FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

CONTACT: Lauren Williams – CUNA Communications; (202) 626-7642; lwilliams@cuna.coop  

Washington, D.C. (Oct. 17, 2018) – Credit Union Legislative Action Council (CULAC), the federal PAC of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA), is launching its first round of independent expenditures (IEs) for the 2018 midterm election cycle. The IEs are being launched in various stages throughout the week. CULAC and CUNA have been the strong political backbone for credit unions for over 40 years, engaging in strategic partisan communications and IEs for nine elections cycles.  

“Our strategic approach involves supporting credit union champions, regardless of their political affiliation, who understand issues affecting the industry and support policies that help credit unions serve their members,” said Trey Hawkins, CUNA Deputy Chief Advocacy Officer for Political Action. 

The five candidates are supported through IEs directed at the general public but conducted independently of the candidate, his campaign, or the parties. Supported candidates and their districts include:   

• In the Indiana Senate, CULAC is spending $525,000 on digital advertising and direct mail supporting Sen. Joe Donnelly 
• In the Montana Senate, CULAC is spending $250,000 on an IE in support of Sen. Jon Tester, comprised of direct mail, digital ads on Pandora, and radio ads. 
• In Arizona’s 1^st Congressional District, CULAC is spending just over $76,000 on direct mail IEs in support of Rep. Tom O’Halleran. 

• In Ohio’s 1^st Congressional District, CULAC is spending $200,000 on an IE in support of Rep. Steve Chabot, comprised of television, radio and digital ads. 
• In Texas 32^nd Congressional District, CULAC is spending $200,000 on an IE in support of Rep. Pete Sessions, including ads on television, radio, digital, and a website, www.CreditUnionsforSessions.com. 

“Our advertising is entirely positive in nature, which helps us cut through the clutter of negative ads and ultimately helpful to the candidates we are trying to help,” Hawkins added.  

CUNA also began releasing partisan communications in the West Virginia Senate race supporting Sen. Joe Manchin, in partnership with the West Virginia Credit Union League, and in North Carolina’s 13^th District supporting Rep. Ted Budd, in partnership with the Carolinas Credit Union League. This round of multichannel campaigns are part of a launch earlier this month in six House races and the Missouri Senate race.  

Earlier this fall, CUNA launched Credit Unions Vote, a campaign focused on getting credit union members to vote in the November elections. The credit union movement fosters an environment of community involvement and is encouraging members to make their voice heard with their vote.

According to recent data, 1 in 3 Americans are credit union members and 44% of registered voters belong to a credit union.   

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About CUNA:     

Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is the only national association that advocates on behalf of all of America’s credit unions, which are owned by 110 million consumer members. CUNA, along with its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, delivers unwavering advocacy, continuous professional growth and operational confidence to protect the best interests of all credit unions. For more information about CUNA, visit cuna.org.