RALEIGH – Today, Civitas Institute filed a campaign finance complaint with the North Carolina State Board of Elections against the North Carolina Association of Educators Political Action Committee (NCAE PAC). Per the NCAE PAC’s second quarter 2020 campaign contribution disclosures, they have violated campaign contribution law.
North Carolina campaign contribution law is clear that, “no individual, political committee, or other entity shall contribute to any candidate or other political committee any money or make any other contribution in any election in excess of” $5,400 per election in the 2020 election cycle (G.S. § 163-278.13).
Per the NCAE PAC’s 2020 second quarter campaign contribution disclosure they have exceeded the legal campaign contribution limit for both Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and NC Sen. Dan Blue’s (D) campaigns.
“The NCAE PAC reported making a total of $12,600.00 in contributions to Citizens for Dan Blue as of February 26, 2020,” notes Dr. Andy Jackson, Civitas elections policy analyst. “Since Dan Blue did not face a runoff election in the 2020 election cycle, the maximum cumulative amount the NCAE PAC could legally contribute to Citizens for Dan Blue is $10,800,” Jackson continued.
The NCAE PAC’s donations to Governor Cooper’s campaign are a bit murkier, as detailed in Civitas’ formal complaint:
“According to the 2nd quarter, 2020 disclosure report filed by the NCAE PAC, they contributed a sum-to-date of $6,400 to Cooper for North Carolina on February 25, 2020. In the same report, the NCAE PAC reports making a $5,400 contribution to Roy Cooper for Attorney General on February 26, 2020.
According to a statement of organization filed on October 14, 2015, the candidate committee of Roy A. Cooper III changed its name from ‘Cooper for Attorney General’ to ‘Cooper for North Carolina.’ However the committee’s ID number, STA-Co498N-C-002, remained unchanged, indicating that they are the same committee. Therefore, the sum of contributions from NCAE PAC to Roy A. Cooper III’s candidate committee is $11,800,” which is in direct violation of campaign finance law in the state of North Carolina (G.S. § 163-278.13).
The NCAE continues to bleed members as they ramp up their politically alienating policy agenda that prioritizes politics over content; the pursuit of coercive, freedom-squashing regulations and decalogues over the needs of young children and hard-working teachers.
“The NCAE has worked for years to push a pro-union agenda that inhibits families’ educational freedom,” said Civitas Institute CEO Donald Bryson. “Now, it appears that they are either willing to break campaign finance law to meet those ends or have inhibited the spirit of transparency in our campaign finance laws.”
Click here to read Citizens for Dan Blue contributions complaint
Click here to read Cooper for North Carolina contributions complaint
Founded in 2005, the Civitas Institute is a Raleigh, NC-based, 501(c)(3) nonprofit policy organization that fights to remove barriers to freedom so that all North Carolinians can enjoy a better life.
