Reston, VA, October 29, 2010 – The MAPPS Political Action Committee (MAPPS PAC) today announced it has contributed $50,000 in support of 45 candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for the November 2 election.
"MAPPS strongly supports these candidates. They were selected from our PAC based on their records on geospatial and general business issues, committee assignments, leadership positions, and the status of their election campaigns," said MAPPS Executive Director and PAC Treasurer John Palatiello. "This cycle, we continued our implementation of a comprehensive process of candidate evaluation, input from our members, and staff analysis." MAPPS staff interviewed more than 60 candidates for the House and Senate.
"The MAPPS PAC is a bi-partisan PAC that supports Republicans and Democrats who have records of demonstrated support for the private geospatial community and our free enterprise system, and responsiveness to MAPPS members," said G. Michael Ritchie, MAPPS PAC Chairman. "This is the largest amount the MAPPS PAC has raised from its members and contributed to candidates in its history." Also serving on the MAPPS Political Action Committee are Pat Olson and Ken Fleming.
The following candidates for Federal office on November 2 received financial support from the MAPPS PAC:
• Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
• Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA)
• Senator John McCain (R-AZ)
• Senator John Thune (R-SD)
• Senator David Vitter (R-LA)
• Senate Candidate John Boozman (R-AR), challenger
• Senate Candidate Ken Buck (R-CO), challenger
• Senate Candidate Ron Johnson (R-WI), challenger
• Senate Candidate Dan Coats (R-IN), open seat
• Senate Candidate Mike Lee (R-UT), open seat
• Senate Candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL), open seat
• Representative Rob Andrews (D-NJ)
• Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
• Representative Brian Bilbray (R-CA)
• Representative Jim Costa (D-CA)
• Representative Charlie Dent (R-PA)
• Representative John Duncan (R-TN)
• Representative Sam Graves (R-MO)
• Representative Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
• Representative Ron Kind (D-WI)
• Representative Jack Kingston (R-GA)
• Representative Doug Lamborn (R-CO)
• Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
• Representative Don Manzullo (R-IL)
• Representative Tom Petri (R-WI)
• Representative Nick Rahall (D-WV)
• Representative Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)
• Representative Pete Sessions (R-TX)
• Representative Nydia Velasquez (D-NY)
• Representative Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA)
• House Candidate Lou Barletta (R-PA), challenger
• House Candidate Rick Berg (R-ND), challenger
• House Candidate Dan Debicella (R-CT), challenger
• House Candidate Bill Flores (R-TX), challenger
• House Candidate Cory Gardner (R-CO), challenger
• House Candidate Andy Harris (R-MD), challenger
• House Candidate Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), challenger
• House Candidate Mike Kelly (R-PA), challenger
• House Candidate Sean Duffy (R-WI), open seat
• House Candidate David McKinley (R-WV), open seat
• House Candidate Pat Meehan (R-PA), open seat
• House Candidate Todd Rokita (R-IN), open seat
• House Candidate Tim Scott (R-SC), open seat
(The MAPPS PAC also contributed to two candidates who are not on the ballot in 2010.)
The PAC is the legal, ethical and professional way for membership organizations, such as MAPPS, to engage in America’s great political process. The MAPPS PAC is a separate, segregated political fund that does not use dues money. The MAPPS PAC accepts voluntary, personal contributions from individual MAPPS Member Firm principals and executives to support candidates for Federal office who support the geospatial community and the free enterprise system. Under the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), the statute that governs the financing of federal elections, groups, such as trade and professional associations, can form committees to collect voluntary, individual contributions from members in a pool, and to make contributions from those committees to candidates for Federal office. No MAPPS, corporate or foreign funds are involved.
About MAPPS
Formed in 1982, MAPPS is the only national association exclusively comprised of private firms in the remote sensing, spatial data and geographic information systems field in the United States. The MAPPS membership spans the entire spectrum of the geospatial community, including Member Firms engaged in satellite and airborne remote sensing, surveying, photogrammetry, aerial photography, LIDAR, hydrography, bathymetry, charting, aerial and satellite image processing, GPS, and GIS data collection and conversion services. MAPPS also includes Associate Member Firms, which are companies that provide hardware, software, products and services to the geospatial profession in the United States and other firms from around the world. Independent Consultant Members are sole proprietors engaged in consulting in or to the geospatial profession, or provides a consulting service of interest to the geospatial profession. MAPPS provides its 180+ member firms opportunities for networking and developing business-to-business relationships, information sharing, education, public policy advocacy, market growth, and professional development and image enhancement. For more information on MAPPS, please visit www.MAPPS.org.
