Fiscally-minded senators and the K Street reps of some of the country's most popular professional sporting leagues may be lacing up the cleats for a battle over the tax-exempt status of these groups.
Bloomberg News is reporting that budget hawk Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is leading a push to challenge the 501(c)6 status of groups like the National Football League, the National Hockey League and the Professional Golfers Association -- citing the need to close loopholes in the tax code and the $109 million that taxing these groups would add to the federal budget over ten years. However ...
Continue readingStealthy Wealthy: A Texas donor plays state PACs
W.E. "Ed" Bosarge Jr. isn't a household name, but the $2 million he gave in federal contributions and the $1.2 million more he chipped in to state level political action committees--much of it in his home state of Texas--in the 2011-2012 election cycle have made him well known to politicians. So well known, in fact, that a pair of bills pending in the Texas House or Representatives would commend him and his wife Marie Taylor Bosarge on their accomplishments.
A financial wizard who got his start working flight control systems for Saturn rockets, Bosarge has interests beyond ...
Continue readingNYC Democratic mayoral hopefuls spend big in last minute ad push
The Democratic primary for New York City's mayoral election this Tuesday marks the end of a long, colorful chapter in municipal campaigning -- replete with sexual misconduct, name calling and of course big time spending.
The Big Apple's system of public campaign finance adds extra juice to candidates' fundraising forays -- the city provides matching funds for all contributions up to $175 with $6 in matching funds -- and candidates need every penny they can get their hands on in the city's high-dollar media market. FCC filings compiled by Sunlight's Political Ad Sleuth show that New Yorkers were bombarded ...
Continue readingBattle over dark money takes many forms on state level
An analysis of dozens of laws introduced in state legislatures during the last two years suggests widespread concern over the effects of unlimited campaign spending groups in the wake of *Citizens United*.
Continue readingTempers flare as FEC postpones votes on contentious issues yet again
In what might almost be dubbed a summer repeat of its last meeting, the Federal Election Commission sidestepped consideration of a pair of controversial issues while ruling on relatively minor ones.
Votes on whether non-federally regulated contributions (i.e. 'soft money') can be used by an organization affiliated with the Democratic Governors' Association (DGA) and what rules will govern the way FEC staff conduct investigations will be delayed until a future episode.
As previously reported by Sunlight, the DGA is seeking the FEC's approval of its plans to create a separate 527 organization, Jobs & Opportunity, that could raise funds ...
Continue readingPanel considers big-time Obama funders for cushy overseas posts
Of seven potential new additions to U.S. diplomatic missions that the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will consider at a hearing Tuesday afternoon, three are among President Barack Obama's most successful fundraisers from his 2012 campaign.
The president's most recent flight of would-be ambassadors follows a familiar pattern: a mix of career members of the Foreign Service and mega-campaign bundlers.
Presidents have long reserved around 30 percent of available ambassadorships for political allies -- using plum diplomatic posts in U.S.-friendly nations to function as rewards for campaign loyalty. The widely-accepted practice has persisted for more than ...
Continue readingSen. Markey’s IOUs
Long-time Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., who will be sworn into the U.S. Senate today, a victory for the left-leaning coalition of bit doors who helped him win a special election last month.
Continue readingGoogle under fire for Inhofe lunch
Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla.
Thursday’s scheduled lunchtime fundraiser at Google’s Washington headquarters for Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., posted in Sunlight's Political Party Time, has raised a ruckus on the Internet. Lefty news outlets and environmentalists are slamming the tech giant for playing host to one of the Senate's most outspoken deniers of man-made climate change. Credo, the mobile phone company with a liberal agenda, has launched a petition asking Google not to support Inhofe.
The tech giant has cast itself as a leader in the promotion of 'green' business practices and who trumpets its highly efficient ...
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