Draft:National Potato Council

The National Potato Council (NPC) is a political action committee in the United States that advocates for "the economic well-being of U.S. potato growers." The council also has a $10,000 scholarship that is awarded to graduating students who seek to benefit the potato industry.

Leadership
The CEO of the NPC is William Quarles, with the COO being Michael Wenkel. The organization's 2024 president is Bob Mattive, an environmental advocate. The Vice President of Trade Affairs is Ted Tschirky, the Vice President of Legislative Affairs is Dean Gibson, the Vice President of Environmental Affairs is Ben Sklarczyk, the Vice President of Finance and Office Procedures is TJ Hall, and the Vice President of Grower Outreach and Industry Relations is Chris Olsen.

History
The NPC was founded in 1948, due to the belief that it was necessary to give the potato industry a unified voice on a national level. Potatoes had "depressed market conditions" following World War Two and the changes in potato production patterns.

Spending
Because individuals cannot donate but so much to campaigns, they fund the NPC, which will fund candidates. A majority of funders of the NPC are individual farmers. The largest donation in the 2020 election cycle was a donation of $2,000 by the Colorado Political Action Committee.

In the 2020 election cycle, the NPC raised $36,563 to donate to political campaigns. They spent a total of $64,500. They donated $23,000 to the Republican Party, and $14,500 to the Democratic Party.

Controversies
In 2021, the NPC informed the Federal Election Committee (FEC) that the treasurer, W. Kam Quarles, violated certain sections of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971.

In 2023, the FEC discovered that the NPC had failed to accurately report receipts and reimbursements.