ABSTRACT
The Eaton Corporation, an automotive and electronics firm ranked 112th in a recent Fortune 500 listing, founded its Eaton Corporation Public Policy Association (EPPA) in 1977 and has been an active and innovative player in the corporate PAC community ever since. Known for its stringent contribution standards and effective targeting of races, EPPA was formed “to help preserve and strengthen the American business system and the American tradition of economic and political freedom.” 1 The company itself was founded in 1911 and got its start as a manufacturer of truck axles. Since then, Eaton has diversified broadly and now manufactures and markets over 5,000 products. Its principal business revolves around truck, power-train, and automobile components and electrical equipment. In the early 1980s, it was awarded a major defense contract to manufacture electronic countermeasures equipment for the Air Force’s B-1 bomber.
