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Let Freedom Ring, Inc.

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Let Freedom Ring, Inc.
Formation2004
TypeNon-profit, public policy think tank
HeadquartersWilmington, Delaware, U.S.
President
Colin A. Hanna
Revenue (2022)
$0[1]
Expenses (2022)$1540[1]
Websiteletfreedomringusa.com

Let Freedom Ring, Inc. is an American conservative advocacy organization. It is organized as a 501(c)(4) entity, and in 2014 created a super PAC.[2] Let Freedom Ring has Colin Hanna as its president and has employed Timothy Goeglein as a consultant.[3]

Organization

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Let Freedom Ring was founded in 2004 with a $1 million donation from John Templeton Jr., President of the John Templeton Foundation.[2] Hanna is a former County Commissioner in Chester County, Pennsylvania,[4] and is an evangelical Episcopalian.[5] In his role as president of the organization, Hanna has written on issues including a fence on the southern border, work visas, copyright, protest art of the tea party movement,[6][7] the navy,[8] the Iran deal,[9] recipients of Weyrich Awards,[10] Trump 2016 campaign issues,[11][12][13] and taxation.

In 2014, Let Freedom Ring funded a super PAC called Key Questions, Key Answers that ran attack ads against Tom Wolf in Pennsylvania.[14]

Activities

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Let Freedom Ring promotes conservative ideals within the Republican party and opposes liberal ideals of the Democratic party.

Presidency of George W. Bush

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Let Freedom Ring promoted George W. Bush to religious conservative voters in 2004.[15] Let Freedom Ring supported the neo-conservative agenda led by President George W. Bush, including advocating for a fence along the U.S.–Mexico border.[3][16] It advocated for Ohio's ban on same-sex marriage in 2004.[17]

Presidency of Barack Obama

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Let Freedom Ring ran attack ads against Obama in 2008.[3] It was involved in organizing the nationwide Tea Party movement protests on April 15, 2009, in part by sending out robocalls to potential participants the day before.[18] The organization received some signatures from Senators, on a pledge to give voters an opportunity to read Obamacare, and read it themselves, before voting on the bill.[19] Hanna, its president, said the treatment by the media of the topic of domestic terrorism, in particular renewed coverage of Timothy McVeigh in 2010, was being politicized.[20][21] As the broader right-wing opposition to the Obama administration unified, the organization supported the election of politicians associated with the Tea Party movement in 2010 and later years.[22][23][24] During 2011, it worked with tea-party-affiliated politicians and activists to oppose increasing the debt ceiling.[25]

During the 2012 election cycle, the organization worked with other groups to get signatures from all major contenders for the Republican nominee in support of a balanced budget amendment, along with a campaign promise to cut federal spending if elected.[4][26] It signed the Mount Vernon statement with other conservative activist groups.[27] It continued to oppose the Obama administration during his second term,[28] and also continued to support religious causes.[29]

The organization worked with Marco Rubio on immigration reform during 2013.[30] In 2013, it opposed the Karl Rove-backed American Crossroads within the context of the Republican party primaries and caucuses,[31] as well as criticized the congressional leadership John Boehner and Steve Scalise over the firing of RSC staffer Paul Teller,[32] despite being initially tentatively supportive of Boehner as speaker.[33]

Presidency of Donald Trump

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The organization's president Hanna met with Scott Walker in May 2015, to discuss issues important to social conservatives such as abortion.[34] It hosted a tax day protest in April 2016 with Grover Norquist.[35] Hanna did not back the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign during the Republican primaries and caucuses.[12][36] In mid-December 2020, Hanna signed a letter that alleged that the 2020 United States presidential election was invalid, part of false claims of fraud in support of Trump.[37]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Let Freedom Ring Inc". ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. 2022. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  2. ^ a b Meyer, Theodoric (2014-10-31). "Secret Donors Behind Some Super PACs Funneling Millions into Midterms". ProPublica. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  3. ^ a b c Luo, Michael (July 18, 2008). "Conservative Group to Air Anti-Obama Ads". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Fitzgerald, Michael (2011-09-24). "The New Norquist: Meet the GOP's Latest Hardline Power Broker". New Republic. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  5. ^ Lattin, Don (November 7, 2004). "Christian strategy: Go beyond 2004 election's hot-button issues / Evangelicals seek to add Catholics to their political force". SF Gate. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  6. ^ Wilkie, Christina (2010-02-18). "Tea Party slogans celebrated in new coffee table book". TheHill. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  7. ^ Harper, Jennifer (February 19, 2010). "Inside the Beltway". Washington Times. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  8. ^ Roff, Peter (May 10, 2012). "Kill the Law of the Sea Treaty". US News & World Report. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  9. ^ Timmerman, Kenneth R. (2017-01-05). "Iran built on stolen property — Trump should take it back". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  10. ^ Richardson, Valerie (March 3, 2016). "David Daleiden, pro-life investigator, takes multiple honors at Weyrich Awards". Washington Times. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  11. ^ Swan, Betsy (2016-03-03). "Donald Trump's Planned Parenthood Pivot". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  12. ^ a b Fitzgerald, Thomas (2016-05-04). "Can conservatives stomach Trump as the Republican nominee?". Inquirer. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  13. ^ Kelly, Michael (2016-11-26). "Kelly: 'A great place to get going': More millennials are calling Omaha home". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  14. ^ "PAC linked to ex-Chesco official Hanna gives conflicting answers on campaign spending". The Mercury. 2014-11-03. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  15. ^ "New group recruits religious conservatives". UPI. June 22, 2004. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  16. ^ "Groups Advocate Border Fence Along Mexico". Fox News. October 12, 2005. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  17. ^ "Opposition to Gay Marriage Links Members of Arlington Group". Religion News Service. 2006-05-16. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  18. ^ Peter Hamby (February 12, 2009). "Robocalls pressure GOP senators to vote against stimulus". CNN. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009.
  19. ^ Condon, Stephanie (2009-06-24). "Will Congress Read Bills Before Voting?". CBS News. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  20. ^ Harper, Jennifer (April 19, 2010). "Inside the Beltway". Washington Times. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  21. ^ Montopoli, Brian (2010-04-19). "Could Tea Party Rhetoric Lead to Another Oklahoma City?". CBS News. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  22. ^ "Tea Party Republicans tote ambitious promises to Washington". Cleveland.com. Associated Press. 2010-11-04. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  23. ^ Brody, David (2012-06-19). "Teavangelical Organizations and Leaders". The Teavangelicals: The Inside Story of How the Evangelicals and the Tea Party are Taking Back America. Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-33562-7.
  24. ^ Fang, Lee (2013). The Machine: A Field Guide to the Resurgent Right. The New Press. p. 10. ISBN 978-1-59558-639-1.
  25. ^ Zornick, George (2011-07-28). "The 'Right-Wing Nutters' Who Are Pushing the Country to the Brink". The Nation. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  26. ^ Kucinich, Jackie. "Interest groups use power of the political pledge". USA Today. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  27. ^ "Dick Cheney: 'Barack Obama is a One-Term President'". ABC News. February 18, 2010. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  28. ^ Fox, Lauren (September 20, 2012). "New Ad Implies Obama Is Cozy With Muslim Brotherhood". US News & World Report. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  29. ^ Stone, Peter (2012-08-05). "Mega Donors Bankrolling Massive Religious Conservative Anti-Obama Campaign". HuffPost. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  30. ^ "Rubio Disputes Report on Immigration Bill Costs". New York Times. May 7, 2013. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  31. ^ Burns, Alexander (2023-02-14). "The anti-establishment establishment". Politico. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  32. ^ "Conservatives: We're 'under attack'". Politico. 2013-12-11. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  33. ^ "Incoming speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner 'stands' against politics as usual". New York Daily News. 2010-11-07. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  34. ^ "Scott Walker's crisis of faith". Politico. 2015-05-14. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  35. ^ Harper, Jennifer (April 13, 2016). "Inside the Beltway: Hillary Clinton money machine hosts 28 fundraisers this week". Washington Times. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  36. ^ "Colin Hanna: In-Fighting At The Republic Debate Damages Party". CBS Philadelphia. 2016-02-15. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  37. ^ "Conservatives Call on State Legislators to Appoint New Electors, in Accordance with the Constitution". Conservative Action Project. 2020-12-10. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
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