For more information see Sunrise Movement (Nonprofit)

Sunrise PAC is the political action committee affiliated with the Sunrise Movement, a far-left environmentalist organization that campaigns for the Green New Deal. It is a passthrough organization that cycles money from larger donors, such as the Sixteen Thirty Fund. The PAC has been criticized for accepting money from “dark money” donors who hold investments in conventional energy sources while decrying conventional energy. ¹

During the 2020 election cycle, 99% of Sunrise PAC contributions went to Democratic candidates. ² By supporting Democratic candidates, Sunrise PAC advocates for environmentalist legislation, particularly legislation associated with the Green New Deal, and left-progressive responses to alleged “systemic racism.” ³

Sunrise Movement

Sunrise PAC is a political committee affiliated with the Sunrise Movement, an advocacy organization founded in 2017 to support radical-left environmentalist policy. The Sunrise Movement advocates for legislation associated with the Green New Deal that would prohibit the use of conventional energy and replace it with environmentalist energy sources. ⁴ Critics of the Green New Deal have called it a “radical, top-down, socialist makeover of the entire U.S. economy.” ⁵

During the 2020 election cycle, the Sunrise Movement reported contacting over 6.5 million voters by mailing 777,570 postcards, sending 2,616,834 texts, and making 5,820,265 calls in support of left-of-center candidates. It has taken credit for helping to elect legislators who support the Green New Deal as well as President Joe Biden. ⁶

After President Biden won the 2020 general election, the Sunrise Movement co-sponsored a mandate for President Biden, demanding solutions to “COVID-19, climate change, systemic racism and an economic recession.” The mandate provided a list of recommended Cabinet picks, which consisted of left-of-center politicians who support the Green New Deal. ⁷

Criticisms

An article from the left-of-center Ghion Journal has criticized the Sunrise Movement and Sunrise PAC for receiving “dark money” that originates with billionaires who own investments in conventional energy companies.  The PAC has received money from the Sixteen Thirty Fund, which receives money from George Soros among other Democratic megadonors, and from Soros’ Democracy PAC. The article notes that Soros’ investment portfolio includes “BP, Duke Energy, Dominion Energy, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and Energy Transfer Partners,” which the article points out “own stakes in the same pipelines that Sunrise has publicly chastised.” ⁸

Funding

2020 Election

In the 2020 election cycle, Sunrise PAC received $500,000 from the Sixteen Thirty Fund, an advocacy group aligned with a network of left-of-center, pass-through funding organization run by the for-profit consulting firm Arabella Advisors. The PAC received another $250,000 from Democracy PAC, a PAC created by billionaire financier George Soros to tilt the outcome of the 2020 elections to favor Democrats. ⁹ People and entities associated with the Sunrise Movement contributed $400,000 to Sunrise PAC. ¹⁰

During the 2020 election cycle, Sunrise PAC spent $654,130 to oppose former President Donald Trump, while spending an additional $654,097 opposing Republicans. ¹¹ Those associated with Sunrise PAC spent $316,474 in support of Democratic candidates, $301,341 in support of other PACs, and $569,835 in support of the Sunrise Movement. ¹²

2018 Election

In 2018, Sunrise PAC reported a total of $28,924 in disbursements and $70,371 in total receipts. ^{13 14}

1. Jaeger, Robbie. “Taking a Closer Look at the Sunrise Movement’s Shady Financials.” Taking a Closer Look at the Sunrise Movement’s Shady Financials ~, December 20, 2019. https://ghionjournal.com/taking-a-closer-look-at-the-sunrise-movements-shady-financials/.
2. “Sunrise PAC PAC Profile.” OpenSecrets. Accessed June 20, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/sunrise-pac/C00674697/summary/2020.
3. “The Team We Need to Combat the Climate Crisis.” Climate Mandate, November 11, 2020. https://climatemandate.org/.
4. “What Is the Green New Deal?” Sunrise Movement, December 8, 2020. https://www.sunrisemovement.org/green-new-deal/?ms=WhatistheGreenNewDeal%3F.
5. McConnell, Mitch. Twitter Post. March 25, 2019, 5:18 P.M. Accessed March 29, 2019. https://twitter.com/senatemajldr/status/1110289975386492929
6. “Sunrise Movement Election Impact.” Sunrise Movement, May 20, 2021. https://www.sunrisemovement.org/our-election-impact/.
7. “The Team We Need to Combat the Climate Crisis.” Climate Mandate, November 11, 2020. https://climatemandate.org/.
8. ^[1] Jaeger, Robbie. “Taking a Closer Look at the Sunrise Movement’s Shady Financials.” Taking a Closer Look at the Sunrise Movement’s Shady Financials ~, December 20, 2019. https://ghionjournal.com/taking-a-closer-look-at-the-sunrise-movements-shady-financials/.
9. Sunrise PAC: Raising. FEC. Accessed Nov. 23, 2020. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00674697/?tab=raising
10. “Sunrise PAC PAC Donors.” OpenSecrets. Accessed June 20, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/sunrise-pac/C00674697/donors/2020.
11. “SUNRISE PAC – Committee Overview.” FEC.gov. Accessed June 20, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00674697/?tab=spending&cycle=2020.
12. “Sunrise PAC Independent Expenditures.” OpenSecrets. Accessed June 20, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/sunrise-pac/C00674697/independent-expenditures/2020.
13. “SUNRISE PAC – Committee Overview.” FEC.gov. Accessed June 20, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00674697/?tab=spending&cycle=2018.
14. “SUNRISE PAC – Committee Overview.” FEC.gov. Accessed June 20, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00674697/?tab=raising&cycle=2018.