Ready PAC

Ready PAC, formerly Ready for Hillary, was a super PAC created to draft Hillary Clinton for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Ready for Hillary focused on grassroots organizing and did not engage in television advertising.[7] The PAC was founded by Adam Parkhomenko and Allida Black.[8]

Ready PAC
PredecessorNone
FormationJanuary 2013
FoundersAdam Parkhomenko
Allida Black
DissolvedApril 2015 (2015-04)
TypeSuper PAC
PurposePolitical advocacy
HeadquartersMcLean, Virginia
Executive Director
Adam Parkhomenko
Deputy Director
Alissa Ko
Communications Director
Seth Bringman
Operations Director
Kirby Parkhomenko
Websitereadyforhillary.com (link now dead)
The group's "Hillary Bus"

Ready for Hillary supporters included Gavin Newsom, Jennifer Siebel, James Carville, Harold M. Ickes, Claire McCaskill, Tim Ryan, Jennifer Granholm, Ellen Tauscher, Jeremy Bird, Mitch Stewart, Omarosa Manigault and George Soros.[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] Senior advisors to the group included Craig T. Smith, Ickes, Tauscher, Granholm, Tracy Sefl, Shirley Franklin, Connor Shaw, Mark Alexander, and Michael Trujillo.[17]

The group operated the Hillary Bus tour in both 2014 and 2015, which started with efforts made during Clinton's book tour for her memoir, Hard Choices, and visited many locations.

On April 12, 2015, Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy for president. In turn, Ready for Hillary began winding down operations and, in compliance with federal election law, altered its name from 'Ready for Hillary' to simply 'Ready PAC'. The PAC closed entirely shortly thereafter and some staff members were later hired by the Hillary Clinton campaign.[18][19]

Leadership

Ready for Hillary co-founder and former Clinton staffer Adam Parkhomenko served as Ready for Hillary's executive director.[20] The PAC was chaired by co-founder Allida Black, a former professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University and Eleanor Roosevelt scholar.[8]

Houston trial lawyers Steve and Amber Mostyn and Espirit founder Susie Tompkins Buell served as founding co-chairs of the PAC's National Finance Council.[21] On June 2013, Democratic operatives and former Obama campaign aides Jeremy Bird and Mitch Stewart joined the PAC.[17] In October 2013, George Soros signed onto the PAC as a co-chair of the National Finance Council.[22] Soros also donated $25,000 to the PAC.[22]

Funding

Ready for Hillary set a limit of $25,000 for individual donations "even though superPACs may raise unlimited funds."[12][22][23][24] Ready for Hillary raised over $4 million in 2013, $1.25 million of which came in the first half of the year.[2][25][26][27] 98% of Ready for Hillary's 33,631 donations in 2013 were $100 or less.[26][27]

Activities

In both 2014 and 2015, the organization created a Hillary Bus campaign, with a grassroots campaign bus aimed at getting voters excited for her candidacy. The Washington Post ran an article noting the peculiar situation of having "a campaign bus before there is even a campaign".[28] The Ready PAC's campaign made many stops in conjunction with Clinton's book tour for the work Hard Choices.[29][30][31] Their bus also visited college campuses across the country, often in conjunction with College Democrats chapters or local student groups.[32][33][34]

Later developments
Further information: Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign

On April 12, 2015, Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy for president. Ahead of Clinton's announcement, Ready for Hillary experienced a surge in donations. Ready for Hillary filed an amended statement of organization with the Federal Elections Commission to revise its name to 'Ready PAC',[35] since federal election law mandates that "no unauthorized committee shall include the name of any candidate in its name."[36] Co-founder Adam Parkhomenko vacated his executive position to join Clinton's official campaign as Director of Grassroots Engagement.[37] Toward the end of May, the Clinton campaign acquired Ready for Hillary's email list.[38] In late 2015, former Ready for Hillary communications director Seth Bringman published a book about the organization, titled: "Ready for Hillary: The Official, Inside Story of the Campaign before the Campaign." [39]

See also

References
  1. Klein, Rick (July 30, 2013). "Ready for Hillary PAC Reports Seven-Figure Cash Haul". ABC News. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  2. Joseph, Cameron (September 1, 2013). "Ready for Hillary prepares to aid Clinton's down-ballot allies". The Hill. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  3. Johnson, Luke (April 4, 2013). "James Carville Joins Hillary Clinton Super PAC". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  4. Cramer, Ruby (May 13, 2013). "Clinton Loyalists Watch Ready for Hillary PAC Warily". BuzzFeed. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  5. Kroll, Andy (April 8, 2013). "The Ready for Hillary Super-PAC is the Real Deal". Mother Jones. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  6. Blake, Aaron (April 4, 2013). "James Carville supporting pro-Hillary super PAC". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  7. Chozick, Amy (November 11, 2013). "'Super PAC' Gets Early Start on Pushing for a 2016 Clinton Campaign". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  8. Weigel, David (April 1, 2013). "Are You Ready for Hillary?". Slate. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  9. Salant, Jonathan (October 29, 2013). "'Ready for Hillary' Draws California Lt. Gov – 2008 Veteran". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  10. Michael Falcone; Rick Klein (April 15, 2013). "Ready for Hillary: New Backers, High-Profile Endorsements Lend Legitimacy to Pro-Clinton Super PAC". Yahoo! News. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  11. Larson, Leslie (June 18, 2013). "Hillary for President lands first congressional endorsement:Sen. Claire McCaskill pledges her support for Clinton 2016". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  12. Wollner, Adam (October 25, 2013). "'Ready For Hillary' SuperPAC Gains Backing From Soros". NPR. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  13. Confessore, Nicholas (July 29, 2013). "A Bet on Clinton: If They Network, She Will Run". The New York Times. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  14. Wing, Nick (May 16, 2013). "Ready for Hillary Super PAC Gets Big Assist From Jennifer Granholm". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  15. Gomez, Henry J (November 5, 2013). "U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan signs on with group encouraging Hillary Clinton to run for president in 2016". Northeast Ohio. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  16. "2016 cash race: It's on". Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  17. Easley, Jonathan (July 10, 2013). "Former Obama campaign aids join 'Ready for Hillary' draft effort". The Hill. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  18. "Hillary Clinton 2016 campaign hires Dem operatives – CNNPolitics.com". CNN. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  19. "Fire sale: Ready For Hillary winds down". Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  20. Rucker, Philip (June 22, 2013). "Early allies, and concerns for Clinton". The Washington Post.
  21. Schouten, Fredreka (May 28, 2013). "Major Democratic donors join pro-Hillary super PAC". USA Today. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  22. Schouten, Fredreka (October 24, 2013). "George Soros backs pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC". USA Today. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  23. Cramer, Ruby (October 29, 2013). "Clinton Allies To Host High-Dollar "Ready For Hillary" Fundraiser". BuzzFeed. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  24. Cooper, Kent (October 24, 2013). "George Soros Offers Help to Super PAC for Hillary Clinton". Inside the flow of money in politics, Political Moneyline. Roll Call. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  25. McCormick, John (July 31, 2013). "Clinton Campaign-in-Waiting in Super-PAC Surpasses Rivals". Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  26. Gold, Matea (January 7, 2014). "Ready for Hillary raised more than $4 million in 2013". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  27. Walshe, Shushannah (January 7, 2014). "Ready for Hillary, Ready for Cash". ABC. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  28. Terris, Benjamin (June 14, 2014). "What it's like on the Ready for Hillary Bus (when it's not broken down)". The Washington Post.
  29. "Engines revving for Hillary Clinton "Hard Choices" tour -- and 2016 "beta test"". NY Daily News. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  30. Miller, Zeke J. "Hillary Clinton Book-Tour Overload: Just Don't Call It a Campaign". TIME.com. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  31. "Inside the Campaign-Style Ready for Hillary Bus". ABC News. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  32. "Grassroots organization gets students 'ready for Hillary'". www.northbynorthwestern.com. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  33. "Penn State College Democrats Host Ready for Hillary Bus".
  34. "Ready for Hillary?". The Peel. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  35. Gray, Amy. "Statement of Organization" (PDF). fec.gov. Federal Elections Commission. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  36. "11 CFR 102.14 – Names of political committees (52 U.S.C. 30102(e)(4) and (5))". Code of Federal Regulations. Legal Information Institute. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  37. Haberman, Maggie. "'Ready for Hillary' Workers Are Ready to Join Campaign". New York Times. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  38. Hensch, Mark (May 30, 2015). "Clinton campaign nabs Ready for Hillary email list". The Hill. Retrieved June 21, 2015.
  39. "Book documents efforts to convince Hillary to run in '16". www.daytondailynews.com. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
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