A major purpose of political action committees (PACs) is to raise and distribute money to influence elections.

• A. To raise money for parties only.
• B. To distribute money to influence elections.
• C. To lobby only.
• D. To publish policy papers.

Answer: (D)

PACs exist to pool contributions from donors and channel those funds to campaigns and political committees in order to influence elections. Their primary purpose is to raise money and distribute it to support or oppose candidates and measures, shaping electoral outcomes and the policy environment that follows. They may engage in lobbying or advocacy, but those activities are separate from their main function of funding campaigns. Publishing policy papers is not what PACs are defined to do; that work is more typical of think tanks or policy groups. Understanding this helps explain why the focus is on fundraising and campaign support as the core function of PACs.