Names in the News: American Insurance Association

Publication Date: June 2005

Publisher: National Institute on Money in State Politics (U.S.)

Author(s): Rachel Weiss

Research Area: Politics

Type: Report

Abstract:

The American Insurance Association (AIA), the leading trade group of property-casualty insurance companies and a powerful lobby in Washington, D.C., is also a political force on the state-level.

The association has given more than $2 million to state-level political candidates and party committees since the 2000 election cycle. In 2004, AIA also gave $455,000 to a pair of organizations committed to limiting the liability of businesses in lawsuits. Both groups ran television ads in Supreme Court races that drew national attention for the unusual amounts of money raised and spent by groups unaffiliated with the candidates.

Although the American Insurance Association has been an active political donor for years, this report looks at only the $2 million given in the past three election cycles, when the Institute began collecting contribution data from all 50 states. The period includes state elections held in 1999 through 2004.