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| Photo by the Dallas Morning News |
(This is the first in an occasional series that will shine a light on little known but highly influential donors.)
Even under the post-Citizens United campaign finance rules that unleashed a new generation of mega-donors, Harold Simmons stands out as old political money.
The Dallas-based billionaire, dubbed the king of superfund sites after acquiring an environmentally-challenged company, has gotten plenty of attention for the $10 million he’s given super PACs in the first four months of this year.
But a closer examination of the record shows that Simmons’ 2012 donations are just the ...
Continue readingSimmons-controlled company fights for protectionist measures
When Titanium Metals Corp., a defense contractor that's part of Harold Simmons's business empire, lobbied for protectionist policies designed to shield it from foreign competition, the fight allied the Texas billionaire and Republican mega-donor with some unlikely political bedfellows, including Sen. Sherrod Brown, a liberal Democrat from Ohio, and a union that overwhelmingly gives to Democrats.
Of the more than $34 million that Harold Simmons, his wife and daughters have contributed to politicians, parties and political organizations, just $520,000 has benefited Democrats.
Progressive groups threaten corporations on political giving
Today government reform groups put corporations on notice: Try to funnel political donations through entities that can hide them, and expect major public relations consequences.
Occupy Wall Street's Aaron Black speaks, with Tom Edgar (far left) and Bill de Blasio (second to right)
At a press conference in Washington, 15 organizations launched a national campaign to target corporations who try to influence the 2012 election by contributing to 501c4 and 501c6 nonprofits, thereby keeping their donations secret. Non-profits running the gamut from long-standing entitities such as the Chamber of Commerce to newer ones such Priorities USA, organized to help ...
Continue readingDemocratic joint super PAC is a first
Just when you thought you had the shadowy world of super PACs figured out, here comes a new twist: Three big Democratic super PACs -- formed to support President Barack Obama, and House and Senate Democrats -- are banding together to form the first ever joint fundraising super PAC.
The three, which registered their joint committee with the Federal Election Commission last week, are among the largest super PACs, in terms of contributions to their committees. They've raised a combined $10 million for the 2012 election so far. But that figure looks less impressive when compared with the haul of some ...
Continue readingSuper PAC Profile: After split decision in Ohio, ‘anti-incumbent’ group takes aim at Alabama
After spending more than $450,000 this week to win one House race and lose another in Ohio, a Texas-based super PAC that claims to be taking nonpartisan aim at congressional incumbents is now dropping a money bomb on embattled Alabama Rep. Spencer Bachus.
In the last 48 hours, the Campaign for Primary Accountability (CPA) has filed reports for $153,267 in independent expenditures, almost all in Alabama. The group is spending to defeat two veteran members of Congress: five-term Rep. Jo Bonner and ten-term Rep. Spencer Bachus in the Tuesday primary. Most of CPA's spending takes aim at ...
Continue readingHow super PACs fared on Super Tuesday
We won't know how much the candidates poured into Super Tuesday races until they file disclosure forms with the Federal Election Commission next month but it's not too soon to take a look at the Super Tuesday scorecard for super PACs, using Sunlight's Super PAC tracker.
What our analysis found: In these races at least, the biggest spenders didn't always bring home winners.
Here's a look at some of the states that saw heavy super PAC spending and how it broke down.
OHIO
Biggest spender: Restore Our Future (Mitt Romney)
Winner: Mitt Romney
Continue readingOhio, Tennessee and Georgia see super PAC influx
Of the nearly $10.7 million dollars in super PAC spending dumped on the super Tuesday states over the last two weeks, three — Ohio, Tennessee and Georgia — account for nearly all of the spending and almost half of the available delegates.
According to Sunlight's super PAC tracker, the race for Ohio and its 66 delegates leads the spending spree with nearly $4.5 million, nearly half of all the super PAC money spent in the past two weeks on super Tuesday states. The biggest spender has been Restore Our Future, which supports former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. That super ...
Continue readingSunlight Weekly Roundup: Super Pacs on Super Tuesday
With Super Tuesday quickly approaching, we decided to take a look at what local bloggers in Super Tuesday states are... View Article
Continue readingFEC deadlocks on supersizing corporate and union PACs
A lawyer who has already successfully fought to loosen campaign finance regulations says he'll probably go back to court to continue his crusade after the Federal Election Commission today deadlocked over allowing corporations, unions and other organizations with political action committees to create super PACs within them.
The six commissioners divided along party lines over attorney Dan Backer's proposal to allow corporations, unions and other associations to create segregated "independent expenditure" accounts within their traditional political action committees, using the same name and brand they currently employ. Backer, of DB Capitol Strategies, was the winning attorney in Carey ...
Continue readingBig Super PAC donors: Same old guns, just more money
If there were any doubts about how much the political landscape has changed post-Citizens United, here's one leading indicator: An analysis by Sunlight's Reporting Group shows that the biggest donors to super PACs are giving more political donations earlier in the campaign than they have in the past.
In the first 12 months of the 2012 election cycle, 37 individuals and 9 organizations each gave $500,000 or more to super PACs, for a total of $48 million. The same individuals and organizations gave a combined $64 million to a range of state and federal candidates during the ...
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