RISMedia

So why exactly is NAR supporting specific candidates in local elections when it plays on the national lobbying stage in Washington, D.C.? The answer is found in NAR’s State and Local Independent Expenditure Program. Created in 2013, this grant program provides funding to state and local REALTOR® associations to support political candidates and initiatives that further the interests of REALTORS® and the housing industry, says Jonathan Waclawski, NAR’s vice president of political advocacy. In 2024 alone, NAR has received over 420 applications from state and local REALTOR® associations seeking a share of the roughly $13 to $14 million available through the program, Waclawski says.

Since its inception, the program has garnered more requests year-over-year from local and state REALTOR® groups as they try to move the needle in local elections toward industry-friendly candidates and issues. The money provided to state and local associations is generally spent on “supportive” marketing communications of the chosen candidates to bring them more visibility with local voters, Waclawski points out. “It’s a pretty fair and equitable distribution,” Waclawski explains of the amounts allocated to state and local REALTOR® associations. The associations (not NAR) then decide which candidates to support based on whether or not they are “good for the industry, good for the association, good for membership,” he adds.

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