Billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, gave a combined $5 million to the "YG Action Fund", a super PAC with ties to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., according to Federal Election Commission filings made Sunday night.
The contributions, dated April 30th but first revealed in the group's second quarter filings, dwarf the super PAC's fundraising to date; all other donations together come to just $394,150.
This is the second big donation to come from Miriam and Sheldon Adelson in the second quarter; filings made last week showed Sheldon Adelson gave $1 million to ...
Continue readingWhat You Should Know about the DISCLOSE Act Part 2: How does the DISCLOSE Act Shine a light on Super PACs and Dark Money?
As we wrote yesterday, the Senate will vote on the DISCLOSE Act on Monday. In a series of blog posts... View Article
Continue readingSheldon Adelson writes another million dollar check for new super PAC
Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, the most prolific campaign contributor this election, has written another million dollar check--this time, to a little-known super PAC called "Freedom PAC" that first popped-up last month. The contribution was disclosed in the group's quarterly filing, submitted to the Federal Election Commission on Monday.
According to it's website, the PAC--which lists a New York address--is devoted to "supporting strong conservative candidates in Florida," in particular Rep. Connie Mack, who's running for senate.
Besides Adelson's contribution, the PAC took in $91,000, including $5,000 from Contran CEO Harold Simmons, who's also ...
Congressional ad campaigns poised for big fall blitz
While super PACs, seven-figure checks and the heated Republican presidential nomination fight that Mitt Romney eventually won dominated the news the first half of this election year, congressional campaigns quietly have been pumping hundreds of millions of dollars into the political economy -- and the real avalanche of congressional campaign expenditures and campaign ads is yet to begin.
Outside spending groups like the Campaign for Primary Accountability and Freedomworks for America have gotten most of the spotlight for running ads attacking incumbents in primaries. But congressional candidates themselves have had far more to spend to get their message out. As of ...
Continue readingFollowing the Chamber of Commerce down the campaign finance rabbit hole
A New York Times report that New York’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is subpoenaing records of tax-exempt groups involved in politics underscores the difficulty of tracking campaign spending to its source following the 2010 Citizens United decision, a ruling that the Supreme Court reaffirmed this week.
According to the Times story, Schneiderman is seeking emails and bank records to determine the legality of financial transactions made between the National Chamber Foundation and one of its donors, the Starr Foundation, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The business trade association received $18 million from the Chamber Foundation in 2003 ...
Continue readingUtah sees $1.6 million in outside spending, including a corporation
Spending by outside interest groups helped force Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, into a primary, but the veteran lawmaker, comfortably ahead in Tuesday's race according to an election eve poll, is benefiting from some home state corporate love.
O. C. Tanner Co., a Utah company that specializes in employee appreciation and awards programs and that has donated Olympic rings for U.S. athletes since the Salt Lake games in 2000, has shown its appreciation for Hatch with a $5,700 in print advertisements supporting him. It's the sort of direct corporate support for a candidate that only became possible ...
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 readingMontana decision puts campaign finance reform in Congress’s court
With the Supreme Court's decision Monday not to revisit Citizens United, the high court appears to be a dead end for those seeking to address the problem of dark money in elections. Now, key congressmen and reformers say, Congress must act. But the prospects for lawmakers doing so appear slim.
In response to the decision, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., urged Congress to swiftly enact the DISCLOSE Act, a bill he's sponsoring to require organizations making election ads to disclose their underwriters. Whitehouse, seen at left with now Justice Elena Kagan when she was making courtesy calls before ...
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 readingRebuttal to McConnell’s War of Misinformation on DISCLOSE Act
A war is being waged against the DISCLOSE Act. Its Commander in Chief is Senator Mitch McConnell, his secret weapon is misinformation and his goal is to protect unlimited dark money contributions to the political process.
It’s time for a counter-attack. 
Last week, McConnell outlined his plan of attack in a speech to the American Enterprise Institute. Wrapping himself in a narrow and self-serving interpretation of the First Amendment, McConnell casts liberals as the enemies of free speech and he and his foot soldiers (the Chamber of Commerce) as the true protectors of our constitutional rights. But take apart his arguments and it is easy to spot his true intentions—not to protect the free speech rights of all citizens, but to protect the ability of wealthy donors to anonymously influence our democratic process.
The Sunlight Foundation refutes the worst inaccuracies being lobbed against reasonable efforts to disclose the dark money that is infiltrating our elections. This Orwellian tactic is timed to defang public support for the DISCLOSE Act, which the Senate is likely to consider in July.
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