Chiefs’ Harrison Butker forms political action committee to promote traditional values
Harrison Butker, the kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, established a political action committee called Upright PAC this weekend, taking another step into the world of electoral politics.
Butker announced the PAC alongside an endorsement of Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley on social media, saying he would use the PAC to encourage Christians to vote.
“We’re seeing our values under attack every day. In our schools, in the media, and even from our own government,” the PACs website says. “But we have a chance to fight back and reclaim the traditional values that have made this country great. That’s why UPRIGHT PAC was founded.”
The PAC was established on September 23, according to documents filed with the Federal Elections Commission, and it was filed by the Red Curve Solutions, a Republican-associated political consulting group that helps organizations navigate federal regulations.
Butker, a conservative Catholic, is often outspoken about his political beliefs — particularly his opposition to abortion.
Last week, he participated in three campaign rallies with Hawley, traveling from Platte County to St. Charles County and to the boot heel region. He and Hawley were interviewed on Fox News at one of the rallies.
“This is a guy who’s not to afraid to speak the truth, who’s not to afraid to say that we have got to stand on the principles that this country was founded on,” Hawley said in the Fox News interview. “And when the left came after him in such a crazy, nutty way this last spring, he didn’t give an inch.”
Butker sparked controversy this spring for a speech at Benedictine College where he criticized President Joe Biden’s stance on abortion, condemned LGBTQ pride and suggested that the women graduates were most looking forward to being wives and mothers.
In August, Butker criticized former President Donald Trump for saying his administration would be “great for women and their reproductive rights.” Butker said he hoped Republican party would return to a platform where “there can be no compromise for defending the unborn.”
Butker later endorsed Trump in an interview on Fox News, calling him the “most pro-life president.
Butker’s decision to start a political action committee as a professional athlete is rare. Instead, it’s more common to see political activity from either player’s unions, like the NFL Players Association, or from the major sports leagues, like the NFL, MLB and NHL.
Typically, the major sports leagues donate to both Republican and Democratic candidates, as well as the leaders in both political parties.
Butker’s PAC has not yet been required to report it’s donations for the 2024 election cycle.
This story was originally published October 14, 2024 at 11:59 AM.
