American Crossroads has spent $43.5 million supporting Republican candidates, including $25.3 million for ads opposing President Obama. It has raised $56.8 million for the 2012 campaign cycle, as of Oct. 4, with millions in reserve for the last weeks of the campaign.
The group is lead by GOP mainstays like Mike Duncan, who was chairman, treasurer, and general counsel of the Republican National Committee, and Carl Forti former deputy campaign manager for Romney in 2008 and cofounder of Restore Our Future. Karl Rove, a leading GOP strategist and top aide in the George W. Bush administration, is the group's cofounder and adviser.
In addition, Crossroads GPS – its affiliate group, organized under section 501(c) of the tax code, also founded by Mr. Rove – has spent another $20.9 million to build public support for conservative policy over the current current campaign cycle. Together, the two organizations have spent $51.6 million on TV ads, 100 percent of which have been negative. They have targeted presidential battleground markets, as well as Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, and Montana.
American Crossroads endorses no particular candidate on its website, but has supported Republican candidates in New York, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico, as well as spending $97,500 in support of Romney. It still has some $27 million in reserve, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The largest donor to American Crossroads has been Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons and his company Contran Corp. Mr. Simmons has donated $6 million to American Crossroads, and overall Contran Corp has given $13 million. Simmons has been a major contributor to conservative candidates, including Newt Gingrich, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) of Minnesota, Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona, and Gov. Rick Perry (R) of Texas.
