TRENTON, NJ — Political-action committees set up by labor unions, professional and trade associations, and other special interests spent a record $35.3 million on New Jersey elections last year, according to a report released yesterday.
The analysis by the state’s Election Law Enforcement Commission showed that labor unions were the biggest PAC spenders, with a total outlay of $24 million last year.
The nearly $10 million spending increase by special-interest PACs from the prior year compares with a $6.4 million jump in 2005, the previous gubernatorial election.
Commission Executive Director Jeff Brindle said pay-to-play laws restricting donations from contractors may have had unintended effects.
“With a large falloff in contributions from contractors, one consequence is that many candidates may be more dependent on other special-interest groups to fund their New Jersey campaigns,” Brindle said.
Twenty of the top 25 PAC contributors were established by labor unions.
Of the total amount contributed to individual legislators’ campaigns, 11 percent came from the top 25 PACs, the report showed.
The number of special-interest PACs has also grown. The figure stood at 587 as of June, a net gain of 63 in the four years between governor’s races. They include committees created by ideological groups like those supporting gun rights, civic associations, individual businesses, and trade associations representing groups like car dealers or medical professionals.
“We suspect there is a growing number of so-called special-interest PACs in recent years that . . . appear to be appendages of parties or candidates,” Brindle said.