Category Archives: campaign finance

“Bloomberg’s final bill: $1B for a 104-day campaign”

April 20, 2020, 8:21 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Politico: Mike Bloomberg ended his ill-fated presidential bid on March 4, but his campaign still shelled out nine figures last month anyway, taking his total spending over $1 billion in a losing run for the Democratic nomination.The billionaire’s campaign… Continue reading

“Trump Re-Election Efforts Raise $212 Million for First Quarter of 2020”

April 14, 2020, 8:37 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump’s re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee said Monday they had raised $212 million in the first three months of 2020, a signal that despite a global pandemic that has put a halt on high-dollar fund-raising… Continue reading

CREW Gets Default Judgment Against Quorum-Less FEC, Paving the Way for Private Litigation Against Campaign Finance Violators

April 10, 2020, 11:11 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

This development is one to watch.

This is Ironic: Anti-Campaign Finance Regulation Group “Citizens United” Asks the FEC for More Regulation (against the “Bloomberg Loophole)

April 9, 2020, 11:53 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

See here.

“SEC rules could thwart political spending disclosure efforts”

April 7, 2020, 9:12 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Roll Call reports.

“Not an April Fools’ joke: Nation’s campaign finance watchdog is MIA as FEC endures longest period without a quorum in its history”

April 1, 2020, 8:59 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Issue One report.

“Biden Faces a Cash Gap With Trump. He Has to Close It Virtually.”

March 31, 2020, 8:48 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT reports.

Supreme Court, Without Noted Dissent, Refuses to Hear Case Challenging Constitutionality of Seattle’s Campaign Finance Vouchers Program

March 30, 2020, 8:06 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

No surprise here. I’ve always found the constitutional arguments against it incredibly weak.

Supreme Court, Without Noted Dissent, Denies Cert. in John Doe v. FEC Campaign Disclosure Case

March 23, 2020, 8:58 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Docket at SCOTUS, and here’s more from CREW on the case.

“Mike Bloomberg transfers his campaign assets to Democratic Party to fight President Trump in swing states”

March 21, 2020, 1:34 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

WaPo: Former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg has decided to donate significant components of his shuttered presidential campaign to the Democratic Party, a historic bequest that includes an $18 million cash infusion to organize for the general election in swing… Continue reading

Expanded Zuberi Allegations Show Problem of Foreign Influence in US Elections

March 21, 2020, 1:01 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Mother Jones: Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles this week described a dizzying array of secret foreign lobbying by a major donor to both political parties—a new twist in a case that could reveal whether there were foreign efforts to funnel… Continue reading

“At Party for Donald Trump Jr.’s Girlfriend, Donors Helped Pick Up the Tab”

March 17, 2020, 8:30 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT reports.

New York: “Judge preserves fusion voting, negates public dollars for campaigns”

March 13, 2020, 7:55 amballot access, campaign financeRick Hasen

Buffalo News: A State Supreme Court justice has voided new rules adopted by a special commission paving the way for public financing of elections in New York State while making it harder for minor parties to qualify for the ballot.Justice… Continue reading

“Senate clashes over fate of embattled election watchdog”

March 11, 2020, 8:52 amcampaign finance, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Politico: The Federal Election Commission — which is charged with policing federal campaign finance law — has been sidelined for months leading up to the presidential election because it lost its quorum. But a hearing Tuesday to fill a… Continue reading