Among the best-known independent expenditure groups attempting to shape the November election is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which has decided that defeating California Sen. Barbara Boxer is in the best interests of its 3 million business members.
A recent Chamber filing with the Federal Election Commission reports spending more than $1 million on an independent expenditure TV ad criticizing the Democrat, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. As a 501©(6) tax-exempt organization, the Chamber is not required to publicly identify its contributors.
The 30-second spot, entitled “28 Years” for Boxer’s time in Congress, claims she voted to add trillions of dollars to the national debt, piled up record deficits, and raised taxes. Viewers are urged to call Boxer’s Sacramento office to tell her “Californians need jobs, not bigger deficits.”
The Chamber’s president and CEO lists his own Washington career as spanning more than 26 years, according to his online biography. And the Chamber’s legislative scorecard credits Boxer with a 46 percent pro-business voting record in 2009, meaning she voted with the group almost half of the time.
Among the votes Boxer cast with the Chamber’s encouragement: her support for the economic stimulus bill that many Republican critics have suggested helped run up the deficit and debt.
Rose Kapolczynski, campaign manager for Boxer, told the Center “Yet again, an out-of-state group is attacking Senator Boxer Barbara with false and misleading charges. In fact, Senator Boxer voted for the largest middle class tax cut in history and fought hard to protect seniors’ Medicare benefits.”
J.P. Fielder, a spokesman for the Chamber, said the organization takes issue not with her stimulus support but with her vote for the 2010 federal budget. He also noted that Boxer’s 2009 pro-Chamber voting was higher than her career total, which he said averaged about 30 percent.
Ad Title: 28 Years
Paid for By: U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Cost: $1,173,625
Disclaimer: Paid for by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce www.uschamber.com and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is responsible for the content of this advertising.