ARLINGTON, Va. — NAFCU's focus on growing its political action committee is paying off.

NAFCU's political affairs department has said NAFCU/PAC is on track for its best election cycle ever. The PAC raised $337,518.50 during the 2005-06 election cycle and disbursed $415,027.08, according to NAFCU Associate Director of Political Affairs Erica Anderson. NAFCU/PAC has already broken its previous record for disbursements from the last election cycle, but is still chasing the record for receipts in the last weeks heading to elections Nov. 7. So far this year, NAFCU/PAC received $125,846.51 in contributions, more than $20,000 over 2004, a presidential election year and well over 2002′s less than $81,000, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Disbursements reached $169,509.29, $7,000 over 2004 and more than quadrupled 2002 at just over $40,000. Over the last quarter, NAFCU/PAC contributed $10,000 to Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) Senate campaign and $5,000 each to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Together for Our Majority PAC, and J.D. Hayworth (R-Ariz.). Another $2,000 each went to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Joe Baca (D-Calif.) and $2,500 to Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.).

One contribution the group is trying to take back is the $1,000 it had contributed to fallen resigned Congressman Mark Foley (R-Fla.), according to an Oct. 18 report in The Hill, a newspaper focused on Capitol Hill. NAFCU Director of Political Affairs Dillon Shea was quoted as saying, "When we learned that there were inappropriate and possibly illegal [instant messages] and e-mails sent to young [former] pages, we immediately sent a letter to Foley's treasurer requesting our contribution back." A NAFCU/PAC spokesperson told Credit Union Times the group had not heard back from the Foley camp as of press time. Lawmakers are permitted to use their campaign funds to mount their legal defenses. A similar situation has occurred with Congressman Bob Ney (R-Ohio), to whom NAFCU/PAC contributed $5,000. The Credit Union Legislative Action Council of CUNA also contributed $5,500 to the Foley campaign. "We don't have a policy in that regard," CUNA Senior Vice President of Political Affairs Richard Gose commented. He pointed out that politicians who decide not to run are under no obligation to return campaign contributions. CUNA Vice President of Communications and Media Outreach Pat Keefe stated that CULAC makes contributions solely on the premise of "Are you going to support credit unions or not?" –[email protected]