314 Action is a progressive nonprofit political action committee (PAC) that seeks to elect STEM educated Democrats to higher office in the United States.
Nominally inspired by EMILY's List, the group has likewise been accused of acting on the behest of the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC and its affiliated PAC United Democracy Project in the 2024 elections.
History
Foundation
314 Action has stated that the organization was inspired by EMILY's List, a progressive, pro-choice PAC that heavily contributed to Hillary Clinton's failed 2016 bid for president raising at least $60,000,000 for her campaign. 314 Action's founder, Shaughnessy Naughton, stated she founded the group due to her worry about the election of Donald Trump and Trump's refusal to name any climate change experts to his cabinet, claiming that Trump is "anti-science." The express goal of 314 Action is to increase the number of STEM educated Democrats elected to public office. 314 Action has explicitly stated that they will only support Democrats, and will refuse to work with or contribute to any Republican candidate. Citing the Democratic Party's support of green politics, President Shaughnessy Naughton stated, “We felt we had to pick a team” arguing that science cannot remain above politics because "politics is not above bringing itself into science." As of 2024, 314 Action has exclusively donated towards Democratic causes.
2020 election
314 Action has stated their goal in 2020 was to "shame" Republicans who did not take the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States seriously, either for refusing mask mandates or social distancing. Namely, the PAC targeted donors to Ron DeSantis, Mike DeWine, and Greg Abbott to "shame" them for supporting candidates that did not take COVID-19 lockdowns and mandatory vaccinations seriously.
2024 election
314 Action has spent $1.2 million on ads backing Maxine Dexter in her bid to succeed Earl Blumenauer, who is retiring from his seat representing Oregon's 3rd congressional district. The Intercept has reported that these funds were provided by the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, which opposes one of Dexter's opponents, Susheela Jayapal.
More than a third of its $1.4 million in receipts reported in April 2024 came from a single donation from Michael Bloomberg. The group also reported receiving $350,000 from Robert Granieri of Jane Street Capital, a "major donor to Republicans in the 2022 election cycle" who also contributed $500,000 to EMILY's List's affiliated PAC Women Vote! During the 2024 election cycle, EMILY's List has also been a prominent recipient of AIPAC funds through its affiliated PAC United Democracy Project and faces allegations of acting on behalf of anti-abortion Republican interests due to fundraising issues. Both of Dexter's main primary opponents, Susheela Jayapal and Eddy Morales, allege that 314 Action is a front for Republican and pro-Israel interests attempting to conceal their involvement in the election. Bloomberg and Granieri are both strongly supportive of Israel and 314 Action's top three donors in April collectively contributed two-thirds of the group's funds. AIPAC's involvement was confirmed on June 20, with $1.3 million disbursed by UDP to the anti-Susheela Jayapal PAC Voters for Responsive Government, $1 million to 314 Action, and $100,000 to EDW Action Fund.
Founding
The organization was founded in 2016 by researcher Shaughnessy Naughton. Naughton is a business owner and a chemist who unsuccessfully ran for Congress as a Democrat in Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district in 2014 and 2016.
Name
The group gets its name from pi (π), a mathematical constant approximately equal to 3.14.
References
Notes
Sources
- "As a Response to Trump, This Group Is Drafting Scientists to Run for Office". Motherboard. January 10, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- Mukherjee, Sy (January 25, 2017). "Scientists Gear Up to Run for Office In a World of 'Alternate Facts'". Fortune. January 25, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
- Amy Harmon and Henry Fountain "In Age of Trump, Scientists Show Signs of a Political Pulse". New York Times. February 6, 2017.
- Ed Yong February 28, 2018 "Here's How The Scientists Running for Office Are Doing". The Atlantic. February 28, 2018.
- Maggie Astor January 13, 2019"An Ocean Engineer and a Nuclear Physicist Walk Into Congress …. ". New York Times. January 13, 2019.
- Emma Goldberg May 9, 2020 "Nightly Applause Is Nice, but Some Doctors Think Votes Would Be Nicer". New York Times. May 9, 2020.
- Joseph Marks May 20, 2019 "The Cybersecurity 202: These political candidates are running on their cybersecurity expertise". The Washington Post. May 20, 2019.
External links
- Official website
