Pro-Normalization PAC Raising Funds to Back Obama’s Cuba Initiative
Source: Wall Street Journal
7:35 am ET
Jul 14, 2015
Campaign Finance
Pro-Normalization PAC Raising Funds to Back Obama’s Cuba Initiative
A political action committee launched in May to support normalizing U.S. relations with Cuba raised more than $178,000 in the past two months, a sign of public support for closer ties between the two countries, the group’s director said.
The group, New Cuba PAC, views itself as a counterweight to the pro-embargo U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC, which launched in 2004. The director of that group, Mauricio Claver-Carone, said Monday the group had raised more than $200,000 this year. In 2014, it raised more than $300,000 and since its founding has raised over $4 million, according to the groups filings with the Federal Election Commission.
The sums announced this week aren’t that big in the world of political fundraising – the largest PACs raise tens of millions of dollars each year – but are an indication of the surge of interest in Cuba since President Barack Obama’s announcement last December that he would move to normalize relations with the former Cold War foe.
“This is something that’s been missing for a long time,” James Williams, director of the pro-normalization New Cuba PAC said. “When we approached it the hard liner, pro-embargo side was incredibly skeptical and with this filing it shows they were wrong. People who care about this issue put their money where their mouth is.”
Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/07/14/pro-normalization-pac-raising-funds-to-back-obamas-cuba-initiative/?mod=WSJBlog