American Future Fund, a 501(c)(4) run by Republican operatives, registered its PAC, American Future Fund Political Action, with the FEC on May 7. Lisa Lisker is treasurer and Keith Davis is assistant treasurer. Lisker and Davis are principals of Huckaby, Lisker & Davis, an Alexandria, Virginia-based political accounting firm representing political action committees for Republican Party candidates and entities.
Chris Cillizza in the Washington Post reported that AFF is "widely rumored to be the most likely conduit for soft-money donations to be spent on some of the most hotly contested Senate races this fall." This correlates with what Peter Stone wrote in the National Journal a few weeks ago about Karl Rove coordinating the campaign efforts of independent groups at the presidential, senate and congressional levels.
Read on.
AFF announced this week that Tim Albrecht will be AFF's National Director of Communications:
"Albrecht has served in communications roles for a number of local, state and national officials. In 2007-08, he served as Iowa Press Secretary for Gov. Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. Prior to that, he served four years as Director of Communications for Iowa House Speaker Christopher Rants. Most recently, he headed up the Republican Party of Iowa’s communications efforts."
In February 2008, the Iowa Republican Party announced that Albrecht would be the party's communication director for the 2008 election cycle:
"The Republican Party of Iowa announced today that Tim Albrecht will serve as communications director for the 2008 cycle.
Albrecht, 30, says 2008 will be a positive year for Republicans.
"From races for the Statehouse to the White House, Republicans have a big opportunity this year," said Albrecht. "The Republican Party of Iowa is putting together a strong slate of candidates and staff, and we will be successful in November."
Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Stewart Iverson, who yesterday announced that Caleb Hunter will be the party’s new executive director, says Albrecht is another great addition to the team.
"Tim is a tested, proven communications director, and I look forward to working with him as we focus on the fall campaigns," said Iverson. "He brings a wealth of experience and will be instrumental as we share our conservative message to the voters of Iowa."
Albrecht, of West Des Moines and originally from Ida Grove, most recently served as Iowa press secretary and national media coordinator for Gov. Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign. From 2002-2006, he was communications director for Iowa House Speaker Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City. Previous campaign experience includes Steve Sukup’s run for governor in 2002, and the presidential campaign of Steve Forbes in 1999-2000."
About American Future Fund:
AFF and its affiliate, Iowa Future Fund, were registered on 8/7/07 in Iowa by Holtzman Vogel. Alex N. Vogel and his wife, Jill Holtzman Vogel, were both high level operatives for the Republican National Committee.
Given that AFF/IFF's operations are based in Iowa, Brian Kennedy, an Iowa-based DCI Group exec and co-founder of the notoriously successful 527, Progress For America, is probably managing the operations.
Nicole Schlinger, AFF president, is the founder and owner of Capital Resources, Inc, an Iowa firm that raises money for Republican candidates. Schlinger is also a former executive director of the Iowa Republican Party.
In February 2008, Schlinger and David Kochel, another Republican operative associated with AFF, registered Mission Control Partners Inc. in Iowa. Kochel is also a former executive director of the Iowa Republican Party.
In addition to his AFF association, Kochel is the president of Iowa Progress Project, the successor to Iowa Future Fund. IPP was created when ethanol mogul, Bruce Rastetter, was publicly linked to IFF. IFF president, Eric L. Peterson, appears to be Rastetter's employee.
The politically ambitious Rastetter hired Jim Nussle's campaign manager, Nick Ryan in January 2007 after Nussle made a failed bid for the Iowa governorship. Ryan's post office box was used when AFF placed pro-Norm Coleman ads in Minnesota.
I posted about American Future Fund, Iowa Future Fund and IFF successor, Iowa Proress Project, in the Daily Kos here, here, here and here. I posted about AFF, IFF and IPP in the TPM Cafe
here, here, here, here and here
(Crossposted at TPM Cafe)