ANA PAC Endorsement Process
Each election cycle, ANA-PAC endorses candidates who have demonstrated strong support for nursing and healthcare issues. During the 2005-2006 election cycle, ANA-PAC endorsed 112 candidates for Federal Office—this endorsement represents the ANA's highest seal of approval. Out of the 112 candidates who were endorsed, 100 won, 10 loss, 1 withdrew. This 89% win rate is ANA's highest ever!
Since the 2008 election is in full gear, ANA’s Government Affairs team want to make sure our members know the details about ANA-PAC’s endorsement process. First, federal candidates under consideration for endorsement are judged using concrete endorsement criteria, which is set forth by the ANA-PAC Board. Political Action Specialists assess the CMA’s (Constituent Member Association) support of the candidate, and gather information on the campaign required by the criteria, by communicating with CMA’s, conducting candidate interviews, distributing ANA’s candidate questionnaire to non-incumbents, assessing incumbent’s legislative records on ANA’s priority issues, reviewing campaign polling and fundraising information, and tracking races in trade publications and newspapers.
If the candidate is a non-incumbent, it is preferable that an interview with the candidate be conducted both at home in the congressional district and in Washington D.C. Whenever possible CMA staff should conduct field interviews with non-incumbent candidates using the ANA Candidate Questionnaire, and report on the results of the candidate meeting. If the candidate is an incumbent, it is not necessary to conduct an interview, however, the CMA staff or members may want to take this opportunity to meet with the member of Congress to brief them on ANA’s legislative and regulatory agenda.
If the CMA supports the candidate and the information gathered warrants consideration for endorsement, the Political Action Specialist creates a report outlining the race and how the candidate fits the endorsement criteria. The candidate is then brought up for review and a vote by the ANA-PAC Board.
The ANA-PAC Board of Trustees reviews all relevant information and determines which candidates will be recommended to the CMA’s for ANA-PAC endorsement. Each endorsement is accompanied by a recommendation for a specific level of financial support (if any). The ANA Senior Political Action Specialist continues to serve as the primary contact person for the campaign and the CMA.
ANA’s Senior Political Action Specialist remain in contact with CMA’s throughout the endorsement process and establish verbal confirmation of CMA support for a candidate’s endorsement prior to bringing that candidate to the PAC Board for consideration. CMA’s are responsible for following their own internal process for recommendation of a candidate for endorsement. The CMA recommendation and approval of a candidate for endorsement can take place well before or concurrent with ANA-PAC consideration, but is formalized with the signing of a final approval form after the candidate’s ANA-PAC Board Approval.
If a candidate is approved for endorsement by the PAC Board, ANA staff faxes final approval forms to the CMA, requesting official sign-off on the endorsement as soon as possible. Once approval is received, staff will notify the candidate of ANA’s endorsement.
If you have any questions regarding the endorsement process, please contact ANA's Government Affairs staff at gova@ana.org.