The Business of... POLITICS Question. Did you get through your Thanksgiving meal without a discussion about politics? More
PAC’s are private interest groups that raise and spend money to support candidates and influence elections. PACs can represent industry groups, labor unions or individual companies. With the emergence of PACS and other outside spending groups, politics has evolved into a muti-billion-dollar industry and the spending is expected to increase in the 2026 election. Politics can absolutely impact your business. For example, new local laws and regulations can determine how a company operates and how much you pay in taxes and fees. For this reason, new entrepreneurs and small businesses should familiarize themselves with the local and state politics and the effects it could have on your business. Changes in government policies and legislation can sometimes create complex challenges for Black owned businesses as we try to understand how political factors affect our investments, growth and development. As a member of the Colorado Black Chamber of Commerce, I encourage you to consider the business of Politics. Politics has existed as long as humans have faced scarcity, have held different beliefs and preferences, and have had to resolve their differences while allocating scarce resources. Like it or not, it will always have a place in our society.
importantly without an argument? Did your favorite candidate, ballot measure or proposed new local ordinance win? Politics is a multi-faceted word. It means different things to different people. It has a set of fairly specific meanings that are descriptive and nonjudgmental, such as the art and science of government or political principles. Politics may be used positively in the context of a “political solution” which is compromising and ideally a peaceful resolution. However the word ‘political’ itself is often associated with a negative meaning. The negative sense of the word politics as seen in the phrase “play politics” has been used since at least 1853 when abolitionist Wendell Phillips declared “We do not play politics. Anti-slavery is no half jest with us”. Period. Full Stop. As we begin to close the book on the Year of our Lord - 2024, we are reminded about the business of Politics. Politics is the creation and enforcement of laws, programs and policies that control a governed body like a country, state or county. Billions of dollars were raised and billions were spent this past election season. That money was spent on educating, encouraging and energizing voters to vote their way. The 2024 election will go down as the most expensive in US history with $16 billion in spending across all federal races, passing the 2020 record of $15.1 billion and the 2016 federal spending of just $6.5 billion. In just Colorado alone, the final spending numbers may top more than $100 million dollars this year. At least $44 million was spent on state ballot issues and local amendments. More than $23 million was spent by Super Political Action Committees (PACs) to weigh in on local candidate races and a majority of those funds, about $17 million, were used for negative messaging. If you felt like you were seeing more paid political attack ads than before, you are correct.
THG is a government relations consulting firm that specializes in water and energy issues.
www.thg.consulting
Dale R. Hunter Founder, The Hunter Group (THG).
13 The Acumen
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