The American car company General Motors has resumed contributing to political campaigns after the federal government took a majority stake... View Article
Continue readingOutside groups spending record amounts on mid-term elections
Since January 2010, spending by outside organizations to influence congressional elections totals some $57 million--up more than $20 million from a comparable time period in 2006, the most recent non-presidential election cycle--according to reports collected by the Federal Election Commission.
Though the rising independent expenditures--money spent by outside groups on anything from phone banks and mailing lists to negative political ads to influence a federal election--come after the Supreme Court decisions that weakened campaign finance laws, it's unclear whether those rulings are fueling the boom.
While some labor unions have taken advantage of the rulings to directly make independent ...
Continue readingVoters will be Victims of DISCLOSE Act Defeat
The Senate is expected to vote again tomorrow on the DISCLOSE Act, the bill passed by the House and supported... View Article
Continue readingAP report highlights lack of disclosure in campaign finance world
A report put out by the Asoociated Press today highlights the lack of disclosure of money spent to influence mid-term elections. The story highlights the successful fundraising efforts by American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, two Republican-leaning organizations created by top Bush administration advisors, and notes that the two groups raised $14.5 million combined in one 30-day period that ended on Sunday.
But that information can't be verified.
The information is said to have been made available to the AP; it is not filed on any official disclosure. The only amount of money that can be confirmed is about ...
Continue readingNo Country for Self-Funders, Part II
Continuing to support the proposition that the political system is not about to be overrun by self-funding candidates is this... View Article
Continue readingSpeechNow now speaking
The nonprofit group Speechnow.org has finally established itself as an independent expenture-only committee with the Federal Elections Commission. The group waited for two months after the FEC issued advisory opinions clearly stating that groups could organize to make independent expenditures and receive unlimited contributions -- a result Speechnow's win in a federal court case againt the FEC.
David Keating, spokesman for Speechnow.org, says the organization was simply waiting until it was ready to start receiving contributions and spending money, and that didn't happen until recently.
Continue readingMost House Republican members contributing to campaign committee
With expectations running high that they will take the majority in the House of Representatives, Republican House members are putting... View Article
Continue readingBig bailout recipients contribute to New York pols, Republican Senate aspirants
They received billions in help from the federal government to stay afloat during the worst days of the financial crisis... View Article
Continue readingMore political organizations declare they’ll take unlimited funds
In the 6 weeks following an advisory opinion issued by the Federal Elections Commission allowing some political organizations—called independent expenditure-only PACs—to receive unlimited contributions from corporations and labor unions, 23 groups have registered as such. The FEC is anticipating 67 more to do so as well. To see both FEC lists click here.
Sunlight first reported on these organizations when a group called the League of Conservation Voters Fund intervened in the Colorado primary, running a phone bank to support Sen. Michael Bennet.
These groups are created for the sole pupose of making independent expenditures to influence elections ...
Continue readingFEC plans real-time release of campaign spending data
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