Sixty years ago, when Lyndon B. Johnson was president, electric cooperative leaders came together to create a political action committee dedicated to ensuring that rural America had a voice in D.C.
That effort became America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC, formerly known as ACRE. Supported by more than 25,000 contributors from electric co-ops across the country, the PAC has spent six decades helping elect candidates who understand the unique challenges facing rural communities and the co-ops that serve them.
“It’s a true grassroots PAC,” said Amy Lewis, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s (NRECA) PAC and political engagement director. “Its strength comes from thousands of cooperative leaders and employees who voluntarily invest in advocacy because they understand what’s at stake for their members and communities.”
Since its founding in 1966, the PAC has evolved alongside the cooperative network it serves, said Kelly Cushman, NRECA’s vice president of political programs.
“What began as an effort to help elect policymakers who understood co-ops has become a critical component of NRECA’s advocacy strategy, helping ensure that electric cooperatives have a seat at the table on issues ranging from economic development to energy policy,” she said.
As NRECA celebrates the PAC’s 60th anniversary, America’s Electric Cooperatives PAC has raised nearly $3.4 million during the current election cycle alone for congressional candidates from both political parties, according to Federal Election Commission records through the end of June.
Cushman said the PAC’s success reflects a simple principle that has guided cooperatives for generations: Local people working together can achieve more collectively than they can individually.
“Thousands of contributors, each making modest annual investments, have helped create a powerful and respected voice for electric cooperatives in the nation’s capital,” she said.
“That voice has become increasingly important as policymakers consider issues that directly affect the ability of cooperatives to deliver safe, reliable and affordable electricity to their consumer-members.”
