Category Archives: campaign finance

“President Trump seizes on election rules to push his agenda in new ways”

May 8, 2017, 7:02 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Fredreka Schouten for USA Today: President Trump has headlined four big rallies in the first months of his presidency to tout his agenda and savage his foes. A new $1.5 million television ad campaign promotes his accomplishments and attacks the… Continue reading

“Campaign-finance laws look worse up close”

May 7, 2017, 9:01 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Susan Shelley column in the OC Register: Get ready to bake me a cake with a file in it. I ran for public office, so I have no secrets from you. Stand by for a major revelation: In 2013, as… Continue reading

“Georgia special election smashes all-time spending record”

May 6, 2017, 6:01 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Politico: It’s official: Georgia’s special election will be the most expensive House race in U.S. history. Candidates and outside groups have aired or reserved more than $29.7 million worth of TV ads in the race to replace HHS Secretary Tom… Continue reading

“Federal judge: Parts of Missouri’s campaign finance law unconstitutional; $2,600 donor limit stays”

May 5, 2017, 8:38 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Jo Mannies for St. Louis Public Radio: Parts of Missouri’s new campaign finance law is unconstitutional, but the $2,600 individual donor limit will stick, according to a ruling issued Friday by Senior District Judge Ortrie Smith of the Western District… Continue reading

Calvin TerBeek Flags Remarkable Justice Alito Speech, Some of Which Defends Citizens United

May 5, 2017, 8:24 pmcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Calvin at the Faculty Lounge asks: Is Justice Alito a Crit (or Just a Movement Conservative)? on “a rather remarkable speech Justice Alito gave at the Claremont Institute in early February received relatively little media attention (Mark Joseph Stern excepted… Continue reading

“Trump Order Could Lure Churches into Dark Money Politics”

May 5, 2017, 8:06 pmcampaign finance, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Kate Ackley reports for Roll Call.

“Two (at most) secret donors funded 93% of pro-Rubio nonprofit”

May 5, 2017, 7:37 amcampaign finance, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Open Secrets: A politically active nonprofit that supported Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) failed 2016 presidential bid raised nearly $22 million in two years, 93 percent of which came from either one or two anonymous donors, tax documents obtained by the… Continue reading

“Pro-Trump super PACs have already spent $1 million on Election 2020”

May 5, 2017, 7:36 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Dave Levinthal reports for CPI.

“Shareholders Demand Disclosure — and Republicans Push Back”

May 4, 2017, 9:43 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Eliza Newlin Carney reports.

“The Morning Risk Report: An Easier Way to Track Corporate Political Spending”

May 4, 2017, 7:09 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

WSJ: At the same time that shareholders are pushing for greater disclosure of corporate political spending, it is getting easier to follow the money. The Center for Political Accountability, a non-profit organization that tracks disclosures of corporate political spending, launched… Continue reading

“Trump Is Expected to Relax Tax Rules on Churches Taking Part in Politics”

May 3, 2017, 2:00 pmcampaign finance, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump plans to mark National Day of Prayer on Thursday by issuing an executive order that makes it easier for churches and other religious groups to actively participate in politics without risking their tax-exempt status, several administration officials… Continue reading

“Supreme Court Urged to Take ‘Soft-Money’ Campaign Finance Case”

May 2, 2017, 8:23 pmcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Bloomberg BNA: Recent Supreme Court rulings have narrowed the legal definition of corruption and cleared the way to strike down federal restrictions on “soft-money” contributions to political parties, a new court filing said (Republican Party of Louisiana v. Federal … Continue reading

“Brennan Center Launches Online Database of Empirical Evidence on Money in Politics”

May 2, 2017, 7:55 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Post: The confirmation of Neil M. Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court challenges citizens, lawmakers, and others concerned about the influence of big money in politics to bolster their efforts. While super PACs, the growth of secret spending,… Continue reading

“Brad Smith: Prevent the reckless restructuring of the FEC”

May 1, 2017, 7:30 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Brad Smith in the Columbus Dispatch: But today the FEC is under attack from members of Congress whose misguided proposal to “reform” the agency could take us back to the Watergate era. A bill co-sponsored by Rep. Jim Renacci, an… Continue reading