Don’t trust the name on the PAC

To manipulate voter perception, political action committees are adopting names that signal the opposite political goals from what those groups intend. And research shows the strategy is working.

By: Brian Sheppard, Seton Hall University and Andrew Moshirnia, Monash University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 12, 2026

Words: 1,409

Last Updated: 6 days, 6 hours ago

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By Brian Sheppard, Seton Hall University and Andrew Moshirnia, Monash University

Political action committees are responsible for nearly two-thirds of all federal election funding, with about US$6.3 billion raised and $4.8 billion spent since January 2025. But their outsized political influence does not just come from their wallets. It’s also generated from their names.

Political strategists are adopting PAC names that signal the opposite political goals from what those organizations truly intend. They …

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