More than 20 members of Congress came to the Big “I” Capitol Hill office last Thursday afternoon for a special reception in their honor, which recognized InsurPac donors who contributed $1,000 or more during the previous calendar year. The prior evening, dozens of agents attended a fundraiser for Big “I” member and former governor of South Dakota, Mike Rounds, who is running for the U.S. Senate.
InsurPac, the association’s political action committee, supports these candidates for their commitment to issues that directly impact Main Street America, the independent insurance agency system and insurance consumers.
The fifth annual InsurPac Major Donor Appreciation Reception was one of several events during the Big “I” Legislative Conference featuring members of Congress. This year’s attendees included House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and House Financial Services Subcommittee Chairmen Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) and Scott Garrett (R-N.J.).
Along with approximately 4,000 contributions from other agents and supporters, support from these major donors enabled InsurPac to raise more than $1 million in 2013. These coffers will be of the utmost importance as the 2014 election cycle revs up.
The Big “I” team also hosted a fundraiser during the association’s largest annual gathering to support one of its own. Gov. Mike Rounds is president and CEO of Big “I” agency Fischer, Rounds & Associates, headquartered in Pierre, S.D., and is currently the top Republican candidate for the Senate seat about to vacated by retiring Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.). Rounds previously served in the state Senate and as governor of the Mount Rushmore State. The event raised more than $30,000 for Gov. Rounds’ campaign.
InsurPac uses 100% of agent contributions to support the campaigns of members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate and candidates for federal office. In disbursing contributions, InsurPac does not look at party affiliation but rather supports elected officials and candidates for federal office who are advocates and supporters of the independent agency system. InsurPac maximizes these efforts and has an impressive bipartisan track record both in Congress and on the campaign trail.