LEXINGTON, Ky. (Friday, November 21, 2014) – In a race for the U.S. House of Representatives that had been too close to call on Election Day, five-term incumbent Democrat Jim Costa – who had been backed by Horse PAC, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association’s bipartisan Political Action Committee – has been declared the winner of California’s 16th district in the Central Valley.
Previously, it was reported that federal candidates supported by Horse PAC prevailed in 38 of 39 House contests and 3 of 4 Senate contests. However, Rep. Costa’s victory, which came only after counting all absentee and provisional ballots, means that Horse PAC-supported candidates have now won all 39 of their House contests and 3 of 4 Senate races for an impressive 97.6% success rate.
Horse PAC disburses directly to individual candidates and/or to their leadership PACs or other PACs that support candidates. During this election cycle, Horse PAC disbursed a total of $327,000 to candidates and PACs in 19 states.
“Horse PAC is vital to Thoroughbred racing’s federal legislative effort,” said Alex Waldrop, President and CEO of the NTRA. “The high success rate of our candidates in the mid-term election cycle suggests that our sport’s interests will continue to be well-represented in Washington, D.C.”
Horse PAC supports federal political candidates who serve on Congressional committees that oversee matters pertaining to livestock and agriculture issues, Internet gaming, taxation, immigration and the Interstate Horseracing Act; are established Congressional leaders; understand horse racing’s issues; have racetracks, breeding farms, training centers and ADWs in their states; are members of the Congressional Horse Caucus; or are emerging leaders meriting early support in their legislative careers.
Since its founding in 2002, Horse PAC has disbursed nearly $3 million to federal political candidates and parties. For more information visit www.SupportHorseRacing.org.
About the NTRA
The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA owns and manages the NTRA Safety and Integrity Alliance, NTRA.com, the Eclipse Awards, the National Handicapping Championship, NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program, and HORSE PAC, a federal political action committee. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York City. NTRA press releases appear on NTRA.com, Twitter (@ntra) and Facebook (facebook.com/1NTRA).