Committees

What’s in a name?

Not much, if it’s the title of an independent expenditure committee set up last year by business groups supporting Republicans for the Legislature. Similar-sounding committees helped many candidates and transferred funds, making it hard to know exactly who was supplying the money.

United For Washington, the state’s largest pro-business organization, and the Building Industry Association of Washington together set up more than two dozen such committees, and accounted for the majority of the independent expenditures. Here are some of the committees they set up, the candidates for whom they spent.

Washington State Taxpayers Committee: Spent $350,000 supporting GOP candidates in general, none mentioned by name (Republicans gained control of Senate, kept control of House).

Citizens Action League: Spent $2,987 for Republican Steve Hargrove for Senate (Hargrove lost); the committee also received leftover money from other committees when election was over.

Citizens for a Better Legislature: Spent $12,685 opposing Democrat Betty Sheldon and supporting Republican Steve Hargrove for Senate (Sheldon won).

People for a Better Community: Spent $4,742 supporting Republican Jack Cairnes for House (won).

People for Efficient Government: Spent $19,662 supporting Republican Dino Rossi for Senate (won).

Good Government PAC: Spent $9,427 supporting Republican Grant Pelesky for Senate (lost).

Legislative Good Government: Spent $9,800 supporting Republican Don Benton for Senate (won).

Taxpayers for Good Government: Spent $15,889 supporting Republicans Bryan Alford for Senate and Thelma Jackson for House (both lost).

Taxpayers for Fiscal Responsibilities: Spent $4,527 supporting Republican Mark Boldt for House (won).

Washingtonians in Action: Spent $12,900 supporting Republican Ian Elliot for Senate (lost).

Inland Empire Committee: Spent $9,965 supporting Republicans Duane Sommers and Brad Benson for the House (both won).