The all-physician board of the Alabama Medical PAC, ALAPAC, voted recently to support several candidates in their bids for federal office:
- In Alabama’s First Congressional District, the ALAPAC Board voted to support Jerry Carl.
- In Alabama’s Second Congressional District, the ALAPAC Board voted to support Jeff Coleman.
The ALAPAC Board considers many factors in making campaign support decisions, including candidate-vetting meetings with ALAPAC staff and board members, electronic surveys of ALAPAC contributors, third-party polling data and outreach from local physician ALAPAC contributors voicing support. Regarding ALAPAC support for Carl and Coleman, ALAPAC Board Chairman David Herrick, M.D. noted a significant factor in both races was outreach from local physicians.
“These candidates have built relationships with physicians in their local communities and a number of those physicians reached out to ALAPAC and asked for support for both Jerry Carl and Jeff Coleman,” Dr. Herrick said. “That’s a key element in ALAPAC’s decision making process in races where there is no incumbent with a voting record that we can look at and examine to see how they voted on the issues medicine believes are important.”
The runoffs for both Congressional District 1 and 2 are Tuesday, July 14. At this point, election officials indicate polling places will be open as usual, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Be on the lookout for emails from ALAPAC as that date nears with additional information on voting resources.
Board also suspends 2020 summer fundraising efforts amid COVID-19
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and its negative financial effects on physicians and medical practices of all specialties statewide, ALAPAC is suspending its usual “summer shortfall” fundraising drive and instead focusing board and staff energies in the coming months to revamping ALAPAC into a more specialty-focused and locally-driven political action committee.
“At the same time we are spending money to support candidates in Congressional Districts 1 and 2, we have also had to make the tough decision to suspend our traditional summer fundraising drive, which will ultimately result in fewer funds raised in the short term. Given the current status of COVID and practices’ financial challenges, it seems like the right decision. However, the Board and I are convinced the new approach and restructuring efforts we are planning will serve as a better long-term investment for ALAPAC,” Dr. Herrick said.