(Photo: Getty)

Thanks to the Obama campaign's attacks on Mitt Romney's career with Bain Capital, private equity has been thrust into the spotlight  on the campaign trail with partisans on both sides debating whether the industry has a negative effect on the country. Private Equity Growth Capital Council, a political action committee that was formed in 2007 by several of the country’s largest private equity firms, has responded with a series of videos  "aimed at educating media, policy makers and the public about the private equity industry and its positive contributions to the American economy."

"The presidential election has brought the private equity business model into sharp focus. But sometimes lost in the political debate is the positive impact private equity brings to the companies in which they invest," read a statement from PEGCC announcing their latest video.

The video series, which is entitled Private Equity at Work, highlights examples of companies that have been helped by private equity. A "national coupon and reverse logistics processing company" called Inmar is the latest video case study featured in the series.

“In 2011, private equity firms pumped $144 billion into 1,702 companies, and Inmar is just one of many hugely successful stories.  This new video illustrates yet another example of private equity growing and strengthening companies, and we are proud to add the Inmar case study to our collection of private equity success stories,” Steve Judge, President and CEO of PEGCC, said in a statement announcing the video.  “Private equity is part of the long-term solution for our country’s economic recovery.”

Members of PEGCC include 36 of the world's largest private equity firms including The Blackstone Group, The Carlyle Group and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. Bain Capital was a founding member of the PEGCC, but it is no longer part of the group. Along with its efforts to promote private equity, the PEGCC makes substantial donations to political candidates.

Watch the PEGCC's latest video below.

Congressman Joe Crowley (Photo: House of Representatives)

The Private Equity & Growth Capital Council, which was formed in 2007 by several of the country's largest private equity firms, quietly formed a political action committee last spring and began making campaign contributions this past summer. New York City Congressman Joe Crowley was one of the top Democratic beneficiaries of donations from the private equity PAC. 

PEGCC spokesman Ken Spain told Fortune's Dan Primack the purpose of the private equity PAC was to support candidates who "understand the important role that private equity plays in driving economic growth, strengthening businesses and providing financial security to millions of Americans by delivering superior returns to public and private pension funds."

Last year, PEGCC's PAC mostly gave money to Republicans. Campaign finance reports show it gave roughly two-thirds of the $98,000 it spent during the last year to GOP politicians. Republican Congressmen Orrin Hatch and Spencer Bachus got the most money from PEGCC with $10,000 apiece. The Democratic politicians who received the most money from the private equity PAC were South Dakota Congressman Tim Johnson and Mr. Crowley, who each received contributions of $5,000 from PEGCC.

Private Equity has become something of a political bogeyman in this year's presidential election with Republican candidate Mitt Romney taking a great deal of heat on the campaign trail for his career with private equity firm Bain Capital. Bain was one of the original members of PEGCC, but it has since left the group.

In 2010, Mr. Crowley, who is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, came under scrutiny for his contributions from the financial industry. That fall, the House Ethics Committee conducted a probe of Mr. Crowley after he collected $23,500 in donations from financial industry executives at series of fundraisers held in late 2009, just before he voted on legislation to impose tougher restrictions on Wall Street. The Ethics Committee dropped their investigation of Mr. Crowley in January 2011 and released a report saying the probe  "raised no appearances of impropriety."

Mr. Crowley represents the 7th Congressional District, which includes parts of Queens and The Bronx.