end of each section, a short summary lists every major ad buy the group made in that particular race.

Influencing the 2012 Presidential Election

AFF was very active in the early part of the 2012 election cycle, stating that "Conservative and free market principles will be under direct attack in America" . On January 23rd, they ran "The Real State of the Union", an attack ad that aired just before Barack Obama's actual state of the union address. . The ad attack Obama for failing to cut the deficit and increase the supply of renewable energy, despite the fact that both were largely the fault of republicans in congress. A second ad, which aired in February, attacked Obama, claiming that "His White House is Full of Wall Street Bankers" . Several news sources including Factcheck.org have pointed out that the ad greatly exaggerates the number and imporance of Wall street bankers in the Obama White House. Later in the campaign, AFF began airing ads in support of Mitt Romney and his nominee for Vice President, congressman Paul Ryan.

• The Real State of the Union: January 15th, 2012: $150,000 [1]
• Obama's Wall Street: February 27th, 2012: $4 Million [2]
• On the Hook: April 24th, 2012: $2 Million [3]
• What's at Stake: August 4th, 2012: $10,000 [4]
• Young Guns: August 13th, 2012: $23,000 [5]
• Blame: August 20th, 2012: $692,497 [6]
• Janesville: September 13th, 2012: $200,000 [7]
• Janesville(rebuy): September 13th, 2012: $796,075 [8]
• Promises: September 25th, 2012: $500,000 [9]
• Promises (web ads): September 25th, 2012: $694,300 [10]
• Confidence: September 29th, 2012: $260,7000 [11]
• Janesville(web ad): October 1st, 2012: $482,615 [12]
• Four Years(online ad):October 1st, 2012: $500,000 [13]
• Heartbeat: October 1st, 2012: $100,000 [14]
• Out of Time: October 4th, 2012: $120,000 [15]
• Security: October 8th, 2012: $347,000 [16]
• Security(online): October 8th, 2012: $342,000 [17]
• Laugh: October 12th, 2012: $358,000 [18]
• Fed Up: October 16th, 2012: $1 million [19]
• Real Solutions: October 16h, 2012: $630,000 [20]
• A New Path: October 22nd, 2012: $545,000 [21]
• Hands: October 26th, 2012: $769,000 [22]
• Real Solutions(rebuy): October 29th, 2012: $227,328 [23]
• Party Line: October 30th, 2012: $400,000 (estimate)[24]
• Worried: October 30th, 2012: $400,000 (estimate)[25]
• Everyday: October 30th, 2012: $400,000 (estimate)[26]
• Real Solutions (rebuy): October 30th, 2012: $487,257 [27]
• A New Path(rebuy): October 31st, 2012: $1.9 million [28]
• Obama Receipt: November 1st, 2012: $120,000 [29]
• Assorted Web Ad Buys: November 2nd, 2012: $433,336 [30]
• Delphi: November 4th, 2012: $1 million [31]

Prior Political Activity

2010

In the 2010 election cycle directed its efforts at 14 "liberal" politicians that sat on committees with jurisdiction over energy and agricultural policy.

AFF has also actively campaigned vigorously against Obama's health care reforms. It created several ads targeting the bill, many of included factual inaccuracies.

In total, AFF spent over 26 million dollars in 2010 According to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, 7.3 million was spent advocating for the "election or defeat of candidates for federal office"

The American Future Fund took at least 4.5 million dollars from PhRMA in 2010.

2008

In 2008, paid for advertising supporting Minnesota Republican Senator Norm Coleman, who at the time was the co-chair of the Senate Biofuels caucus. In the same year, the group released a radio advertisement criticizing the Indy Racing League for its decision to use Brazilian sugar-based ethanol for its cars.

Funding

The AFF has not publicly revealed its funders because the tax code does not require it to do so. However, Iowa businessmen Bruce Rastetter, CEO of the major ethanol-producing company Hawkeye Energy Holding, has admitted to providing some of the startup funds for the organization.

In 2008, its founding year, AFF is alleged to have receive $7.5 million in donations. In the 2010 election cycle, AFF admitted to spending $25 million.

A large percentage of their 2010 funds came from a single source, the Center to Protect Patients' Rights, another 501(c)(4) which made massive donations in support of various conservative groups in late 2011. The Center gave AFF $12 million, about half their total budget the American Future Fund was the largest grant recipient of the CPPR, other groups to receive CPPR funds include the 60 Plus Association, Americans for Job Security, and Americans for Tax Reform

CPPR is run by Sean Noble, who Politico described as a Koch Operative [32], Nobel was hired by the Kochs to coordinate with other conservative superPACs to target Democratic representatives in 2010.

Leadership

Sandra Greiner, a Republican state legislator in Iowa and farmer, is the current president of the AFF.

The following individuals have held leadership positions within the AFF:

• Nicole Schlinger
• Tim Albrecht
• Lisa Lisker
• Jan Van Lohuizen
• Ed Tobin
• Ben Ginsberg
• Larry McCarthy
• Phil Musser

External links

• Cara Parks, Let the Attack Ads Roll! Your guide to the shady 527s who will be playing a major role in this year's presidential campaign, The New Republic, June 12, 2008.
• Will Evans, Profile: American Future Fund, NPR, August 20, 2008
• Campaign Cash: American Future Fund, Washington Post, 2010