According to this recent story in the Wall Street Journal, the Humane Society of the United States is now using it’s “paws” to elect candidates to Congress who support its animal-welfare agenda. This movement is something that everyone in the agricultural industry should be aware of – the Humane Society isn’t choosing one party over another, rather endorsing the candidate who have a clean record when it comes to animal welfare.
For the first time in its 50-year history, the Humane Society is trying to elect candidates to Congress who support its animal-welfare agenda. After a series of mergers with other animal-welfare groups, the Humane Society counts 10 million Americans as members, an average of 23,000 in each of the 435 House districts. That’s more than twice the membership of the National Rifle Association, which is considered one of the most effective single-issue campaign organizations.
More important, the Humane Society’s motivating issue — the promotion of animal welfare — resonates with the white suburban women who could be the key block of voters who decide this election.
The Humane Society has endorsed more than 300 candidates for Congress. But it has spent money in just two dozen of the closest races where Wayne Pacelle, chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States, believes he can swing about 5% of the vote.
“Animals are a part of the fabric of our culture, so it’s inevitable that the organized network that protects animals would activate for political ends,” Mr. Pacelle said in an interview. About two-thirds of households have pets. “We can be an incredibly influential political organization, as powerful as the Chamber of Commerce,” Mr. Pacelle told a crowd of election volunteers in Las Vegas last week.
Mr. Pacelle began creating the Humane Society political operation two years ago when he was named chief of the organization. Since then, he has quietly built a formidable election campaign machine. To comply with tax and election laws, Mr. Pacelle has created two offshoots of the Humane Society to focus on election campaigns. In total, the entities have spent $3.4 million on congressional elections and ballot initiatives, more than Exxon Mobil Corp. They have contributed $150,000 to candidates for Congress, which is more than Halliburton Co. has contributed.
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