Nuestro PAC is a super PAC focused on getting Latinos to vote for Democratic candidates. It attempts this through television and radio ads, digital media, mail, billboards, and newspapers, as well as phone calls and texts to prospective left-of-center Latino voters. 1
Donors to Nuestro PAC include several left-of-center organizations such as the Service Employees International Union, the VoteVets.org PAC, the Future Forward PAC, the Democracy PAC created by George Soros, People for the American Way, American Family Voices, the Plumbers and Pipefitters union, and the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail, and Transportation. 2 3
Background
Nuestro PAC was organized in April 2020 4 as a super PAC focused on getting Latinos to vote for Democrats. It was formed by Chuck Rocha, who worked on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) 2016 and 2020 Democratic Presidential campaigns. He formed Nuestro PAC with other former Sanders staffers when he dropped out of the 2020 Presidential race. It became the largest Latino-focused super PAC in the country. 5 6
Nuestro PAC spent $10 million in support of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign and other candidates running for Senate as Democrats, targeting swing states Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. 7
Nuestro PAC is continuing its Latino outreach, now focused on the 2024 elections. 8 As of July 2024, it was planning to invest $37 million in Joe Biden’s 2024 presidential campaign. 9
Work Areas
Nuestro PAC conducts Latino outreach leveraging focus groups in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Its communications strategy includes television and radio ads, digital media, mail, billboards, and newspapers, as well as phone calls and texts. 10
In July 2022, the PAC released an ad in Spanish on abortion access, identifying this issue as one that would push Latinos to vote Democratic in elections. 11
Nuestro PAC created Nuestro Texas as a state PAC focused on encouraging Latinos to vote for Democratic candidates and defeat Governor Greg Abbott (R) and other Republicans in the Texas legislature. 12
In anticipation of the 2024 election, Nuestro PAC will televise ads in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. 13
In March 2024 Nuestro PAC joined with 23 other left-of-center organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Democracy and Technology, Defending Rights and Dissent, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fight for the Future, and New America’s Open Technology Institute in sending a coalition letter to Congress encouraging them to vote against a proposed TikTok ban, arguing that the bill violated the First Amendment rights of Americans. 14
Political Endorsements
Nuestro PAC has endorsed Democratic Congressional candidate Raquel Terán from Arizona, Rep. Rob Menendez (D-NJ), Democratic Congressional candidate Luz Maria Rivas from California, and Democratic Congressional candidate Julie Johnson from Texas. 15
Partners
Nuestro PAC partners with super PAC America’s Progressive Promise, the Service Employees International Union, the Millions of Michiganians PAC, the VoteVets.org PAC, and the Future Forward PAC. 16
America’s Progressive Promise was formed by former advisors to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) 2020 Presidential campaign and was focused on encouraging Sanders’ “progressive voters” to vote for Joe Biden. 17 The Millions of Michiganians PAC is “dedicated to building a more progressive Michigan,” with its current message encouraging people to vote for Joe Biden. 18
Funding
Open Secrets identifies Nuestro PAC as a liberal super PAC. As of July 2024, it spent $172,612 on the 2024 federal election cycle, all for Democrats. In the 2020 election cycle, it spent a total of $5.3 million, with $2.6 million spent supporting Democrats and $2.7 million spent opposing Republicans. Democratic candidates it supported financially were presidential candidate Joe Biden, Sen. Jon Ossoff, (D-GA), and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA). The Republican candidate it spent to oppose was then-President Donald Trump. 19
Top donors during the 2020 election cycle included Democracy PAC created by George Soros, and UltraViolet, and people associated with the Catholic Research Economists Discussion Organization (CREDO), Democracy Engine, the Sierra Club, Microsoft, and IBM. Top donors during the 2022 election cycle were People for the American Way, American Family Voices, the Plumbers and Pipefitters union, and the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail, and Transportation. 20
Leadership
Chuck Rocha is a campaign strategist and the founder of Nuestro PAC. He began his career as an officer of a United Rubber Workers local union, a national political director of the United Steelworkers, and a political director of the BlueGreen Alliance. 21 In 2010 he formed Solidarity Strategies, a political consulting firm that provides services to “progressive clients.” 22
Some of its clients include Sen. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Democratic aligned Bold PAC, and Building Back Together. 23 Rocha was a board member for the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, and is on the board of advisors for VoteRiders and Leaders of Color, which recruits Black and Brown leaders to run for public office. 24 He also worked as a senior advisor on the Sanders 2016 presidential campaign as well as his 2020 campaign, focused on increasing the Latino vote. 25
Rocha pleaded guilty to offenses related to embezzling funds from the United Steelworkers when he was political director there. He was indicted on 18 counts of misuse of union funds, pleaded guilty to one felony count, and “acknowledged responsibility for the other 17 counts.” As a result, he was sentenced to 24 months’ probation, fined $2,000, and barred from working at a labor organization until 2026. This information was brought to public attention when Rocha was a senior advisor on the Sanders 2016 Presidential Campaign and when the United Association donated $100,000 to Nuestro PAC. 26 27
References
- “Our Story.” Nuestro PAC – About. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.nuestropac.com/about
- “Partners.” Nuestro PAC. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.nuestropac.com/partners
- “Top Organizations Disclosing Donations to Nuestro PAC.” Open Secrets. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2020?cmte=C00744185&tab=donors
- Statement of Organization. Federal Election Commission. April 14, 2020. Accessed July 19, 2024. https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/forms/C00744185/1397230/
- “Our Story.” Nuestro PAC – About. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.nuestropac.com/about
- Suzanne Gamboa. “Chuck Rocha reveals secrets to winning Latino voters in ‘Tio Bernie’ Sanders book.” NBC News. August 20, 2020. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/chuck-rocha-reveals-secrets-winning-latino-voters-t-o-bernie-n1237364
- “Our Work.” Nuestro PAC. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.nuestropac.com/ourwork
- “Our Story.” Nuestro PAC – About. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.nuestropac.com/about
- Alicia Diaz. “Undecided Latino Voters Signal 2024 Fight Ahead for Democrats.” Bloomberg Linea. July 23, 2023. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.bloomberglinea.com/english/undecided-latino-voters-signal-2024-fight-ahead-for-democrats/
- “Our Story.” Nuestro PAC – About. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.nuestropac.com/about
- Suzanne Gamboa. “Latino Democrats: Fight for abortion rights will rally voters.” NBC News. July 19, 2022. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/latino-democrats-fight-abortion-rights-will-rally-voters-rcna39015
- “we’re TEXAS DEMOCRATS, y’all!” Nuestro PAC. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.nuestropac.com/nuestro-texas
- Alicia Diaz. “Undecided Latino Voters Signal 2024 Fight Ahead for Democrats.” Bloomberg Linea. July 23, 2023. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.bloomberglinea.com/english/undecided-latino-voters-signal-2024-fight-ahead-for-democrats/
- Coalition Letter to House of Representatives Opposing H.R. 7521 (3/12/2024.) Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University. March 12, 2024. Accessed July 20, 2024/ https://knightcolumbia.org/documents/2fvczacki2
- Facebook – Nuestro PAC. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.facebook.com/NuestroPAC/
- “Partners.” Nuestro PAC. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.nuestropac.com/partners
- Max Greenwood. “Super PAC run by former Sanders aides prepares six-figure ad boosting Biden.” The Hill. August 7, 2020. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/511071-super-pac-run-by-former-sanders-aides-prepares-six-figure-ad-boosting-biden/
- Millions of Michiganians home page. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://millionsofmichiganians.com/
- “Nuestro PAC Recipients”. Open Secrets. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2020?cmte=C00744185&tab=targeted_candidates
- “Top Organizations Disclosing Donations to Nuestro PAC.” Open Secrets. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/outside-spending/detail/2020?cmte=C00744185&tab=donors
- LinkedIn – Chuck Rocha. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-rocha-476a6276/details/experience/
- “Who We Are.” Solidarity Strategies. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.solidaritystrategies.com/
- “Past And Present Clients.” Solidarity Strategies. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.solidaritystrategies.com/clients
- “Chuck Rocha.” VoteRiders – About. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.voteriders.org/team/chuck-rocha/
- LinkedIn – Chuck Rocha. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuck-rocha-476a6276/details/experience/
- Brian Mahoney. “Sanders adviser was convicted of union embezzling.” Politico. February 1, 2016. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/bernie-sanders-union-embezzle-campaign-consultant-218567
- Chuck Ross. “Labor Union Gives $100k to Bernie Bro Embezzler.” Free Beacon. March 22, 2022. Accessed July 20, 2024. https://freebeacon.com/democrats/labor-union-gives-100k-to-bernie-bro-embezzler/