Outside money continues to pour in at a record pace this election cycle, and beyond the presidential race, the biggest general election spending totals are all in Senate races: $29.7 million in Virginia; $24.6 million in Ohio; $22.2 million in Wisconsin; $18.5 million in Nevada; $16.3 million in Montana. And counting. All told, outside groups have dropped $189.4 million into Senate races as of October 23.
And no wonder: the Senate remains very much up for grabs, and the parties are very close in their levels of outside spending – unlike both the presidential and House races, where Republicans have the outside spending edge. In the Senate outside money chase, Republicans have a very narrow lead, $97.3 million to $92.1 million.
Of particular interest is that Republicans are relying much more on non-party organizations – primarily Crossroads GPS and the Chamber of Commerce – that don’t have to disclose their donors and only have to report their spending within 60 days of an election. Among these types of groups, Republicans lead Democrats $56.2 million to $24.6 million. And significantly, while party committees are limited in the amount of money they can raise from any one individual ($30,800 per cycle), groups like Crossroads GPS and the Chamber can receive unlimited contributions. By contrast, Democrats are still relying much more on the traditional party structure.
First, an overview of the outside spending, by state:
Creating better public access to information
Public- and private-sector experts from Mexico and the United States explored how laws granting public access to government information can be more effective at a recent Wilson Center event. Mexico's freedom of information law is hailed by some experts as a “gold standard” because it set a high bar: treating all information as public rather than secret. Those same experts agree, however, that legal and cultural changes are needed to make the system more effective. Mexico is still working to create a supporting set of laws for its freedom of information centerpiece. IFAI, the autonomous government body overseeing freedom of information in Mexico, is working to gain more enforcement power that will help it ensure government officials comply with the law. As the law stands now, IFAI has little power to tell a federal body that they must comply with freedom of information standards.
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 10/23/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government
- DOJ, FBI ordered to pay up after denying FOIA: The FBI and Department of Justice owe a journalist nearly $500,000 in attorney fees after denying a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request he filed seeking information about former President Ronald Reagan. A judge ruled the two federal departments were wrong to withhold the information. (Courthouse News)
- Nonprofit challenges campaign contribution limits: Funders behind a Colorado-based nonprofit aiming to rewrite campaign finance laws in Montana remain a mystery. Links have been discovered, however, between the group and national Tea Party groups funded by the conservative Koch brothers. (Public Integrity)
- Campaigns choose target TV programs: Are viewers more likely to see Republican or Democratic ads when watching "The Andy Griffith Show"? What about "2 Broke Girls"? Yahoo has a breakdown of which party is dominating the ads for a variety of TV shows. (Yahoo)
A sketch of the Stealthy Wealthy
The nickname “Stealthy Wealthy” is Sunlight’s shorthand for the billionaires who seek to influence elections through large donation and whose... View Article
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 10/22/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government
- WhiteHouse.gov's new wardrobe: The White House launched a refreshed web portal that aims to provide clear paths to information and improve ease of use. Macon Phillips, White House Director of Digital Strategy, noted that the changes were an attempt to apply lessons learned through previous updates. (FedScoop)
- Federal websites need some work: A new survey found that most federal websites make significant errors when it comes to usability, accessibility, and search engine optimization. According to the study, the FAA, CIA, and Homeland Security scored highest over a variety of categories. (Government Technology)
- Companies disclose their Chamber contributions: The US Chamber of Commerce pledged to spend $100 million this election cycle to support pro corporate candidates, but it isn't required to disclose the sources funding this push. More than 2 dozen companies have chosen to place the onus of disclosure on themselves and announced their donations to the Chamber of Commerce. (Washington Post)
- Pelosi raised $7 million for Democrats in September: Speculation has been rampant about Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) future as House Minority Leader. But, her continued fundraising prowess makes it likely that she can hold on to the job if she wants it. (National Journal)
Tonight’s Sunlight Live Marks Final Presidential Debate
President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will meet on stage tonight for their third and final debate... View Article
Continue readingCalling all ad sleuths: Get happy; get data; get empowered
Wondering who’s flooding your living rooms with non-stop streams of negativity? Selling your would-be elected representatives like so many bars... View Article
Continue readingVideo: This Week’s Political Money Weather Report
$800 million and counting. That’s how much money has been spent just by outside groups so far this election season. There's no doubt that this will be the most expensive election yet. Tune into this week’s Political Money Weather Report for a quick recap the steady downpour of money: where it’s happening, and who’s behind it (when transparency laws allow for us to know) -- and what we don’t know.
Continue reading2Day in #OpenGov 10/19/2012
NEWS ROUNDUP: Government
- DoD doubles down on leaks: In a memo released yesterday Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta reaffirmed the Pentagon's commitment to tracking down and punishing leakers. The DoD will impliment a "top down" approach, including the review of major media sources for leaked information, in their efforts to find individuals who release classified information into the public domain. (POGO)
- SEC seeing better tips: The SECs whistleblower office, which opened just over a year ago, has already received nearly 3,000 tips from around the world. According to SEC commisioner Luis Aguilar, the quality of information received has gone up significantly since the implementation of a Dodd-Frank Act program that provides rewards to whistleblowers whose information leads to enforcement cases with penalties over $1 million. (Wall Street Journal)
The News Without Transparency – Mobile Phone Surveillance by Police Targets Millions Annually
Earlier this year, Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) released information that his Congressional Privacy Caucus received from mobile carriers indicating that they had responded to 1.3 million requests from law enforcement for subscriber data in 2011. Wired Magazine’s Threat Level blog covered the release in detail, relying on information that may have never come to light without Markey’s efforts.
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