Credit unions and their PACs were winners in the 2012 elections. In key House races for the industry, credit unions picked up three victories, losing only in North Carolina where Rep. Larry Kissell (D) lost to Republican challenger Richard Hudson. Credit unions in the state supported Kissell with partisan communications, sending advertising to members voicing industry support.
Credit union winners in the House include Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Dan Maffei (D-N.Y.) and Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.). Maffei received significant support from CUNA in the form of independent expenditures, in which the trade paid for broad advertising that wasn’t coordinated with the former congressman’s campaign. Perlmutter, who pulled away from his challenger Joe Coors in the final weeks to claim a decisive victory, was the recipient of CUNA independent expenditure funds in 2010.
