Election 2020 Report
December 8, 2020
With the exception of two senate runoff races in Georgia on January 5, the results of the 2020 election are now clear: Democrats captured the White House, will maintain control of the House of Representatives – albeit with a slimmer majority – and will remain in the minority in the U.S. Senate unless they can manage to win both runoff races.
In the 2020 election cycle, UROPAC invested more than $280,000 in the campaigns of 68 pro-urology incumbents from both parties in the U.S. House and Senate. Impressively, 66 of those candidates won their races and will continue to serve in the 117th Congress. The list includes the leadership from both political parties, members of key congressional committees, physicians and healthcare professionals serving in Congress, and long-time champions of the AACU.
In the months leading up to the election, UROPAC hosted virtual fundraisers for Representatives Andy Harris, MD (R-MD), Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC) and Fred Upton (R-MI), as well as Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Patty Murray (D-WA). The fundraiser for Sen. Murray – the Ranking Member on the Senate HELP Committee – generated more than $15,000 for the senator's campaign.
Despite these accomplishments, UROPAC could have had an even greater impact with more participation from AACU members. When the Novel Coronavirus was declared a global pandemic in mid-March, we made the decision to cease all fundraising campaigns and in-person events indefinitely. The result was a drop off in contributions to the PAC over the last eight months.
UROPAC has improvised by being more efficient and targeted in its contributions to political candidates, prioritizing top champions like Reps. Murphy, MD, Neal Dunn, MD (R-FL) and Roger Marshall, MD (R-KS) while maintaining relationships with the legislators responsible for shaping and advancing health policies.
As we head into 2021, UROPAC's ability to effectively advocate for the issues of importance to Urology, such as reducing the burden of prior authorization, medical liability reform, protecting scope of practice requirements, and addressing workforce shortages, will be compromised without adequate support from AACU members.
Remember, every dime you contribute to UROPAC goes directly to help elect candidates who support our legislative priorities – or to help defeat those who oppose our agenda. Not a penny is spent on administrative costs, overhead or management of the PAC.
Please help reinforce Urology's influence on Capitol Hill by contributing now to UROPAC. Your contribution will help ensure that members of Congress hear our message and support our specialty, especially at a time when the primary focus of lawmakers is addressing the ongoing health and economic crises.
If you have any questions regarding UROPAC, please contact our office at (847) 517-1050 or [email protected].
