American Principles in Action

American Principles in Action (APIA) is a 501(c)(4) 1 organization aimed at influencing politics.

APIA launched its “Tus Valores” or “Our Values” campaign in support of Republican California
Senate candidate Carly Fiorina at a press conference last July. 2 The Latino Partnership for
Conservative Principles, an initiative of APIA, 3 made Latino family values the centerpiece of the
campaign. 4 By Election Day, APIA had thrown hundreds of thousands of dollars 5 into building
Latino support for Ms. Fiorina’s bid, though she ultimately lost to incumbent Sen. Barbara Boxer
(D-CA). 6
APIA, an affiliate of the 501(c)(3) 7 American Principles Project (APP), does not disclose its
donors. Nevertheless, a review of public information about APIA and its leaders shows the
money and the muscle behind the Latino push seemed to involve few Latinos. Instead, it came
from a network of conservatives with a track record of creating sophisticated grass-roots
campaigns behind social initiatives such as Proposition 8, a successful ballot initiative to ban gay
marriage in California two years ago.
APIA is one of many groups concealing the sources of cash pouring into this year’s midterm
elections in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. The players behind the

1
http://www.americanprinciplesinaction.org/about-apia/.
2
Press Release, Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles, Conservative Hispanics to Launch $1 Million ‘Tus
Valores’ Campaign in Support of Carly Fiorina, July 26, 2010.
3
Id.
4
http://tusvalores.com/en/component/content/article/126.html.
5
American Principles in Action, FEC Form 5, 48 Hour Notice, October 6, 2010; American Principles in Action,
FEC Form 5, October Quarterly Report 2010, October 15, 2010; American Principles in Action, FEC Form 5, 24
Hour Notice, October 19, 2010; American Principles in Action, FEC Form 5, 24 Hour Notice, October 22, 2010;
American Principles in Action, FEC Form 5, 24 Hour Notice, October 26, 2010.
6
Jesse McKinley, In California, Boxer Wins Senate Race, and Brown is Governor, The New York Times, November
3, 2010.
7
http://www.americanprinciplesproject.org/.
Latino Partnership and APIA are, in fact, some of the country’s most vehement opponents of
disclosure. They have gone to court to overturn campaign finance disclosure requirements. 8

About American Principles in Action

One of the country’s most prominent Catholic intellectuals, Princeton professor Robert
George, 9 founded APP 10 and APIA in 2009, 11 to build grass-roots support for his conservative
social ideas. 12

Connections
In order to make APP and APIA a reality, Mr. George enlisted the help of key principals at a
Washington consulting firm called Capital City Partners (CCP). 13 APIA shares an address 14 and
several key leaders with CCP, 15 a lobbying and public affairs firm known for behind-the-scenes
grass-roots work. 16 APP and the Latino Partnership share a separate address. 17 The firm’s past
clients include the Club for Growth, 18 a group that supports fiscally conservative candidates, and
Stop Human Cloning. 19 Principals Frank Cannon, Jeffrey Bell, and other CCP staffers have
extensive experience with Republican politicians, including the late presidents Ronald Reagan
and Richard Nixon and former Majority Leader Tom DeLay. 20

8
National Organization for Marriage v. McKee, 1:09-cv-00538DBH, (2009)
9
David D. Kirkpatrick, The Conservative-Christian Big Thinker, The New York Times Magazine, December 16,
2009.
10
Id.
11
http://www2.guidestar.org/organizations/26-4613397/american-principles-action.aspx.
12
Kirkpatrick, The New York Times, Dec. 16, 2009.
13
Fred Barnes, The Principled Opposition, The Weekly Standard, May 28, 2009.
14
http://www.americanprinciplesproject.org/contact-app/contact-app.html.
15
http://www.americanprinciplesproject.org/about-app/app-people.html.
16
http://web.archive.org/web/20060528070540/www.capcitydc.com/coalition.asp.
17
http://www.americanprinciplesproject.org/contact-app/contact-app.html; http://www.latino-
partnership.org/About.php
18
http://web.archive.org/web/20060528070603/www.capcitydc.com/keep.asp.
19
http://web.archive.org/web/20060528070628/www.capcitydc.com/media.asp.
20
http://web.archive.org/web/20060528070616/www.capcitydc.com/about.asp.
 Mr. Cannon is the president of APP and APIA and a principal of Capital City Partners 21 as
well as the treasurer for anti-abortion rights group Susan B. Anthony List, a co-sponsor of the
“Tus Valores” campaign. 22 He has been a contributor to the conservative opinion magazine The
Weekly Standard. 23 Like most at CCP, he worked on the Gary Bauer presidential campaign in
2000. 24
Mr. Bell is APP’s policy director. 25 He is also a visiting fellow at the Ethics and Public
Policy Center in Washington (where Mr. George is on the board), a member of the board of
trustees at the Campaign Finance Institute, and a contributor to the Weekly Standard. 26
Previously, Mr. Bell worked on campaigns for Mr. Bauer, Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon,
and served as president of the Manhattan Institute. 27
CCP Principal Ralph Benko is the senior economic policy advisor for APP and an adviser to
APIA. 28 Mr. Benko also serves as secretary for the Samaritan Medal Committee (which shares
an address with CCP). 29 Formerly, Mr. Benko served as an attorney-advisor for finance at the
Department of Energy during the Reagan administration. 30
Andresen Blom, executive director of APIA and APP, is also a senior associate at Capital
City Partners. 31
Luis Tellez serves on the board of directors at APP. 32 Mr. Tellez is also the president of the
Witherspoon Institute and a member of the advisory council of the George-founded James
Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. 33 He serves on

21
http://www.americanprinciplesproject.org/about-app/app-people.html; Frank Cannon, Reading Tea Party Leaves
on Marriage, Politico, September 8, 2010.
22
Id.; Frank Cannon, Respecting Life – and the Truth, The Hill, October 29, 2010.
23
Jeffrey Bell and Frank Cannon, Bush’s Bad Polls; Look No Further Than The War For An Explanation, The
Weekly Standard, May 8, 2006.
24
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11205169/.
25
http://www.americanprinciplesproject.org/about-app/app-people.html.
26
http://www.eppc.org/scholars/scholarID.86/scholar.asp; http://www.eppc.org/about/pageID.11/default.asp;
http://www.cfinst.org/about/trustees.aspx; Jeffrey Bell, A Big Tent on the Right, The Weekly Standard, September
11, 2010.
27
http://www.rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/Bell_Jeffrey.
28
http://www.americanprinciplesproject.org/about-app/app-people.html; Ralph Benko, The Cry of Dolores?: Will
You Free Yourselves?, Washington Examiner, September 14, 2010.
29
http://samaritanmedal.org/About_Us_Contact.html.
30
David Wilson, Washington’s Movers and Shakers, National Journal, October 31, 1987.
31
http://www.americanprinciplesproject.org/blogs/apia-press-release-house-passes-bill-that-intrudes-on-private-and-
religious-schools.html; http://www.americanprinciplesproject.org/about-app/app-people.html;
http://www.rihiusa.org/press_releases/20070709_blom.php.
32
http://www.americanprinciplesproject.org/about-app/app-people.html.
33
http://www.winst.org/people/staff.php; http://web.princeton.edu/sites/jmadison/people/george.html.
the advisory board of a group called the Love and Fidelity Network, together with Mr. George
and Maggie Gallagher, board chair of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM). 34
Additionally, Mr. Tellez is a member of the Opus Dei, a secretive Catholic organization, and has
been involved with many organizations with ties to the group. 35
APP hired Marjorie Fellows, a CCP employee, as its director of operations and she is listed
as APIA’s contact person on all of the group’s FEC forms. 36
The Latino Partnership and APIA have close ties with several other advocacy groups,
nonprofits and think tanks, including NOM and Susan B. Anthony List, which co-sponsored the
“Tus Valores” campaign. 37 The three groups had spent almost $740,000 combined on the
California Senate race as of Nov. 1, an amount that put them among the biggest outside players
in the Golden State contest. 38
Mr. George, a vocal opponent of gay marriage, 39 helped found NOM and remains its
chairman emeritus. 40 In the wake of the Proposition 8 campaign, NOM sued California in an
effort to avoid disclosing the identities of its donors. 41 The group hired James Bopp Jr., the
lawyer who argued on behalf of Citizens United in the lower courts. 42 NOM also has filed suits
challenging disclosure requirements in several other states, including Maine, Florida, New York,
and Rhode Island. 43 APIA joined NOM as a party in the Maine suit. 44

Agenda

34
http://loveandfidelity.org/default.aspx?ID=8.
35
Neir Eshel, Spotted History Aside, Opus Dei Forges Close Links, The Daily Princetonian, March 22, 2005.
36
http://www.conservativejobs.com/Resources/Fellowship.cfm; American Principles in Action, FEC Form 5,
October Quarterly Report, October 15, 2010.
37
http://tusvalores.com/.
38
National Organization for Marriage, FEC Form 5, 48 Hour Notice, October 8, 2010; National Organization for
Marriage, FEC Form 5, 24 Hour Notice, October 29, 2010; American Principles in Action, FEC Form 5, 48 Hour
Notice, October 6, 2010; American Principles in Action, FEC Form 5, October Quarterly Report 2010, October 15,
2010; American Principles in Action, FEC Form 5, 24 Hour Notice, October 19, 2010; American Principles in
Action, FEC Form 5, 24 Hour Notice, October 22, 2010; American Principles in Action, FEC Form 5, 24 Hour
Notice, October 26, 2010; Susan B Anthony List INC, FEC Form 5, July Quarterly Report 2010, July 22, 2010;
Susan B Anthony List INC, FEC Form 5, 24 Hour Notice, October 7, 2010; Susan B Anthony List INC, FEC Form
5, October Quarterly Report 2010, October 14, 2010; Susan B Anthony List INC, FEC Form 5, 24 Hour Notice,
October 22, 2010; Susan B Anthony List INC, FEC Form 5, 24 Hour Notice, October 27, 2010.
39
Robert P. George, Gay Marriage, Democracy, and the Courts, The Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2009.
40
Tasnim Shamma, NOM Was The Top Donor to Fund Proposition 8, The Daily Princetonian, November 19, 2008;
http://www.nationformarriage.org/site/c.omL2KeN0LzH/b.3479573/k.E2D0/About_NOM.htm.
41
Transcript, National Public Radio, Groups Seek to Shield Gay-Marriage Ban Donations, January 29, 2009.
42
Id.
43
Carolyn Thompson, Gay Marriage Foes Seek Freedom in Running Ads, Associated Press, October 21, 2010.
44
National Organization for Marriage v. McKee, 1:09-cv-00538DBH, (2009).
 APP builds grass-roots support around social issues and uses APIA to push APP’s political
agenda on the national and state level. In particular, APIA has led public campaigns against
teaching about homosexuality in schools. 45 APIA called for the removal of the assistant deputy
secretary to the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, Kevin Jennings, saying he “aggressively
advocates using our schools to teach children-including young children-about homosexuality and
homosexual practices.” 46 The group also said, “Jennings is a mastermind behind the homosexual
infiltration of schools.” 47 In addition, APIA spearheaded a campaign earlier this year, asking
members of Congress to oppose the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” 48 APIA also has spoken
out about education initiatives on the state level, opposing safe sex education initiatives in
Wisconsin and curriculum standards in Iowa. 49
In October, APIA took a position on immigration reform. 50 The identical language appears
on the Latino Partnership’s website, 51 supporting “comprehensive immigration reform” focusing
on strengthening border security, prioritizing enforcement focusing on “immigrants involved in
criminal activity” rather than workplace raids focusing on employers, creating a path to legal
status for undocumented immigrants, creating a guest worker program, and promoting “patriotic
assimilation.”
APIA reported independent political expenditures only in the California Senate race, and the
group appears to have just one connection to Ms. Fiorina. Alan Dye, the Washington lawyer
listed as APIA’s registered agent, 52 serves on the board of the nonprofit Freedom House with
her. 53

The Latino Partnership

45
http://www.americanprinciplesinaction.org/action/stop-the-obama-education-takeover/.
46
http://www.expeljennings.org/.
47
http://www.americanprinciplesinaction.org/preserving-innocence/5-things-parents-need-to-know-about-kevin-
jennings/.
48
http://www.americanprinciplesinaction.org/action/no-repeal-of-dont-ask-dont-tell/.
49
http://www.americanprinciplesinaction.org/category/preserving-innocence/education/.
50
http://www.americanprinciplesinaction.org/action/support-immigration-reform/.
51
http://www.latino-partnership.org/Immigration_Position.php.
52
American Principles in Action, online organization registration, Washington, D.C. See here:
http://mblr.dc.gov/corp/lookup/status.asp?id=56824.
53
http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?boardmember=60&page=10.
 The Latino Partnership has described itself in different documents as both an initiative of
APP 54 and of APIA. 55 It shares a Washington office address – 1420 K Street, N.W., Suite 300 -
with APP, which is prohibited from engaging in political activity. 56
According to the Latino Partnership website, the group was created to encourage the
conservative movement to support conservative Latino groups, leaders, and candidates, as well
as policies welcoming of Latino immigrants. 57 Alfonso Aguilar, executive director of the Latino
Partnership, 58 said he hoped to use the race to show national Republicans how to better appeal to
Latino voters. 59 Mr. Aguilar was chief of the U.S. Office of Citizenship during the George W.
Bush administration, among other roles. 60 During his tenure, he worked on developing a new
naturalization test and headed immigration integration issues. 61 Originally from Puerto Rico, 62
Mr. Aguilar previously held government positions there, and has been a longtime advocate of
Puerto Rican statehood. 63
The groups’ board of advisors includes Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax
Reform; Luis Fortuño, the governor of Puerto Rico; and Karyme Lozano, a telenovela actress. 64
The campaign released several Spanish language ads attacking Sen. Boxer’s positions on
everything from immigration to abortion and same sex marriage. 65

Who is Robert George?

APP and APIA don’t represent Mr. George’s first foray into national politics. In addition to
founding NOM, in 2004, he helped draft a constitutional amendment defining marriage as

54
http://www.latino-partnership.org/About.php.
55
http://www.americanprinciplesinaction.org/politics-and-elections/join-the-tus-valores-bus-tour/.
56
http://www.latino-partnership.org/About.php; http://www.americanprinciplesproject.org/about-app/app-
principles.html.
57
http://www.latino-partnership.org/About.php.
58
http://www.latino-partnership.org/About.php.
59
Jessica Taylor, Group Targets Latinos for Fiorina, Politico, July 27, 2010.
60
http://www.politico.com/arena/bio/alfonso_aguilar.html.
61
Id.
62
http://jamesgrochelaw.com/jgr/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48%3Aaa-
joins&catid=39%3Aalfonso-aguilar-category&Itemid=27&lang=en.
63
Alfonso Aguilar, Proclaim Liberty in Puerto Rico, Washington Examiner, May 18, 2010.
64
http://www.latino-partnership.org/About.php.
65
http://tusvalores.com/.
heterosexual. 66 Previously, Mr. George served on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights during
the administration of George H.W. Bush and the Council on Bioethics under George W. Bush,
where he helped persuade the president to restrict embryonic stem-cell research. 67
Mr. George is a leading voice of the new natural lawyers, a Catholic scholar movement
basing ethics on practical reason. 68 He has said he believes gay marriage is not only against
tradition, but against reason. 69 He once compared the abortion pill RU-486 to the gas used by
the Nazis to exterminate Jews, saying, “RU-486 is simply a chemical method of killing - the
Zyklon B of the abortion industry.” 70 Mr. George’s opposition to stem cell research stems from
a belief it destroys human life. He argues proponents are “elevating the hopes of suffering
people and their families who are desperate for cures and eager to believe that if only embryonic-
stem-cell research were federally funded they or their loved ones would be restored to health.” 71
Mr. George also helped found other conservative groups, including the James Madison
Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University and think tank Witherspoon
Institute, 72 which is dedicated to understanding the moral foundations of democratic societies. 73

APIA’s Strong Ties to the National Organization for Marriage

The National Organization for Marriage has strong ties to APP and APIA. The groups
share a founder, a lawsuit, and consultants. On NOM’s 2008 990 form, the most recent tax filing
available for the group, NOM reported paying Capital City Partners $30,000 for consulting
services. 74 NOM paid Design4, a Florida advertising and marketing company, $55,000 in
2007. 75 As of Nov. 1, APIA had reported paying the company $134,526 for services related to
the California Senate race. 76

66
Kirkpatrick, The New York Times, Dec. 16, 2009.
67
Id.
68
Kirkpatrick, The New York Times, Dec. 16, 2009.
69
Id.
70
http://www.princeton.edu/~prolife/articles/rgeorge.html.
71
http://old.nationalreview.com/interrogatory/george200506290814.asp.
72
Kirkpatrick, The New York Times, Dec. 16, 2009.
73
http://www.winst.org/about/mission.php.
74
National Organization for Marriage, 2008 Tax Form 990, filed Aug. 27, 2009.
75
National Organization for Marriage, 2007 Tax Form 990, filed Jun. 11, 2009.
76
American Principles in Action, FEC Form 5, October Quarterly 2010, October 15, 2010; American Principles in
Action, FEC Form 5, 24 Hour Notice, October 19, 2010; American Principles in Action, FEC Form 5, 24 Hour
Notice, October 22,2010; American Principles in Action, FEC Form 5, 24 Hour Notice, October 26,2010.
 And APIA supported NOM’s efforts to pass a ban on gay marriage in Maine. NOM and
APIA sued Maine, challenging a law requiring groups to identify those who donate more than
$100 to the state’s referendum efforts, if the group spends more than $5,000 on the ballot issue. 77
They argued this law violated their First Amendment rights and would create the
potential for retaliation against their donors. 78 A federal judge ruled against them, and the two
groups have appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. 79

The California Race and APIA’s Campaign

California’s Senate race was one of a handful of carefully watched midterm races. A
Rasmussen poll of likely voters, released on October 22, 2010, showed the race essentially tied,
with Sen. Boxer winning 48% of the vote to Ms. Fiorina’s 46%. 80
As both candidates vied for every last vote, the Latino vote - 20% of registered voters in
California - loomed large. 81 The Latino Partnership attempted to build up Hispanic support for
Ms. Fiorina through its “Tus Valores” campaign. Ultimately, Sen. Boxer won with 52% of the
vote and 65% of the Latino vote, 82 despite the Latino Partnership’s efforts to build Latino
support for Ms. Fiorina.
The “Tus Valores” campaign included a 42-city tour, Google ads, and Spanish-language
radio and TV ads slamming Sen. Boxer. 83 The ads accused Sen. Boxer of failing to endorse
immigration reform and highlighted her support for abortion rights and gay marriage while
encouraging Latino voters to “vote your values. Vote Fiorina.” Click here to see the ads.

77
National Organization for Marriage v. McKee, 1:09-cv-00538DBH, (2009).
78
http://www.americanprinciplesproject.org/blogs/apia-joins-nom-to-defend-voters/blogger/peterst/.
79
National Organization for Marriage v. McKee, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 85725 (D. Me. Aug. 19. 2010).
80
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2010/election_2010_senate_elections
/california/california_senate_boxer_d_fiorina_r_still_neck_and_neck.
81
Vivian Po, New Latino Poll; Preschool Support Critical For CA Candidates, New American Media, September 9,
2010.
82
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1790/2010-midterm-elections-exit-poll-hispanic-vote.
83
http://www.americanprinciplesinaction.org/politics-and-elections/join-the-tus-valores-bus-tour/;
http://www.youtube.com/user/PrinciplesinAction#p/a/u/2/F3U-EScvDzY.
 Politifact has rated the ads’ claim Sen. Boxer voted against immigration reform as false. 84
In fact, Sen. Boxer did not vote against the 2007 immigration reform bill, she merely voted
against a provision in it. Politifact reported the senator has a long-standing history of voting in
favor of immigration reform. 85

84
Spanish Language ad claims Sen. Barbara Boxer voted against immigration reform, Politifact, September 30,
2010.
85
Id.