Turnout for America is a political action committee (PAC) established in 2024 to support the presidential campaign of Donald Trump through voter canvassing efforts in battleground states. 1
Activities
According to reporting from the New York Times, Turnout for America was established to mobilize voters in swing states in support of then-former President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. The states targeted include Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina, along with so-called “blue wall” states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Additionally, Democratic-leaning states like Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Virginia were considered as potential targets. 1
Turnout for America funded the Turnout for Trump canvassing initiative. Turnout for Trump was a door-knocking effort supporting the election of then-former President Trump in battleground states. Turnout for Trump offered full and part-time paid positions for Trump’s supporters to knock on doors, claiming that face-to-face conversations build support and influence voters most effectively. 2
Spending
In the 2024 election cycle, Turnout for America spent a total of $1.05 million, half in support of presidential candidate Donald Trump and half against then-Vice President Kamala Harris. 3
Turnout for America contributed $1.9 million to political committees in 2024, with $1.7 million going to American Majority Action and $200,000 going to CatholicVote.org. 4
Turnout for America spent more than $14 million on campaigning with Patriot Grassroots LLC, which specializes in politically conservative field operations. 4
Funding
Turnout for America is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and businesses. Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings confirm donations from organizations and persons associated with businesses like Restoration PAC ($2.5 million); LE GP, LLC ($2.5 million); and Extremity Care LLC ($2 million). 5
Turnout for America received some of its largest donations from individual donors like GOP megadonor and chair of ABC Supply Diane Hendricks ($11 million), chair and CEO of Energy Transfer Partners Kelcy Warren ($7.5 million), and founder and chair of Beal Bank Andrew Beal ($2 million). 5
In November 2024, RealClearPolitics reported that GOP megadonor and Uline founder Richard Uihlein was a major donor to Turnout for America. 6 FEC filings confirm that Uihlein made donations to Restoration PAC and not directly to Turnout for America. 7
People
The New York Times reported in July 2024 that Christopher Buskirk was the leader of Turnout for America. 1 Buskirk is the founder, president, and CIO of 1789 Capital, the founder and president of the Center for American Greatness, and the editor and publisher of the news and opinion website American Greatness. Buskirk is also a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. 8
References
- Vogel, Kenneth P. and Schleifer, Theodore. “Facing Harris’s Momentum, Trump Allies Plan $45 Million Ground Game.” The New York Times, July 30, 2024. Accessed January 12, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/30/us/politics/trump-super-pac-voter-turnout.html.
- “Home.” Turnout for Trump. Archived from the original August 9, 2024. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20240809171628/https://www.turnoutfortrump.com/.
- “Turnout for America Independent Expenditures.” OpenSecrets. Accessed January 8, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/turnout-for-america/C00883520/independent-expenditures/2024.
- “Turnout for America PAC Expenditures.” OpenSecrets. Accessed January 8, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/turnout-for-america/C00883520/expenditures/2024.
- “Turnout for America PAC Donors.” OpenSecrets. Accessed January 8, 2025. https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/turnout-for-america/C00883520/donors/2024?start=1&page_length=25
- Wegmann, Philip. “How Trump Voters Learned to Embrace Early Voting, Turn Out the Mail-In Ballot.” RealClearPolitics, November 26, 2024. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2024/11/26/how_trump_voters_learned_to_love_turn_out_mail-in_ballot_152000.html.
- “Individual contributions: Richard Uihlein.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed January 13, 2025. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Richard+Uihlein.
- “Chris Buskirk.” LinkedIn. Accessed January 12, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-buskirk-164b4714/.