A new type of Super PAC has filed registration papers with the Federal Election Commission, saying it plans both to accept unlimited contributions for independent expenditures and, using a separate bank account, to take in limited donations to be used for direct contributions to candidates.
Until now, Super PACs and traditional PACs have been separate. Super PACs, or independent-expenditure-only committees, can accept contributions of unlimited amounts from individuals, corporations and labor unions as long as the Super PAC does not make contributions to candidates. Traditional PACs are subject to limits on the amounts and sources of contributions, but they can ...
Continue readingSuper PACs raise a combined $26 million in first half of year
Six months in to the first full election cycle in which Super PACs will play a role, the groups have combined to raise more than $26 million and are entering the second half of the year with about $23 million on hand.
Ninety-one Super PACs reported their receipts and disbursements to the FEC for all or part of the first six months of 2011. But the fundraising among the committees was dominated by a handful of groups, with the top five accounting for $22 million -- about 83 percent -- of the total.
One Super PAC alone -- Restore Our Future, which supports ...
Continue readingSharron Angle’s campaign committee is biggest contributor to her Super PAC
A Super PAC launched by former U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle reported nearly $13,000 in contributions for the first six months of the year, with more than half -- $7,500 -- coming from Angle's campaign committee.
The $7,500 contribution was the only itemized receipt listed on the group's mid-year report, meaning that the rest -- about $5,440 -- came from donors who have contributed less than $200 so far this year.
While Super PACs, or independent-expenditure-only committees, are prohibited from contributing to federal candidates and committees, there is no rule against candidates or committees giving money to ...
Continue readingFEC allows candidates to solicit limited contributions for Super PACs
The Federal Election Commission voted unanimously Thursday to allow federal candidates and party officials to solicit limited contributions for Super PACs, groups that have changed the campaign-finance landscape in the past year by raising and spending unlimited amounts from indivuals, corporations and labor unions.
The draft Advisory Opinion that the commission approved says candidates and party officials can solicit up to $5,000 from individuals and other PACs.
The vote came in response to a request by two Democratic Super PACs -- Majority PAC and House Majority PAC -- which asked the FEC whether candidates could solicit unlimited contributions on their behalf ...
Continue readingFEC set to vote on Super PAC fundraising by candidates
Two new draft Advisory Opinions from the FEC's legal staff leave open the possibility that the commission will allow candidates and party officers to raise money — possibly without limits — for Super PACs.
The opinions, which were posted on the Federal Election Commission's website Tuesday and which are expected to be voted on by the commissioners Thursday, differ from a draft posted last week. That draft said candidates could appear at Super PAC fundraisers but could not solicit unlimited contributions. It did not address the possibility of raising limited amounts.
One of the drafts posted Tuesday, a revision of ...
Continue readingAmerican Crossroads reports contributions of $3.8 million this year
American Crossroads, the Republican group that spent more than any other Super PAC in the 2010 elections, has raised $3.8 million since January for the 2012 election cycle, according to a report submitted to the FEC on Thursday.
The group had to file the report because it spent money in the special election for New York's 26th District House seat. Crossroads spent about $690,000 on independent expenditures there, almost all of it against the opponents of the Republican candidate, Jane Corwin. Democrat Kathleen Hochul won the race. American Crossroads also spent money on Tea Party candidate Jack ...
Continue readingPlaintiff in Citizens United case forms a Super PAC
Citizens United, whose court challenge to rules barring political spending by corporations has led to far-reaching changes in the campaign finance landscape, has formed its own Super PAC, allowing it to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections.
Paperwork for the new committee -- Citizens United Super PAC LLC -- was received by the Federal Election Commission on Saturday Friday and posted on its website this morning.
In Citizens United v. FEC, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in January 2010 that prohibitions on independent expenditures by corporations and unions are unconstitutional. The case grew out of Citizens United's ...
Continue readingA history of discipline in the House
According to the Congressional Research Service, 35 members have been censured, reprimanded or expelled in the history of the House of Representatives. Here's a breakdown, according to a 2005 report:
Censures
| Date | Member | Conduct |
|---|---|---|
| July 11, 1832 | William Stanbery (Ohio) | Insulting the Speaker of the House. |
| March 22, 1842 | Joshua R. Giddings (Ohio) | Resolution introduced by Member relating to delicate international negotiations deemed "incendiary." |
| July 15, 1856 | Lawrence M. Keitt (S.C.) | Assisting in assault on a Member. |
| April 9, 1864 | Benjamin G. Harris (Md.) | Treasonous conduct in opposing subjugation of the South. |
| April 14, 1864 | Alexander Long (Ohio ... |
Did outside money pay off?
More than $400 million in outside money was spent in the general elections for House and Senate this year. Here's a look at the top outside spenders and how much they spent in races where each party won.
Continue reading
Paper trail shows ties between newly registered ‘Super PAC,’ other groups
Earlier this month, Partnership for America's Future filed a letter with the Federal Election Commission declaring that it will take contributions of unlimited amounts and spend them on independent expenditures. According to its website, the organization is "dedicated to supporting efforts designed to elect Republican candidates to office during the 2010 election cycle." In the process, the recently-minted Super PAC is supporting and supported by a web of Republican operatives and institutions that have played an outsized role in the 2010 elections.
Even before it registered as a Super PAC, Partnership for America's Future was active in the ...
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