Facts About PACs Podcast

The wait for NRSC v. FEC is over — and it landed with a bang. On June 30th, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to strike down federal limits on party coordinated expenditures, overruling a 25-year-old precedent and clearing the way for national party committees to spend unlimited amounts coordinating directly with their own federal candidates' campaigns. Hosts Micaela Isler, Adam Belmar, and David S...

America turns 250, and Micaela Isler, David Schild, and Adam Belmar are marking the semiquincentennial with fireworks, C-SPAN recommendations, and a Supreme Court ruling PAC managers can't afford to miss. Bonus James Madison Episode from Adam: Consider The Constitution: Becoming Madison https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/becoming-madison/id1703405569?i=1000774991344

When Brody Mullins published "The Long History of People Stealing Money from Political Action Committees,"  we didn't just read it — we put it to the test. In this episode, Micaela Isler, David Schild, and Adam Belmar dig into the actual case data, separate employee-funded and business trade association PACs from those driving the headlines, and argue that a scary headline is best a...

NABPAC's second Hill Day is in the books — and by all accounts, it delivered. In this debrief episode, Micaela Isler is joined by co-host Adam Belmar and two NABPAC board members who were right in the mix: Trey Hawkins of America's Credit Unions and Joe Manion of the American Waterway Operators. Together, they break down what made this year's Hill visit stand out — from the growing...

Six states. One night. And Jim Ellis has the congressional breakdown. Election analyst Jim Ellis returns to Facts About PACs with his Ellis Insight on the June 2nd primaries across California, Iowa, South Dakota, Montana, New Jersey, and New Mexico. From a Sacramento race that could unseat a 20-year incumbent to a New Jersey congressman whose unexplained two-month absence may have cost his party t...

PAC jobs are moving. The market is hot, and NABPAC has the data to prove it. This week, Amie Adams — who runs the NABPAC Help Hotline and is on the front lines of member engagement every day — joins Micaela, David, and Adam to walk through the NABPAC Insights Survey and what it tells us about who today's PAC director really is. We'll look at the profile the data reveals, what the stronge...

What does it really take to walk into a congressional office and move the needle? Stacey Leavandosky — former Chief of Staff to Rep. Zoe Lofgren and a two-decade House veteran — makes her podcast debut on Facts About PACs to break down the art and science of Hill advocacy. Now with NABPAC's Democratic lobbying partner Federal Street Strategies , Stacey shares what she looks for when advocates...

Introducing Leader of the PAC — a brand new recurring series on Facts About PACs where we step away from the issues and programs to hear from the people who have built careers and shaped this community. In our debut episode, Micaela Isler, David Schild, and Adam Belmar sit down with Meaghan Killion Joyce, Director of Political and Advocacy Strategy at International Paper, for a conversation about...

The map is moving — and PAC directors need to be ready. What does the Supreme Court's VRA ruling mean for contribution strategy, incumbent relationships, and budgets built before the lines changed? Plus: with fly-in season arriving and 45 primaries still ahead, a conversation on GOTV and civic engagement — and a preview of Leader of the PAC , a new Facts About PACs series on career paths in t...

It's back — the annual PAC swag update is here, and so is Lori Barber. The Facts About PACs crew reunites with their go-to promotional products expert to find out what's working, what's fading, and what PAC directors should be putting in the bag in 2026. Spoiler: This year it's travel gear, premium brands, and sunglass straps — and if your PAC is hitting a milestone, Lori has t...

Spring has arrived, and so has the Facts About PACs crew — with some new peeps. Sharon Sussin joins Micaela, David, and Adam for a season opener packed with candidate meet-and-greets, member resources, and a timely reality check on what PACs are actually worth. 

The Iran conflict is dominating the news cycle, Congress is heading into Easter recess, and PAC professionals are navigating one of the more unusual moments in recent political memory. In this timely conversation, we explore how to keep your PAC moving when war is the only story anyone is reading.

When the news cycle won't quit, staying focused on your issues is key. A candid conversation for employee-funded and business trade association PAC directors. 

The first real votes of 2026 are in — and the numbers are turning heads. In this week's Facts About PACs , Micaela Isler, David Schild, and Adam Belmar are joined by political analyst Jim Ellis for the Ellis Insight on primary night in Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas. Jim breaks down the headline that's raising alarms for Republicans: for the first time in decades, more Democrats vot...

Fifteen years after Citizens United, the conventional wisdom was wrong. Corporations never flooded Super PACs with cash — and Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Brody Mullins, co-author of The Wolves of K Street, explains exactly why. On this episode of Facts About PACs, Brody joins Micaela, Adam, and David to unpack why publicly traded companies have stayed on the sidelines, who is s...

In a landmark episode for the Facts About PACs community, hosts Micaela Isler, Adam Belmar, and David Schild sit down with Federal Election Commission Chair Shana Broussard .  Chair Broussard is leading the FEC through its longest quorum crisis in the agency's 50-year history — now past 295 days without the four commissioners needed to issue advisory opinions, move enforcement matters forward...

What really gets Hill staff to pay attention to your advocacy messages? In this installment of Solutions in Action, Speak4 founder and CEO Joe Mansour returns with fresh insights from the people who receive advocacy every day—Capitol Hill and state legislative staffers themselves. Whether you're mobilizing grassroots supporters or building PAC member engagement, this episode delivers actionab...

PAC directors and government affairs professionals have long struggled to access reliable state legislative data, as free resources have been locked behind paywalls. State Navigate founder Chaz Nuttycombe returns to explain how his nonprofit is filling that gap with comprehensive, free campaign finance data, legislative forecasting, and ideological analysis across eight states. Learn how this tran...

John Mason is stepping into the board chair role at an exciting moment for NABPAC. In this conversation with Micaela Isler, Adam Belmar, and David Schild, John shares his vision for the organization's next chapter—from strengthening advocacy on Capitol Hill to providing PAC professionals with the data and insights they need to build stronger programs. As NABPAC approaches its 50th anniversary...

Is your PAC program ready for primetime? Eric Wilson returns to Facts About PACs with research-backed insights on what separates programs that work from those that just look good on paper. From website credibility checks to video best practices , Eric walks through his New Year's campaign checklist and shares results from real-world voter turnout experiments. Learn why outdated social icons m...

New year, new headshot? In this first episode of 2026, we're talking about professional presence. Award-winning producer and NABPAC's official photographer, Brendan Kownacki , joins us to break down the art of the professional glow up. From the truth about how often you should refresh your headshot (hint: it's more than you think) to the strategic networking moves to make on LinkedI...

Words matter—and some words need to go. Amy Showalter returns with her annual Bad Words list, calling out the tired phrases and corporate jargon that undermine your credibility as a communicator. From "paradigm shift" to "thought leader," "you do you" to "my truth," discover which terms are making you sound like everyone else—and what to say instead. As PAC...

Live from NABPAC's annual holiday luncheon, between hot chocolate refills and holiday cheer, we reflect on what makes this PAC community unique.

On December 9th, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in National Republican Senatorial Committee v. FEC , a case challenging federal limits on coordinated party expenditures. Legal expert Steve Roberts of Lex Politica breaks down why this First Amendment case could make hard dollars more relevant than they've been in a generation—and what it means for PAC directors' fundraising st...

As Thanksgiving approaches, Micaela, David, and Adam reflect on a successful year for NABPAC and the PAC community. The hosts discuss the momentum from the Insight Conference, emphasize the importance of donor appreciation during the holiday season, and preview strategic planning for the 2026 midterm cycle.