From the Spring VFW PAC publication (you can also find the October dated endorsement list):
When it comes to endorsements, the VFW-PAC Director, SalvatoreCapirchio, says “words aren’t enough.”
According to Capirchio, the VFW-PAC is exploring a number of changes to the 2006 endorsement
process—designed to take a more hard-line approach on which candidates to select.“It’s not enough to say you plan to vote favorably for veterans—you must have a proven track record of being a strong ally,” continues Capirchio.
“We must know candidates’ in-depth perspectives on important issues.
Wehope to send ever eligible candidate a detailed questionnaire to probe the key issues. If they don’t respond to our questions, there should be no chance for an endorsement. A VFW-PAC endorsement speaks volumes about a candidate, and for that distinction, we will accept nothing but our strongest advocates.”
Capirchio says they are also discussing other changes, including changing the Endorsement Policy
so VFW-PAC can support challengers (as well as incumbents).“The goal is to allow VFW- PAC to evolve with the changing dynamics of political landscape,” he
explains. “These issues will be explored further at our board meeting in March.”
Huh, sending out questionnaires to all eligible candidates? Seems like a strange standard given the Roskam campaign tried to sell it as being something they sought out and that’s how it occurs. Oops.
Another strange thing:
From the Sacramento Bee on September 10th:
Endorsements by the VFW PAC, however, are made on the basis of answers to questionnaires. Capirchio said the PAC is trying to broaden its coverage of veterans issues and this year sent a more elaborate series of questions to members.
Because Doolittle did not reach the threshold on the questionnaire, he was dropped from the endorsement list.
While Capirchio said the VFW is trying to expand its endorsements to include worthy challengers, this year its questionnaire didn’t make it out to all challengers. He said he doubted that Brown would have gotten one.
As a consequence, there is no VFW PAC endorsement in the race.
Roskam’s camp claims they didn’t know about the endorsement until November 1st yet the endorsement list is from October and other candidates started their announcments in early/mid-October.
The letter to Hulsoff in the above link is actually dated October 4th. It’s possible that the letters were staggered, but most places do their endorsements at meetings at one time so this is, let’s say odd. In fact, the 2004 endorsements made it into the VFW Magazine for October. On top of that, Bernie Sanders has been touting his endorsement since at least mid-October so something isn’t adding up here from the Roskam camp response that Rich Miller has up.