Pro-Obama Group Trims Staff and Soliciting Ahead of Midterms

Organizing for Action, the 501(c)(4) advocacy group formed out of President Obama’s 2012 campaign apparatus to marshal support for his agenda, is cutting paid staff and scaling back fundraising work, the Associated Press writes, citing unnamed Democratic Party officials.

The move follows some complaints from the party that Organizing for Action—which has courted big-dollar donors as it promoted the president’s health care, immigration, and climate policies—was diverting financial support from Democratic efforts in the looming midterm elections.

The organization has raised $30-million since its founding in January 2013. As of May 31 it will “not be giving significant priority to seeking out new major donors,” according to an internal email obtained by the AP.

“We understand and expect that some of our more than 420,000 contributors will choose to shift their focus during the midterm season,” Organizing for Action spokeswoman Katie Hogan told the news service. The group’s work force has also shrunk by roughly half in recent months to just over 100 paid employees, the AP reports.