Super PAC
An independent political committee that can raise and spend unlimited money for elections, but cannot coordinate directly with candidates or their campaigns.
A political action committee established after the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court decision that may raise and spend unlimited sums of money to support or oppose candidates, provided it operates independently and does not coordinate with campaigns. Super PACs must disclose their donors and spending, distinguishing them from dark-money groups.
What this means in real life
A Super PAC supporting a presidential candidate might spend $50 million on TV ads promoting that candidate's record, but cannot share strategy meetings with the candidate's campaign team or take direct orders from them.
What it isn’t
A Super PAC is not the same as a candidate's official campaign committee. While both can spend money on elections, a campaign committee has strict contribution limits and must coordinate with the candidate, whereas a Super PAC has no spending cap but cannot work directly with the candidate.
Commonly misused online
People often use 'Super PAC' to mean any large political spending group, but technically only independent committees that cannot coordinate with candidates qualify. Dark money groups and candidate-controlled committees are sometimes conflated with Super PACs online.