Category Archives: campaign finance

“How AOC built a Democratic fundraising juggernaut”

August 26, 2025, 7:47 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

CNN: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is building a fundraising juggernaut that is rivaling some of the Democratic Party’s core infrastructure, prompting questions about both her future and the party’s. Small-dollar donations – contributions of less than $200 – are the lifeblood of… Continue reading

“In Private Deal, the D.N.C. Covered $20 Million in Harris Bills Post-Election”

August 25, 2025, 5:08 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: Not long after Kamala Harris lost the 2024 election, her senior advisers and the Democratic National Committee struck a handshake deal. Ms. Harris still had bills piling up, and campaign officials had counted on raising more money during a… Continue reading

“Plutocratic Democracy, Elon Musk, and the Limits of Campaign Finance Reform”

August 25, 2025, 12:34 pmcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Guy Charles and Frances Peale have posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming in Campaign Finance and the First Amendment, Lee C. Bollinger & Geoffrey R. Stone, Eds., 2025). Here is the abstract: Politicians appear to be increasingly dependent upon a… Continue reading

Federal Government Files Supreme Court Brief in NRSC Case Arguing That an Aspect of Federal Campaign Finance Law Violates the First Amendment

August 21, 2025, 1:53 pmcampaign finance, Department of Justice, federal election commission, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

You can find the government’s brief on the merits here. You can find the brief of the Republican Party making similar arguments here. Because the government has taken the unusual position in attacking the constitutionality of a law… Continue reading

ELB Book Corner: Karen Sebold: “Make the Federal Election Commission Great Again”

August 20, 2025, 7:00 amcampaign finance, ELB Book Corner, federal election commissionRick Hasen

I am pleased to welcome Karen Sebold to ELB Book Corner, writing about her new book, Evaluating Campaign Finance Oversight: An Assessment of the Federal Election Commission. (Use that link with code LXFANDF30 for a 30 percent discount). Here is… Continue reading

ELB Book Corner: Karen Sebold: “The Foxes Are Guarding the Henhouse: How Elected Officials Weakened the Federal Election Commission”

August 19, 2025, 7:00 amcampaign finance, ELB Book Corner, federal election commissionRick Hasen

ELB Book Corner: Karen Sebold: “Why Elon Musk Got Away with His $1 Million Give-Away: Loose Campaign Finance Laws and Even Looser Enforcement”

August 18, 2025, 7:00 amcampaign finance, ELB Book Corner, federal election commissionRick Hasen

“The D.N.C.’s New Leader Seeks to Curb Dark Money Influence in 2028 Primaries”

August 12, 2025, 7:50 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: Ken Martin, the Democratic National Committee chairman, is taking a symbolic step toward curbing the influence of undisclosed and corporate funds in his party’s 2028 presidential primary, a move that is likely to instigate a broader conversation about the… Continue reading

“The Mothership Vortex: An Investigation Into the Firm at the Heart of the Democratic Spam Machine; How a single consulting firm extracted $282 million from a network of spam PACs while delivering just $11 million to actual campaigns.”

August 3, 2025, 4:10 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Must-read from Adam Bonica: The digital deluge is a familiar annoyance for anyone on a Democratic fundraising list. It’s a relentless cacophony of bizarre texts and emails, each one more urgent than the last, promising that your immediate $15 donation… Continue reading

“Revealed: Elon Musk’s $1 Million Gift to Trump Inauguration”

August 2, 2025, 1:05 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Influence Brief: A Jan. 15 in-kind contribution from X Corp., the social media company previously known as Twitter and owned by Musk, never appeared in any of the Trump inaugural committee’s original disclosure or in multiple amendments. The donation only appeared… Continue reading

“Donor List Suggests Scale of Trump’s Pay-for-Access Operation”

August 2, 2025, 12:59 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, lobbyingRick Hasen

NYT: When the cryptocurrency entrepreneur Eric Schiermeyer heard that President Trump was holding small group dinners with major donors, he saw opportunity. Mr. Schiermeyer reached out to a lobbyist with connections in Mr. Trump’s orbit, who arranged for him to… Continue reading

“The Great Political Money Gap; When it comes to attracting mega-donors, Republicans are crushing Democrats.”

August 2, 2025, 12:58 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: There are many signs that the Democratic and Republican Parties are in different places. Here’s one: The main Republican presidential super PAC controls almost $200 million. The main Democratic presidential super PAC is still repaying millions of dollars it… Continue reading

“Elon Musk gave Trump and the GOP $15M even as he was fighting with the president”

August 1, 2025, 8:09 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Politico: Elon Musk gave $5 million to Donald Trump’s super PAC during a dramatic and bitter falling out with the president, new filings show. The donation to MAGA Inc. was made a month after Musk said he had “done enough” … Continue reading

“Trump, Term-Limited, Amasses $200 Million War Chest for Political Ambitions”

August 1, 2025, 7:50 amauthoritarian threats in US, campaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump’s super PAC is sitting on about $200 million that it can spend against his rivals, giving a term-limited president a never-before-seen amount of power in his party’s finances and future. In the first half of 2025, Mr.… Continue reading