• Politics - Political philosophy - Political theories - Political ideologies - Conservatism - Conservatism in the United States - Conservative organizations in the United States - Advancing American Freedom

• ont-uid: yoobeas3

• 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization: https://secure.winred.com/advancing-american-freedom/donate/

• COMMENTS.

1.

(2023-01-26): membership significantly overlaps that of the "Conservative Action Project" ("Politics - Political philosophy - Political theories - Political ideologies - Conservatism - Conservatism in the United States - Conservative organizations in the United States - Conservative Action Project") - a Christian Right, conservative organization (like the Council for National Policy) that calls for an end of democracy.

Many of the "Advancing American Freedom" board members are also members of the Council for National Policy.

2.

Leonard Leo's network donated $1 million between 2020 and 2021 to Advancing American Freedom (source, 2023-05-09, https://www.levernews.com/clarence-thomas-reversed-position-after-gifts-and-family-payments/).

• This is the main entry for "Advancing American Freedom".

"Economy - Economic systems - Mixed economies - Social economy - Nonprofit organizations - 501(c)(4) organizations - Advancing American Freedom" and "Society - LGBT and society - LGBT rights - Transgender rights - Critics - United States - Advancing American Freedom" redirect here.

• Wikipedia article: no (2023-04-20)

• Advancing American Freedom promotes and defends the successful policies of recent years that yielded unprecedented prosperity at home and restored America's strength abroad, while elevating traditional American values.

AAF serves the Conservative Movement by developing innovative policy solutions, strategies, coalitions, and messaging that builds upon those accomplishments, expands freedom for all Americans, and hampers anything that would threaten America's standing as the greatest nation on the face of the Earth.

Source (2023-01-23): https://advancingamericanfreedom.com/about/

• See also:

(2023-04-20, https://www.levernews.com/the-leonard-leo-presidential-primary/) "The Leonard Leo Presidential Primary." The Republican operative leading the super PAC backing Florida Governor and likely Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis was closely involved with a record-breaking dark money donation to conservative legal activist Leonard Leo - the architect of the U.S. Supreme Court's rightward swing - according to records obtained by The Lever.

Chris Jankowski - CEO of the pro-Ron DeSantis super PAC "Never Back Down" - is listed in the documents as the "settlor" (effectively, the creator) of the Marble Freedom Trust, a massive pool of cash Leonard Leo is using to finance conservative advocacy groups. ... Chris Jankowski's current role with the Ron DeSantis super PAC "Never Back Down" is just one place where Leonard Leo's influence will be felt throughout the 2024 Republican presidential primary. ... Leonard Leo - who helped select and install three U.S. Supreme Court nominees as President Donald Trump's top judicial adviser - has used his dark money network to distribute major donations to nonprofits affiliated with several other potential primary contenders, including Mike Pence and Nikki Haley. ... Leonard Leo's Concord Fund contributed $1 million in 2020-21 to Advancing American Freedom, a nonprofit chaired by former Vice President Mike Pence that is serving as "campaign-in-waiting," according to Politico.

Since 2018, the Leonard Leo network has donated $1.5 million to Stand for America, a dark money group founded by Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and Donald Trump United Nations Ambassador.

"I'm running for president to renew an America that's proud and strong, not weak and woke," Nikki Haley said in a speech last month (2023-03) to conservative activists.

"Wokeness is a virus more dangerous than any pandemic, hands down."

• (2022-11-22, https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/22/mike-pence-2024-staff-00070579) "Mike Pence staffs up with an eye on 2024." Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is building out his political staff, the latest indication that he's prepping a White House bid that will pit him against his former boss, ex-President Donald Trump.

Ali Kjergaard - a spokesperson for outgoing Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse - has been tapped to serve as communications director for Advancing American Freedom, a Mike Pence-aligned non-profit organization that is serving as the former vice president's campaign-in-waiting.

Those familiar with the hiring process say two additional communications officials are expected to be added sometime early next year (2023).

Mike Pence's team is also looking to bring on fundraising aides.

The staffing additions are the latest step Mike Pence has taken toward launching a 2024 bid.

Last week (2022-11), Mike Pence released a memoir, and made an appearance at the Republican Jewish Coalition conference in Las Vegas - an event that attracted a handful of prospective presidential aspirants.

The former vice president (Mike Pence) spent the last year (2021-2022) campaigning across the United States for Republican candidates in the 2022-11 midterm elections - including in early GOP nominating states like Iowa and New Hampshire.

Mike Pence is expected to continue his political travel into the new year (2023), with a trip to New Hampshire among the potential stops.

A Christian evangelical, Mike Pence is also slated to embark on a tour of mega-churches.

So far, the Mike Pence operation totals around two dozen staff and consultants - a group that includes his former chief of staff, Marc Short, and former press secretary, Devin O'Malley, and a veteran GOP strategist, Chip Saltsman.

All three are likely to play roles in a Mike Pence 2024 U.S. presidential bid.

Since leaving office, Mike Pence has been leaning on two political vehicles - a political action committee dubbed "Great America committee", and "Advancing American Freedom", a 501(c)(4) policy nonprofit.

Earlier this fall (2022), Advancing American Freedom hosted a retreat in Utah that was attended by major donors including North Carolina businessman Art Pope.

Looming over all of Mike Pence's moves is Donald Trump, who announced his 2024 comeback bid last week (2022-11) on the same day that the former vice president Mike Pence released his memoir.

Mike Pence has repeatedly expressed a willingness to break with Donald Trump, going so far as to say Republicans will have "better choices" than Donald Trump in 2024.

And during his appearance before the Republican Jewish Coalition last week (2022-11), Mike Pence said that Republicans need to be a "party that keeps our oath to the constitution even when political expediency may suggest we do otherwise" - an implicit reference to Mike Pence's decision to rebuff Donald Trump's pressure for him to not certify the 2020 election results.

• (2023-06-03, https://jacobin.com/2023/06/leonard-leo-abortion-supreme-court-kansas/) "Right-Wing Dark Money Funded Kansas' Failed Anti-Abortion Campaign.

Leonard Leo's massive conservative dark money network is quietly working behind the scenes to try to eliminate abortion protections at the state level." ... Records show the Concord Fund also donated $500,000 to Advancing American Freedom, a dark money group chaired by former Vice President Mike Pence that is serving as his "campaign-in-waiting" in advance of a potential 2024 presidential bid, according to Politico (https://www.politico.com/news/2022/11/22/mike-pence-2024-staff-00070579).

In 2021, Advancing American Freedom filed an amicus brief - or friend-of-the-court filing - pressing the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, warning that "unfettered access to abortion" has led to "declining formation of families with accompanying increases in family instability and single parent households (many living in poverty)." This year (2023) Advancing American Freedom filed a brief unsuccessfully urging the U.S. Supreme Court to approve a Texas district court ruling designed to ban a commonly-used abortion pill (mifepristone; 2023-04-21, https://www.npr.org/2023/04/21/1170742958/u-s-supreme-court-blocks-lower-court-decision-in-fda-approval-of-abortion-pill-c).

The U.S. Supreme Court blocked the lower court's decision in 2023-04, allowing an appeals court to consider the case first, though it's widely expected that the case will eventually end up back at the high court. ...