The NRA is known for its wide-ranging campaign contributions — but its spending on ads is arguably even more powerful.
Continue readingThe FEC wants your input
Thursday's open meeting of the Federal Election Commission featured debate on the exemption of "banner" political ads on mobile devices from disclaimer requirements and a call for public comments on an interpretive rule on independent expenditures in presidential primaries.
Continue readingCharlie Rangel’s challenge: The end of an era?
It has the potential to be a primary that makes history.
The seat at stake, in New York's 13th Congressional District, has been a place where black politicians have flourished -- the place where Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. became the Empire State's first African American elected to Congress.
Continue readingRestore our Future spends heavily in states going to the polls soon
The pro-Mitt Romney super PAC, Restore our Future, burned through $4 million in just three days this week on independent expenditures in half a dozen states with upcoming primaries. If it keeps up this rate, the super PAC would spend more than $16 million in the 12 days leading up to Super Tuesday, topping the total it spent in January.
Six states with primaries in the next two weeks--Arizona, Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Tennessee--all saw a spending spike.
In Michigan, where voters go to the polls next week, the super PAC supporting Romney pummeled opponent Rick Santorum with more ...
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 readingDems narrow the outside spending margin
Ten days before the mid-term elections, and left leaning outside groups still lag behind their conservative counterparts, and are being outspent by $43 million. But spending by the two Democratic party committees--the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee--have narrowed the gap, leaving them $23 million behind all Republican spending. Just five days ago, Democrats trailed overall by $37.6 million.
In all, outside groups including party committees have spent more than $322 million, dwarfing independent spending in 2006 which totaled $68 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. A larger percentage of the spending is ...
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 readingOutside spending hits the $200 million mark
Spending by outside groups trying to influence the mid-term elections increased by a staggering $78 million in the last week, pushing the total spent by non-profits, labor unions and party committees to more than $200 million this cycle. That's an 80 percent increase from 2006, the last mid-term election.
“Super PACs”--groups that register with the FEC their intention to raise unlimited funds and run independent expenditure ads--have spent a total of $21.4 million so far.
In the last four days alone the top five spending organizations disclosed spending $13.8 million and includes a spike in spending ...
Continue readingContractor Super PAC Alaskans Standing Together backs Murkowski
Alaskans Standing Together, a Super PAC that takes unlimited contributions from any source, raised $805,000 in contributions from nine federal contractors, all of them Alaska Native corporations, and is spending its money—$595,000 so far—to support the state's incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Murkowski, known for bringing back federal money to Alaska, lost the Republican primary to Joe Miller and is waging a write-in campaign to retain her seat.
In a press release by NANA Regional Corporation, one of the donors to Alaskans Standing Together, the company acknowledges her record of "securing funding for [. . .] infrastructure improvements" and ...
Continue readingCrossroads connections visualized
Crossroads Media has a slew of conservative leaning political organizations as their clients spending millions in the run up to mid-term elections on ad buys. The company has processed more than $10.6 million worth of ad placements this election cycle (not all that money ends up with Crossroads Media--the bulk goes to the television, radio, cable and other outlets that run the advertisements it places).
All but one of their clients – the Susan B. Anthony List -- are connected to two high profile Republican operatives, Karl Rove and Mary Cheney. Rove helps to raise money for American Crossroads, Crossroads GPS ...
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