WASHINGTON—CUNA said it is embarking on the largest partisan campaign in its history as it works to support the re-election of Colorado Democrat Sen. Mark Udall. Described as a “credit union champion” by CUNA’s SVP-Political Affairs Richard Gose and as someone “certainly deserving” of the support, CUNA is backing 120,000 direct mails to credit union voters in Colorado. The Mountain West CU Association is also involved in the effort. Udall, who has backed credit unions in Congress on Member Business Lending relief efforts and other credit union-favored legislation, is in a tight race with Republican candidate Cory Gardner.
Separately, CUNA has also announced partisan communications in support of four other candidates as well: Democrats Kurt Schrader of Oregon and Rick Nolan of Minnesota, and Republicans Joe Heck of Nevada and Tom Reed of New York. The respective state associations in all four states are also providing support. Trey Hawkins, CUNA VP-political affairs, said the trade group’s Credit Union Legislative Action Council (CULAC) will be spending between $5.5 and $6 million on races, including independent expenditures and approximately $3 million in direct CULAC donations to candidates.