One week after the 2020 election, recounts and legal challenges cloud the presidential race, which will be certified by each respective state in the weeks ahead. There is a slightly clearer picture of the outcome in the U.S. Senate, whose control will be determined by two run-off elections in Georgia on Jan. 5, 2021. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans have gained a net of six seats and are projected to pick up a few more, effectively halving the Democrat House majority.

While there were winners and losers, there is no doubt that the biggest losers on election night were the pollsters. Network pollsters revealed significant bias as they projected a historic blue wave at the presidential and senatorial levels, which by and large did not materialize. This election proved much closer than most anticipated.

Many political action committees look to polls to guide their decision-making process about when and where to disburse money. Fortunately, InsurPac relies upon intelligence from Big “I" members and campaign insiders to provide an accurate view of the political landscape. As such, it routinely has a very strong victory rate in the campaigns with which it invests.

During this election cycle, InsurPac disbursed $1,948,000 to a total of 254 federal campaigns, winning at least 237 of them, resulting in a 93% victory rate. In disbursing this money, InsurPac did not look at party affiliation; as always, it gave money to representatives, senators and candidates for federal office that have been friends and advocates of the independent agency system.

InsurPac takes pride in impacting races that involve independent agents, and this election was no different. In the Senate, InsurPac went to bat for Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), a Big “I" member, who won his first reelection with a resounding 68% of the vote.

In the House, InsurPac helped Big “I" member Representative-elect Scott Franklin (R-Florida) defeat an incumbent in the primary and win a hotly contested general election in Florida. Similarly, in Iowa InsurPac helped independent agent Representative-elect Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) defeat an incumbent in the primary and cruise to a victory in the general election. Also, in Iowa, InsurPac went all in for Representative-elect Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), who is married to a Big “I" member, as she knocked off an incumbent in a very close race.

As with every election, our industry saw some friends and allies defeated. While disappointing, they are an equally important reminder that our champions in Congress cannot be taken for granted. They must have the necessary financial resources to win reelection each cycle. For that reason, it is critically important to maintain a strong InsurPac to positively impact federal campaigns.

Nathan Riedel is Big “I" vice president of political affairs.