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 ...
Continue readingOutside groups spend $13 million in the last six days
In the past six days--Wednesday through today--outside groups have spent more than $13 million to influence the mid-term congressional elections, including broadcast ads, robo-calls, get out the vote campaigns and mailings.
Data in the Reporting Group's tool -- Follow the Unlimited Money -- shows that groups not aligned to any specific candidate have spent more than $122 million in this cycle with committees registering to receive unlimited contributions -- the Super PACs -- totaling $12 million.
The National Association of Realtors spent more than $2.4 million over the last four days, supporting both Democratic and Republican candidates across the country; Americans for ...
NRCC spends big, flexes power
The National Republican Congressional Committee reported spending more than $800,000 on one day, Friday Oct. 1, in opposition to 30 Democrats. The NRCC has spent almost $13.7 million in independent expenditures to oppose Democrats so far this election cycle, tops among all groups as of this writing.
Though Super PACs or independent expenditure-only committees--groups set up to take unlimited funds from any source in order to influence elections--have garnered a great deal of media attention of late, it's worth noting that the traditional players like the NRCC are still very powerful when it comes to influencing elections ...
Continue readingBeyond Super PACs: Political groups up electioneering spending as mid-terms approach
Outside organizations have so far reported spending more than $18 million to run issue ads mentioning candidates within 30 days of primaries and 60 days of the general election--a 31 percent increase over the last mid-term election cycle. Corporate trade associations, labor unions, environmental groups, proponents of traditional values and even a group that opposes big money in politics have run ads in the run up to November 2, reports from the Federal Election Commission show.
In the 2006 election cycle, the total organizations reported spending on electioneering communications in a comparable period was $13.7 million, according to ...
Sunlight tools helps connect the dots between independent expenditures and ads
Just over a month away from the midterm elections political ads are mustering strength and each advertisement is only one small piece of a larger network of money, power and influence. The Sunlight Foundation has two new tools to help track this political influence: Follow the Unlimited Money, a user friendly way to track advertising and other kinds of electioneering, and Sunlight Campaign Ad Monitor that tracks the end result of some of the political spending powered by citizens reporting.
Using both these tools together, we've picked a few ads reported by citizens and looked up more details ...
Continue readingAbortion issues dominate independent expenditures in California Senate race
In the Senate race between Democratic incumbent Barbara Boxer and Carly Fiorina of California, 87 percent of the independent expenditures relates to abortion issues. Among these two candidates, pro-life groups so far have spent $186,000, while pro-choice spending amounts to $41,000, according to a review of our independent expenditures database.
Outside 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 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 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 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 ...
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