Republican-leaning Super PACs and non-party political organizations have reported spending $40.8 million more on mid-term elections than those supporting Democrats, an analysis of Federal Election Commission data shows.
Overall, there are 202 organizations spending money to influence the 2010 mid-terms, of which only 93 have disclosed their donors to the Federal Election Commission so far. Additional groups may disclose donors later this week, and some organizations known as 527 committees after the section of the tax code under which they are organized might disclose their donors to the Internal Revenue Service.
The top spenders are three party committees--the National ...
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A roundup of what we’re noticing in the Reporting Group as we dig into government data and disclosures: Dark money:... View Article
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1) Citizens United non-profits push the legal limits of political advertising. (NYT) 2) The long-battle by campaign finance opponents to... View Article
Continue readingDid Murkowski certify that Alaskans Standing Together isn’t working with Murkowski?
Alaskans Standing Together is a Super PAC funded by federal contractors based in the 49th state that's trying to help Sen. Lisa Murkowski remain in Congress through a write-in campaign. The organization filed its third quarter disclosure report with the Federal Election Commission on Oct. 13 and an amended version on Oct. 15; on the last page of each, the FEC requires Alaskans Standing Together to avow that it's not working with any candidate or party committee--that it's truly independent. The exact language reads as follows:
Under penalty of perjury I certify that the independent expenditures reported ...Continue reading
The Price of Access
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Continue readingOCE Staffer Leaves
We’re reading that the Staff Director for the Office of Congressional Ethics has announced his departure. (Campaign Legal Center, The... View Article
Continue readingEditor’s note: Tracking another Super PAC
Michael Dubke gets around. He's a partner at Crossroads Media, LLC, which buys airtime for political ads for Super PACs and candidates. He "exercises control" (the Federal Election Commission term) over Partnership for America's Future, which buys ads from Crossroads Media. He founded Americans for Job Security, which also buys ads from Crossroads Media. Another Crossroads Media client is Alliance for America's Future, run by Mary Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Richard Cheney. Cheney's former political director, Kara Ahern, works for Alliance for America's Future, filing its disclosures with the FEC. She's ...
Continue readingMore cash spent on attack ads than ones supporting candidates
When all the independent influence is added up, Republicans have a $21 million advantage so far over Democrats, a review of Federal Election Commission data shows.
Outside spending is through the roof in the 2010 mid-term elections, as non-profits, party committees and labor unions spend tens of millions of dollars trying to sway voters.
Republican party committees and their right-leaning allies have spent more than $80 million in opposition to Democratic candidates and another $23 million boosting GOP standard bearers. Democratic Party Committees and left-leaning organizations have spent more than $62 million trying to defeat Republicans, and a little less ...
Continue readingPaper 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 ...
Daily Disclosures
A roundup of what we’re noticing in the Reporting Group as we dig into government data and disclosures: Mouth, money:... View Article
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