Category Archives: campaign finance

“Conservative megadonors fund populist ads”

October 31, 2017, 7:27 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Weigel: The new ad from Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, a hub of the Koch donor network, comes at Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) from a surprising angle — attacking her as a foe of the little guy. In the spot,… Continue reading

“Scofflaw politicos ignore federal fines — with few consequences”

October 30, 2017, 9:01 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

CPI: More than 160 political committees and similar groups together owe the government more than $1.3 million worth of unpaid fines, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of Federal Election Commission and U.S. Treasury records since 2000. Some… Continue reading

“How corporations are still playing politics more than a century after President Theodore Roosevelt and the Tillman Act”

October 27, 2017, 2:23 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Michael Beckel for Issue One: For instance, last year in Nevada, the app-based ride-sharing company Uber sponsored campaign mailers and e-mail messages to its riders and drivers urging the reelection of Republican Assemblyman Derek Armstrong, as veteran journalist Jon Ralston… Continue reading

“Hillary for America, DNC Failed to Disclose Legally Required Information about Funding of Trump-Russia Dossier”

October 26, 2017, 10:46 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Release: Today, Campaign Legal Center (CLC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign committee violated campaign finance law. They failed to accurately disclose the purpose and recipient… Continue reading

“2 top Brady aides charged in probe of payoff to 2012 primary rival”

October 24, 2017, 8:25 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Philly Inquirer: Two top political strategists for U.S. Rep. Robert Brady (D., Pa.) on Tuesday became the latest targets in a widening federal probe of $90,000 the congressman paid a 2012 primary challenger to drop out of the race. Federal… Continue reading

“Clinton campaign, DNC paid for research that led to Russia dossier”

October 24, 2017, 3:26 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: The Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee helped fund research that resulted in a now-famous dossier containing allegations about Donald Trump’s connections to Russia and possible coordination between his campaign and the Kremlin, people familiar with the… Continue reading

“Corporations and American Democracy”

October 24, 2017, 1:10 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

This new book from the Tobin Project and Harvard University Press looks to be very important and with some important intersections to election law. Table of Contents: Preface Corporations and American Democracy: An Introduction [Naomi R. Lamoreaux and William J.… Continue reading

“Obama’s army enlists in redistricting fight”

October 23, 2017, 4:12 pmcampaign finance, redistrictingRick Hasen

Politico: Organizing for Action, the progressive group born out of Barack Obama’s old campaign apparatus, is joining the redistricting effort that Obama has made a central cause of his post-presidency. On Monday, OFA officially launched a partnership with the National… Continue reading

In Major Victory in Case with National Significance, Ninth Circuit on 2-1 Vote Upholds Montana Contribution Limits; Judge Bea Would Appear to Hold All Limits Unconstitutional

October 23, 2017, 11:20 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

In Lair v. Motl, a case I have been closely watching, the Ninth Circuit on a 2-1 vote reversed a district court decision and upheld Montana’s contribution limits. The case is of course important to Montana, but it has national… Continue reading

“Congress’s New Bill Can’t Eliminate Russian Influence Online”

October 23, 2017, 7:25 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Wired reports. See my earlier Politico piece, Why Banning Russian Facebook Ads Might Be Impossible.

“Financial disclosure shows unusual campaign setup for Pence chief of staff”

October 20, 2017, 5:01 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Politico: Nick Ayers, a senior adviser to Pence during the presidential race and now his chief of staff, joined the 2016 team as a volunteer and never took a dime in salary from the Trump-Pence campaign even as he crisscrossed… Continue reading

“Issue One raises concerns about Democratic Party’s new mega joint fundraising committee”

October 20, 2017, 10:03 amcampaign finance, political partiesRick Hasen

Release: On Thursday, Politico reported the formation of a new mega joint fundraising committee called the Democratic Grassroots Victory Fund. This joint fundraising committee will solicit contributions to benefit the Democratic National Committee, as well as state parties in all… Continue reading

“Facebook and Google Helped Anti-Refugee Campaign in Swing States”

October 20, 2017, 10:00 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Bloomberg: In the final weeks of the 2016 election campaign, voters in swing states including Nevada and North Carolina saw ads appear in their Facebook feeds and on Google websites touting a pair of controversial faux-tourism videos, showing France and… Continue reading