| Party: Republican |
| State and District: Kansas, 1 |
| Born: Nov. 11, 1968 Fowler, Kan. |
| Campaign cash raised: $1,873,301 |
| Money from businesses that lobby: $348,455 |
| Money from leadership PACs: $48,000 |
| Money from in-state / out-of-state: $707,689 / $211,275 |
| At-risk in November? No |
| Outside group spending: None reported |
| Net worth in 2010: $114,015 to $460,000 |
| Net worth in 2011: $123,010 to $420,000 |
Huelskamp's Capitol Words profile
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Continue readingProfile: Scott Rigell
| Party: Republican |
| State and District: Virginia, 2 |
| Born: May 28, 1960 Titusville, Fla. |
| Campaign cash raised: $6,466,058 |
| Money from businesses that lobby: $390,699 |
| Money from leadership PACs: $143,500 |
| Money from in-state / out-of-state: $4,407,915 / $330,355 |
| At-risk in November? No |
| Outside group spending: None reported |
| Net worth in 2010: $7,819,054 to $36,119,998 |
| Net worth in 2011: $5,745,074 to $51,592,996 |
Rigell's Capitol Words profile
How we compiled this information
Continue readingGOP-aligned Super PACs raised $227 million through June 30
Right-leaning Super PACs topped their Democratic rivals by a factor of nearly three-to-one from the start of 2011 through June 30, according to a Sunlight analysis of filings made through midnight Friday. In the first eighteen months of the presidential election cycle, Republican-oriented Super PACs brought in about $230 million while Democratic-leaning super PACs raised less than $80 million.
Continue readingFireworks light up the political landscape
In the spirit of Independence Day, we decided to explore the lobbying and legislature surrounding the fireworks industry. Wading through the myriad regulations that govern the use of pyrotechnics from state to state, we identified several major fireworks companies and followed their purse strings. Turns out everything's political, even the bangs and zooms with which we celebrate our nation's birthday.
Currently pending in Congress: A measure introduced by two lawmakers from Michigan -- a rust-belt state whose representatives are more often outspoken avocates of domestic manufacturers -- that would temporarily suspend duties for imported consumer and commercial fireworks. Translation: it ...
Continue readingSupremes: Not backing down from Citizens United
The Supreme Court today summarily dismissed Montana's challenge to the Citizens United case, in a 5-4 vote that made it plain the justices who opened the door for massive corporate contributions are in no mood to revisit the issue, despite the fact that the transparency they predicted in their opinion has not materialized.
You can read the court's ruling and Justice Stephen Breyer's dissent here. Plain English translation: The court's majority threw out a Montana Supreme Court decision that upheld the state's long-standing prohibition against corporations donating to political campaigns.
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Continue readingRomney’s elite retreat: Who could be on the list?
All eyes this weekend are set on Mitt Romney’s weekend retreat in Utah, where his campaign has reportedly invited a group of donors with fat wallets to meet the candidate, some of his potential runningmates, and top GOP strategists. A number of media outlets have reported that the minimum price of admission is a $50,000 contribution to his campaign.
According to media sources, some 700 invitees are landing at Deer Valley Resort, which features 10 restaurants and an outdoor amphitheater. While it serves primarily as a ski resort in the winter months, summer activities include mountain biking, horseback ...
Continue readingHouse committee restores funding for political ad disclosure
A key member of Congress bowed to pressure Wednesday and withdrew a measure aimed at blocking online disclosure of political advertisements.
At a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., announced she was pulling a measure she introduced two weeks ago to defund a new rule that the Federal Communications Commission approved in April. The rule, now awaiting final approval by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would require the nation's biggest broadcast networks to put information about who is buying political ads on the Internet. The National Association of Broadcasters is suing ...
Continue readingScouting expedition: How Sunlight’s newest tool can make you a better watchdog
Got an issue you care about? A bill you need to track? Can't afford to hire your own team of lobbyists? No problem.
Sunlight Foundation's newest tool, Scout, allows you to keep tabs on Congress, the federal government's regulators and (drum roll, please) all 50 state legislatures at once. It's as easy as entering a search term and pushing a button. Want to keep tabs on future activities? Just enter your email address and Scout will send you alerts every time your term is mentioned in Congress, state legislation or the Federal Register. There's a ...
Continue readingMillion dollar check club: Who’s writing big checks to super PACs
There's always been ways for big money to find its way into politics, but one of the changes ushered in by the super PAC era is the opportunity to flaunt it.
Instead of having to spread their influence around in donations to various committees, deep-pocketed donors can now show their influence with a flourish, writing seven figure checks -- like the $1 million one, filings with Federal Election Commission made over the weekend show, that the National Air Traffic Controllers union gave last month to Priorities USA Action, the super PAC backing President Obama's reelection bid, or the $2 ...
Continue readingFacebook in Washington: Baby steps of a giant
Facebook, which has set off a frenzy of market speculation with its plans go public as early as Friday, isn't just raising its profile on Wall Street. As the social networking giant prepares for its initial stock offering, Sunlight decided to take a look at how Facebook is doing when it comes to political networking. Our finding: The company with the famously hoodied CEO is beginning to grow up, at least in the ways of Washington.
In the first quarter of this year, Facebook spent $650,000 lobbying Congress, according to a report filed with the Senate Office of ...
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