rpac

RPAC 2023 Investors

In 2023, RPAC dollars were used to identify candidates at the local, state, and national levels who will work with REALTORS® to support our mission of promoting and protecting homeownership. Locally, RSCK endorsed four candidates for City Council and two candidates for USD259 School Board, all of which were supported in their campaigns with RPAC funds. Every single candidate we supported won their election in November and we are confident that these candidates will work with us to make the region a great place to live while keeping property taxes low for our most vulnerable populations.

In addition to candidate interviews, endorsements, and campaign contributions, funds from RPAC were used to support many REALTOR® Party initiatives locally. In fact, over $40,000 in grant funding was secured by RSCK to host activities and initiatives such as the At Home with Diversity course, Implicit Bias courses, the Greater Wichita Housing Conference and Reception, several RPAC fundraising events, and a DEI Strategic Plan for the association. These intentional and strategic initiatives are sponsored by voluntary investments from REALTORS® that understand the value of giving back to their communities.

Finally, our greatest legislative win in 2023 was the input provided to the City of Wichita and implemented into the newly adopted ordinance on Short Term Rentals. Utilizing a program from the REALTOR® Party (RPAC funded), RSCK submitted the draft ordinance for expert legal analysis from Robinson & Cole and was provided talking points and suggested revisions that we were able to provide to the City and delay the approving vote until it could be further evaluated. Through this program, we were able to provide valuable input to the law-writing process, find a right-size solution that protects both property owners and neighborhoods, and further establish RSCK as a preeminent organization for land-use regulations. The total benefit received by RSCK for this program was over $15,000.

As always, RPAC will be monitoring the upcoming elections in 2024, particularly for Sedgwick County Commission. We remain vigilant in tracking and addressing regulatory issues locally and at the state level. For questions about the impact that RPAC has in Topeka and D.C., please contact Mark Tomb, VP of Governmental Affairs at KAR (mark@kansasrealtor.com).

  • Gentry Thiesen, Government Affairs Director

WHY SHOULD YOU INVEST IN RPAC?

The REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) is your best investment to influence the long-term growth and stability of the real estate industry. We support and educate pro-REALTOR® candidates on legislative issues that impact your business the most at all levels of government. When REALTORS® support and strengthen RPAC, the real estate industry derives three distinct benefits:

  • RPAC gives our industry a way to support candidates who understand our business and share our views on legislation affecting real estate. As elected officials, their votes on our issues are more likely to be supportive of our industry.
  • RPAC contributions give us access to the lawmakers whom we have supported. Access does not mean that we can buy a lawmaker’s vote; it simply means that we will have an opportunity to state our case to a lawmaker who is willing to remain open-minded and uncommitted until he or she has heard our position.
  • RPAC also gives our industry political credibility. In politics, credibility means we can hold lawmakers accountable for their actions. If lawmakers support our views, RPAC gives us a way to help them when they need our support at election time. Decisions on contributions for candidates are based on an individual’s voting record, not party affiliations. It is a candidate’s demonstration of support for REALTOR® issues that lead to an RPAC contribution.

Think about some of the following issues:

  • Protecting Private Property Rights
  • Mortgage Interest Deduction
  • Property Tax
  • Mortgage Financing
  • Flood Insurance
  • Qualified as "Essential" during COVID Pandemic

WHAT IS THE REALTOR® PARTY?

The REALTOR® Party is about REALTORS® working together to VOTE, ACT and INVEST to protect the Dream of Home Ownership, to build vibrant communities, and to promote a strong U.S. economy.

  • Vote - REALTORS® working together to protect REALTOR® interests by voting and educating voters about issues that affect property owners.
  • Act - REALTORS® working together in support of policies and regulations that promote homeownership and the real estate industry.
  • Invest - REALTORS® working together to contribute to candidates who support REALTORS® and private property rights.

 RPAC History

In 1969, the National Association of REALTORS® formed the Real Estate Political Action Committee to increase the political involvement and influence of its membership. REPAC was maintained and operated separately from NAR. REPAC solicited voluntary contributions from NAR members and pooled the funds to collectively contribute to candidates running for public office.

In 1974, the REPAC was changed to the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) and was made an unincorporated, non-profit, bipartisan standing committee for the National Association of REALTORS®. By 1979, the national RPAC was the largest PAC in the United States in terms of contributions to federal candidates. By 1982, all 50 states and the District of Columbia had executed a cooperative agreement with national RPAC and had state RPACs in operation.

Today, the national RPAC remains an effective legislative advocate for the real estate industry and for the interest of property ownership. Based on the 2002 and 2004 election cycles, RPAC ranked 1st in total campaign contributions to candidates among all political action committees. In addition, NAR was named the 9th most powerful interest group in Fortune magazine’s “Washington Power 25” list, which measured the power and effectiveness of 120 interest groups, labor unions, and trade associations nationwide. NAR’s success today may be attributed to grassroots strength and contributions from embers like you.

INVEST IN RPAC

Thank you for your interest in investing in the REALTOR® Political Action Committee (RPAC).

Follow these steps to invest in RPAC or to check your current contributions:

  1. Visit the RSCK RPAC Investment Website and log in using your member NRDS ID.
  2. Once logged in choose the current PAC cycle you'd like to invest in.
  3. Fill out the information on the page and then click Process Investment.