Pro-Hillary groups join forces on fundraising

by Megan R. Wilson - 07/31/15 4:19 PM ET

Two big-money fundraising vehicles backing Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid are joining forces to create a joint committee that will serve as a single stop for wealthy donors, according to reports.

The super-PACs — Correct the Record and Priorities USA — have sometimes been at odds in the past but will be filing paperwork on Friday to create American Priorities ’16.

{mosads}Both organizations are able to raise unlimited sums from contributors, so the new committee essentially allows a donor to write one large check and have it fund several pro-Clinton efforts.

Correct the Record, a group run by Clinton ally David Brock, mainly focuses on rapid responses to critiques of the former secretary of State.

Priorities USA, meanwhile, is a more sprawling organization that runs advertisements and organizes grassroots support. At the helm is a former Clinton advisor, Guy Cecil.

“If we are going to be successful, we must build a strong, united coalition that works closely together and is focused only on electing Hillary Clinton next November,” Cecil told The New York Times.

According to the Times, the two groups have agreed to funnel 20 percent of any donation to the new group — of $1 million or less — to Correct the Record, with the other 80 percent going to Priorities USA. However, if a donor gives more than $1 million, $200,000 would go to Correct the Record, and the rest to Priorities USA.

Correct the Record has been able to coordinate with the Clinton campaign by taking advantage of a Federal Election Commission regulation dating back to the pre-super-PAC era. Since Priorities USA operates as a traditional independent expenditure group, it has to keep a strict firewall between its operation and the official campaign.