Encyclopedia · Organization
Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress
American conservative multicandidate political committee
Organization details
- Name
- Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress (CSFC)
- Registered
- July 17, 1974
- Type
- Multicandidate political committee
- Headquarters
- Washington, D.C. (1970s FEC audit)
- Founder / organizer
- Paul Weyrich (contemporaneous reporting)
The Committee for the Survival of a Free Congress (CSFC) was a U.S. conservative political action committee established in 1974 to support conservative congressional candidates and organize activists.
Foundation and activities
An FEC audit records the committee’s registration with the U.S. House on July 17, 1974. Contemporary reporting identifies Paul Weyrich as its organizer, with early financial help from Joseph Coors and direct-mail fundraising services from Richard Viguerie.
The committee supported candidates financially and trained conservative political activists, including precinct-level work. An FEC audit of January 1977 to June 1979 reported total receipts of approximately $2.39 million and expenditures of about $2.33 million for that audit period.
Legal organization and leadership
The FEC classified CSFC as a multicandidate political committee. During the 1977–1979 audit period the listed chairpersons were Kathleen Teague and then Addah Jane Hurst, with Charles A. Moser as treasurer. This distinction matters: Weyrich’s founding and organizing involvement did not make him the person recorded as the committee’s chair in that audited period.
References
Research compiled through November 12, 2026. Sources and historical roles are dated where known.