Category Archives: campaign finance

“Minnesota must let sun shine on campaign cash”

February 14, 2023, 7:21 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

George Beck oped: Eight in 10 Minnesotans support making the identities of contributors to political campaigns public. They realize that who provides money to a campaign is an important factor to consider in deciding whether to support a candidate. It… Continue reading

“Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race is expected to top $6 million in spending. And that’s just for the primary.”

February 13, 2023, 7:39 amcampaign finance, judicial electionsRick Hasen

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: Wisconsin’s officially non-partisan Supreme Court race is getting big money from outside interest groups in one of the hotly contested races in the country. With less than two weeks to go, Wisconsin’s Supreme Court candidates and outside groups… Continue reading

“George Santos and the Case of the Missing $365,000”

February 13, 2023, 7:26 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Representative George Santos has spent his campaign money in plenty of conspicuous ways, from lavish hotel stays in Las Vegas and Palm Beach, Fla., to an unusual slew of payments for exactly $199.99 — two cents below the threshold where receipts would… Continue reading

“The Congressional Fundraising Treadmill”

February 10, 2023, 9:36 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

New from Issue One:

My New Paper: “Nonprofit Law as the Tool to Kill What Remains of Campaign Finance Law: Reluctant Lessons from Ellen Aprill”

February 9, 2023, 11:52 amcampaign finance, Supreme Court, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

I have written this draft for a festschrift symposium issue of the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review honoring my dear friend, Loyola Law School professor Ellen Aprill. Here is the abstract: This brief Essay was prepared for a… Continue reading

Eighth Circuit refuses to bar Minnesota Attorney General’s subpoenas against WinRed

February 7, 2023, 8:42 amcampaign finance, campaignsDerek Muller

An opinion in WinRed Inc. v. Ellison written by Judge Benton, joined by Chief Judge Smith (with some excerpts, below, lightly edited). (Judge Shepherd, “writing separately,” argues the case is not ripe for review and the court lacks jurisdiction.)

“Santos’ unusual $199.99 campaign expenses are putting scrutiny on his longtime treasurer”

February 7, 2023, 8:37 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

CNN: In the fall of 2020, then-New York Rep. Lee Zeldin’s campaign submitted a report to federal regulators with a series of unusual expenses: 21 payments on a single day of exactly $199.99 each. The outlays – each just one… Continue reading

“FEC announces 2023-2024 campaign cycle contribution limits”

February 2, 2023, 2:32 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Release: The Federal Election Commission announced updated contribution limits that have been indexed for inflation and are effective for federal elections in 2023 and 2024. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) included provisions that indexed some contribution limits… Continue reading

“What are Andy Ogles’ financial ties? Freshman GOP congressman ignores federal disclosure law”

January 31, 2023, 7:35 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

NewsChannel5: Tennessee’s newest congressman, Rep. Andy Ogles, quickly became a key player in the battle for control of the House, demanding concessions in exchange for his support for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. But a NewsChannel 5 investigation discovered the freshman… Continue reading

Full Set from J.H. Snider on Financing Constitutional Conventions

January 31, 2023, 7:25 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Snider, J.H., Part I: Alaska’s constitutional convention spending spree, The Fulcrum, Jan. 9, 2023. Snider, J.H., Part II: Deterrence helps explain the spending spree, The Fulcrum, Jan. 16, 2023. Snider, J.H., Part III: The failed constitutional convention campaign finance marketplace… Continue reading

“New Report: Publicly Funded Campaigns Can Dilute Big Money’s Influence on California’s Politics”

January 27, 2023, 9:56 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Release: “Matching funds” programs and democracy dollars, two approaches to public financing of campaigns, can be keys to breaking big money’s grip on state politics and lifting up the voices of regular Californians, according to a new report released today… Continue reading

“Revealed: Trump secretly donated $1m to discredited Arizona election ‘audit'”

January 27, 2023, 7:06 amcampaign finance, chicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

The Guardian:/Documented: One of the enduring mysteries surrounding the chaotic attempts to overturn Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 presidential battle has been solved: who made a secret $1m donation to the controversial election “audit” in Arizona? The identity… Continue reading

“The improbability of George Santos’ $199 expenses”

January 25, 2023, 7:43 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Politico: Rep. George Santos’ congressional campaign reported dozens of transactions just cents below the threshold that would have triggered a requirement to preserve spending records — an unusual spending pattern that is now part of broader complaints about alleged financial improprieties.… Continue reading

“Trump’s Former Lawyer Meets With Prosecutors About Hush Money”

January 18, 2023, 7:32 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

NYT: The Manhattan district attorney’s office on Tuesday took a significant step forward in its investigation of Donald J. Trump, meeting with his former personal lawyer about hush money paid to a porn star who said she had an affair… Continue reading