When voters cast their ballots in January’s presidential nominating contests, they may not know the moneyed interests behind the attack ads run by shadowy outside groups trying to influence their votes, despite a Federal Election Commission deadline requiring many of them to disclose information next week.
Although FEC regulations suggest that groups making expenditures in New Hampshire’s Jan. 10 primary must file a pre-primary report on Dec. 29, it’s not clear how many of them will do so.
There are plenty of opportunities for these groups to avoid scrutiny until, in some cases, Jan. 31. The first ...
Continue readingThe who’s who of top political donors
There are almost 27,000 people—or 1/100th of one percent of the United States population—who spent more than $10,000 to influence... View Article
Continue readingJ’Accuse…! Sunlight’s PAC Name Generator Inspires Real PACs
Exactly one year ago the Sunlight Foundation unveiled our Political Action Committee (PAC) Name Generator and today we revisit it with some shocking revelations.
Continue readingNew Super PAC inspired by Stephen Colbert
Comedian Stephen Colbert, who started his own ironic-sounding and controversial Super PAC earlier this year, has also inspired at least one other man to form his own Super PAC.
Ken Davis, a former state House candidate in Arizona, this week launched perhaps one of the loftiest-named Super PACs yet: A Promise to Our Children.
Davis said he did not know that forming a Super PAC, or independent expenditure-only committee, would be so easy until Colbert explained the process. Earlier this year, the comedian demonstrated how to fill out a form to start such a committee. Later, he went to the ...
Continue readingMeet the first “Corporate” Super PAC
Today came a moment campaign finance watchers have been waiting for: the first corporate "Super PAC"--that is a PAC whose sole source of funding is corporate money--filed its paper work with the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC).
However, the PAC, known as American Phoenix, is not necessarily what people have been fearing after the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Citizens United decision, permitted corporations and unions to give unlimited amounts to Super PACs. As reported by Dan Eggan at The Washington Post, the source of funding is a Florida firm known as Deep Sea Burial Corp., which ...
Continue readingMissing the Forest for the Trees?
It seems the Obama administration has decided the time has come to once again flex its ethics muscles. The Office... View Article
Continue readingFEC surrenders in Hybrid Super PAC case
The Federal Election Commission has settled a dispute with a political action committee that will allow it to both contribute to federal candidates like a traditional PAC and to take unlimited contributions from corporate, labor or individuals for use in making independent expenditures.
The consent degree ends a court case, Carey v. FEC, filed after the FEC blocked a 2010 plan by the National Defense PAC to set up a segregated bank account for making independent expendistures. National Defense PAC made modest contributions--just $1,490--to federal candidates that cycle, and had no donors who contributed more than $200. The ...
Continue readingHybrid committee is both Super PAC, traditional PAC
A new type of Super PAC has filed registration papers with the Federal Election Commission, saying it plans both to accept unlimited contributions for independent expenditures and, using a separate bank account, to take in limited donations to be used for direct contributions to candidates.
Until now, Super PACs and traditional PACs have been separate. Super PACs, or independent-expenditure-only committees, can accept contributions of unlimited amounts from individuals, corporations and labor unions as long as the Super PAC does not make contributions to candidates. Traditional PACs are subject to limits on the amounts and sources of contributions, but they can ...
Continue readingSuper PACs raise a combined $26 million in first half of year
Six months in to the first full election cycle in which Super PACs will play a role, the groups have combined to raise more than $26 million and are entering the second half of the year with about $23 million on hand.
Ninety-one Super PACs reported their receipts and disbursements to the FEC for all or part of the first six months of 2011. But the fundraising among the committees was dominated by a handful of groups, with the top five accounting for $22 million -- about 83 percent -- of the total.
One Super PAC alone -- Restore Our Future, which supports ...
Continue readingSharron Angle’s campaign committee is biggest contributor to her Super PAC
A Super PAC launched by former U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle reported nearly $13,000 in contributions for the first six months of the year, with more than half -- $7,500 -- coming from Angle's campaign committee.
The $7,500 contribution was the only itemized receipt listed on the group's mid-year report, meaning that the rest -- about $5,440 -- came from donors who have contributed less than $200 so far this year.
While Super PACs, or independent-expenditure-only committees, are prohibited from contributing to federal candidates and committees, there is no rule against candidates or committees giving money to ...
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