{{advert|date=October 2014}} {{Infobox organization | name = BIPAC | logo = BIPAC-Logo-CMYK.jpg | website = [http://www.bipac.org/ bipac.org] | location = Washington D.C. | key_people = Timothy Riordan (President & CEO) | region_served = United States | focus = Business in politics | founded = 1963 }}
'''BIPAC''' ('''Business-Industry Political Action Committee''') is a political organization that was founded in 1963,<ref name="BIPAC - Who We Are">[https://www.bipac.org/about-us/ "BIPAC.org - Who Are We"]</ref> with the stated goal of electing "business-friendly" candidates. It was one of the first political action committees in America.
It primarily endorses Republican candidates, but also endorses some Democratic candidates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bipacaction.com/2024-endorsements|title=2024 Endorsements}}</ref>
==History== BIPAC was founded in 1963 as “a political action arm for American business and industry”.<ref name="Harvard Business Review">[http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/11/study-employees-want-employers/ "Harvard Business Review - Study: Employees Want Employers to Talk Politics" November 2, 2012 ]</ref>
In August 1963, members of the business community provided seed funding to establish BIPAC with the goal of electing "business-friendly" candidates.<ref name="brokers">[https://books.google.com/books?id=-1cfAJVCyxsC ''Political brokers: money, organizations, power, and people'' by Judith G Smith, publisher Liveright, New York, 1972.] Chapter 5 "Business-Industry Political Action Committee" by Jonathan Cottin, discusses the origins of the group and its activities through 1970.</ref> The group is not officially affiliated with either political party.<ref name="brokers"/><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/keyraces98/stories/key061198.htm "GOP Angers Big Business on Key Issues" (June 21, 1998) Washington Post]</ref><ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/campaigns/keyraces98/stories/keybiz070898.htm "Business, GOP Chiefs Reconcile on Agenda" (July 8, 1998) Washington Post]</ref><ref name="Business Communications in a Post-Partisan Era">[http://www.levick.com/index.php?action=show_item&item_id=26&type_name=newsletter&id=995 Business Communications in a Post-Partisan Era]</ref><ref name="BIPAC Finalizes Candidate Endorsements">[http://www.bipac.net/page.asp?chk=jClXnU&content=news-release-100810&g=BIPAC_PUBLIC List of BIPAC's Candidate endorsements for 2010]</ref>
==Operations==
Several distinct legal entities operate within the framework of BIPAC: * The Business Institute for Political Analysis is the operations and administrative core of BIPAC. The Institute is a membership organization that does not lobby Congress on issues.<ref name="Source Watch page on BIPAC">[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Business_Industry_Political_Action_Committee Source Watch page on BIPAC]</ref> * The Action Fund is the non-connected political action committee of BIPAC, as recognized by the Federal Election Commission. Contributions to the Action Fund can come from individuals and other PACs, but not from corporations.<ref name="Source Watch page on BIPAC" /> * BIPAC's Prosperity Project (P2) promotes pro-business politicians to their employees.<ref name="Business Lobby: We Will Outgun Unions By 2010" /> BIPAC's affiliated state deployment partners (those who officially host the Prosperity Project grassroots initiative in each state) include state Chambers of Commerce.<ref name="Business Lobby: We Will Outgun Unions By 2010">{{Cite web |url=http://undertheinfluence.nationaljournal.com/2009/02/business-lobby-sets-ambitious.php |title="Business Lobby: We Will Outgun Unions By 2010" |access-date=2010-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101121134553/http://undertheinfluence.nationaljournal.com/2009/02/business-lobby-sets-ambitious.php |archive-date=2010-11-21 |url-status=dead }}</ref> * The Friends of Adam Smith was established in November 2000 by the Board of Directors of BIPAC along with many of its members. It is charged to research and promote the link between politics, public policy, and economic freedom.<ref name="Friends of Adam Smith Foundation">[http://friendsofadamsmith.org "Friends of Adam Smith Foundation"]</ref>
== Initiatives == Employees Vote is a get out the vote initiative to encourage private-sector U.S. employees to vote. Employees Vote provides businesses and trade groups.<ref name="Bloomberg BusinessWeek">[https://web.archive.org/web/20140523232556/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-05-20/businesses-become-voter-turnout-machines-to-stomp-tea-party-wins "Bloomberg Businessweek, "Businesses Turn Out Workers’ Votes to Stomp Tea Party"]</ref>
==References== <references />
==External links== * [http://www.bipac.net/bipac_public/initial.asp Official public website of BIPAC] * {{cite news |url=http://pennbusinessdaily.com/stories/510549152-bipac-taps-former-pennsylvania-congressman-to-be-ceo |title=BIPAC taps former Pennsylvania congressman to be CEO |publisher=Pennsylvania Business Daily |date=June 12, 2015 |access-date=June 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150625195156/http://pennbusinessdaily.com/stories/510549152-bipac-taps-former-pennsylvania-congressman-to-be-ceo |archive-date=June 25, 2015 |url-status=dead }} * {{cite news |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/10/bipac_how_the_business_industry_political_action_committee_teaches_corporate.html |title=Office Politics: Inside the PAC teaching corporate America how to make its employees vote for the right candidates and causes |first=Spencer |last=Woodman |publisher=Slate |date=October 15, 2014}}
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Category:Political advocacy groups in the United States Category:American organizations established in 1963