Union political action committees (PACs) dominated spending, shelling out $17 million. Professional PACs were a distant second, spending $3.5 million
NJEA President Barbara Keshishian, center, and NJEA Executive Director Vincent Giordano during a New Jersey Senate Education Committee hearing in 2010. The New Jersey Education Association, which was the second highest spender on political contributions in 2009, was seventh in 2010 spending $258,575.TRENTON — Special interest political action committees made $28.2 million in political contributions last year, according to an analysis released this morning by the Election Law Enforcement Commission.
That’s down 20 percent from the $35.4 million they donated in 2009. But that’s because 2010 was a quiet year for state-level races, with only a couple state legislative elections on the ballot. In 2009, there was a gubernatorial race and all 80 seats in the state Assembly were up for election.
Union political action committees (PACs) dominated spending, shelling out $17 million. Professional PACs were a distant second, spending $3.5 million.
The highest spending PAC belonged to the State Carpenters Non-Partisan Political Education Committee, which spent $476,385 – mostly on county or local level races. The New Jersey Education Association, which was the second highest spender in 2009, was seventh, having spent $258,575 – about half on legislative elections and half on county and local races.
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