afit pac

What afit pac does

AFIT-PAC (Automotive Free International Trade Political Action Committee) is a federally registered political action committee founded in 1991 and headquartered at 1625 Prince Street, Suite 225, Alexandria, Virginia. The organization was established by international nameplate auto dealers and is operated by dealers for the purpose of protecting free trade interests relevant to franchised dealerships that sell imported brands in the United States. It is, by its own positioning, the only PAC in the country that is both founded and run by dealers with an exclusive single-issue focus on free trade policy.

AFIT-PAC's core activity is raising contributions from international nameplate auto dealers and making direct campaign contributions to candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate who support free trade philosophy. Per its bylaws, the PAC cannot contribute to Presidential candidates. Contributions are governed by federal limits: $5,000 per individual and per federal political committee per calendar year, and up to $10,000 per couple per calendar year; contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions. Since founding, AFIT-PAC has contributed more than $34 million to federal candidates and committees, including over $1.2 million during the 2022 election cycle. Governance rests with an Executive Committee, a Board of Directors, and a Board of Governors, with current senior leadership comprising Chairman Jason Courter, Chairman-elect John Connelly, Treasurer Howard Hakes, and Executive Director Mary Hanagan.

The PAC coordinates its advocacy with industry trade associations including AIADA, NADA, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Here for America, and Automotive News, and uses afitpac.com as its primary digital channel, supplemented by email newsletter, telephone outreach, and a contribute-now donation flow. As a registered PAC under U.S. campaign finance law, AFIT-PAC is a non-profit advocacy entity — not a technology or commercial product company — and its financial activity is reported to the Federal Election Commission rather than disclosed through public-company financial statements.

Name

afit pac

Legal name

Automotive Free International Trade Political Action Committee

Website

https://afitpac.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Short description

AFIT-PAC is a federally registered political action committee founded in 1991 by international nameplate auto dealers to support U.S. House and Senate candidates who favor free trade. It raises dealer contributions and distributes them to pro-free-trade federal candidates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Action Committee / Advocacy

NAICS

Political Organizations (813940)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Affairs, Government Relations & Lobbying (BPAFADAB)

Keywords

• Political action committee
• Campaign contributions
• Free trade advocacy
• Political fundraising
• Congressional candidate support

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

AFIT-PAC (Automotive Free International Trade Political Action Committee) is a private political action committee founded in 1991 that raises personal contributions from international nameplate auto dealers and directs those funds as campaign contributions to U.S. House and Senate candidates who support free trade policies. It serves as the unified political voice for franchised international nameplate dealerships and advocates against protectionist trade legislation.

Product overview

AFIT-PAC (Automotive Free International Trade Political Action Committee) is not a technology product company. It is a political action committee founded in 1991 that supports free trade candidates for the U.S. House and Senate through campaign contributions. The organization raises personal contributions from international nameplate auto dealers and uses those funds to support political candidates who share free trade philosophy. AFIT-PAC does not offer any software products, technology platforms, or digital services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Federal Campaign Contribution Program
• Free Trade Advocacy & Educational Resources

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $34 million contributed to federal candidates and committees since 1991
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA)coreOthersAIADA is the national trade association representing international nameplate franchises and advocates for them before Congress, the White House, and federal agencies. Listed as a resource organization with shared mission to educate and advocate on trade issues affecting the auto industry.
• National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA)coreOthersNADA represents the interests of all franchised new car dealers, import and domestic, before Congress, federal agencies, media and the general public. Listed as a resource organization with shared advocacy mission.
• Alliance for Automotive InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational trade association launched in January 2020 with the merger of the Association of Global Automakers and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. Provides a unified voice for automobile manufacturers on industry issues, dedicated to helping automotive innovation come to market safely and cleanly.
• Here for AmericaminorOthersMission to increase public education about the importance of international automakers for American job creation, economic growth, technological innovation and strong communities. Listed as a resource organization with aligned mission on international automaker advocacy.
• Automotive NewsminorOthersPrimary source of industry news, data and understanding for industry decision-makers interested in North America. Listed as a resource for industry information.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• NADA PAC: NADA PAC is the political action committee affiliated with the National Automobile Dealers Association. It is a direct peer to AFIT-PAC as both are auto-industry-aligned PACs making federal campaign contributions, but NADA PAC represents all franchised dealers (import and domestic) while AFIT-PAC is narrower in its free-trade-only mandate.
• American International Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA): AIADA is the national trade association representing international nameplate auto dealers in the U.S. AFIT-PAC was founded by AIADA-aligned dealers and AIADA is listed as a core partner organization with a shared advocacy mission on free trade. Both organizations serve the same international nameplate dealer constituency and frequently coordinate on policy advocacy.
• NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business) PAC: NFIB operates a prominent federal PAC supporting candidates favorable to small business. It is a peer to AFIT-PAC in political-fundraising model and single-issue focus (small business / regulatory environment), although its constituency is much broader than auto dealers and its policy mandate is different from free trade.
• REALTORS PAC (National Association of REALTORS): The National Association of REALTORS PAC is one of the largest trade-association PACs in the U.S., supporting candidates aligned with real estate industry interests. It is a peer to AFIT-PAC in operating model (trade-association-funded federal PAC) and political-influence ambition, but operates in a different industry vertical.

Broad incumbents

• Alliance for Automotive Innovation: Alliance for Automotive Innovation is the national trade association formed in 2020 from the merger of the Association of Global Automakers and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. It represents automakers on policy and is a core strategic partner of AFIT-PAC, operating one level upstream (manufacturers vs. dealers) but sharing overlapping trade-policy interests and advocacy coordination.
• National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) PAC: NAM is the largest manufacturing-industry trade association in the U.S. and operates a PAC that contributes to federal candidates favoring pro-manufacturing policy. It is a broad incumbent peer because it operates in adjacent trade-policy space with a similar political fundraising model, though its scope extends far beyond automotive and free trade.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce PAC: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce operates one of the largest and most established federal PACs, advocating broadly for pro-business policy. It is a broad-incumbent peer to AFIT-PAC in political-finance scale and trade-policy alignment, although its scope spans the entire U.S. business community rather than a single industry.
• PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) PAC: PhRMA operates a major federal PAC supporting candidates favorable to the pharmaceutical industry. It is a broad-incumbent peer to AFIT-PAC as a large trade-association PAC with similar contribution mechanics and a single-industry focus, although the underlying industry and policy issues are different.

Emerging players

• Here for America: Here for America is an advocacy organization focused on educating the public about the contributions of international automakers to U.S. jobs and economic growth. It is a peer to AFIT-PAC because it advocates for the same international-automaker constituency on aligned free-trade-friendly policy issues, complementing AFIT-PAC's political-finance role with public education.

Others

• Automotive News: Automotive News is the primary trade publication for the North American auto industry. It is an adjacent peer to AFIT-PAC because it is listed as a resource partner and shapes industry narrative that intersects with AFIT-PAC's advocacy on free trade and international nameplate dealer interests, though it is a media organization rather than a PAC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about afit pac