Category Archives: campaign finance

“Bipartisan election bills address worker safety, poll closures, campaign finance and more”

May 5, 2023, 9:50 amcampaign finance, election administration, election law bizJustin Levitt

One of the pieces of the “and more” finding some initial bipartisan support in Wisconsin: Kenosha News notes a welcome provision to let the state pick up the tab for special elections for state offices. Local elections departments need all… Continue reading

Two election-related state budget stories

May 5, 2023, 9:45 amcampaign finance, fraudulent fraud squadJustin Levitt

In New York, the new public financing system (with a 6-1 match for small local contributions) gets some cash. And in Florida, DeSantis’s election investigations office gets a 20% increase (though not the 280% increase DeSantis requested).

“Emails Reveal ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Herschel Walker Money Scandal”

May 3, 2023, 11:54 pmcampaign financeJustin Levitt

New from the Daily Beast: Emails show Herschel Walker solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars for his own business from a billionaire donor, with the donor believing he was giving to Walker’s campaign. and In the best possible circumstances,… Continue reading

“Trump Vows to Empower Political Pastors on Christian Nationalist Broadcast”

May 3, 2023, 4:04 pmcampaign finance, tax law and election lawJustin Levitt

Rolling Stone cites the former President’s plans on the Johnson Amendment: “We never enforced it. We essentially ended it. I wasn’t able to finish it. But I’ll finish it this time.” The Johnson Amendment prohibits 501(c)(3) nonprofits, contributions to which… Continue reading

“Pritzker Calls for Campaign Finance Reform After Spending $323m on Campaigns”

May 2, 2023, 4:02 pmcampaign finance, judicial electionsJustin Levitt

This piece from Illinois Policy points out, among other things, that Illinois law prohibits any “single person” from donating more than $500K to a single campaign … and that both Pritzker’s campaign committee and his revocable trust donated the… Continue reading

“Florida commission slaps down Trump PAC’s ethics complaint against DeSantis”

May 1, 2023, 7:37 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, ethics investigationsJustin Levitt

Fox notes the Florida Ethics Commission decision that MAGA Inc. hadn’t sufficiently alleged the violation of Florida law in DeSantis’s will-he-or-won’t-he activities.

“How Ron DeSantis Could Unlock $86 Million for a Presidential Run”

May 1, 2023, 7:35 amcampaign financeJustin Levitt

The WSJ reviews potential efforts for DeSantis to transfer the reserves in his state campaign fund to a federal Super PAC supporting his not-quite-announced-just-yet presidential bid.

“Prosecutors in Jan. 6 Case Step up Inquiry Into Trump Fund-Raising”

April 29, 2023, 5:59 pmcampaign finance, chicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

NYT: As they investigate former President Donald J. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, federal prosecutors have also been drilling down on whether Mr. Trump and a range of political aides knew that he had lost the race but… Continue reading

“Looking Behind the Curtain: Corporate due diligence of political spending essential to protect companies from growing risks”

April 24, 2023, 7:21 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

CPA at the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance.

“DeSantis group plans field program, showing the expanding role of super PACs”

April 19, 2023, 11:13 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

WaPo: Activists at 27 universities will soon begin meeting twice a month to organize their peers under the banner of Students for DeSantis. Office space supporting the Florida governor’s presidential ambitions will open in each of the early-voting states. And… Continue reading

“Nikki Haley’s fuzzy fundraising math”

April 17, 2023, 7:52 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Politico: When Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign announced its first quarterly fundraising haul earlier this month, the figure sounded impressive. The former U.N. ambassador’s campaign said it had raised $11 million between her mid-February launch and the end of the quarter… Continue reading

“Quid Pro Crow”

April 15, 2023, 3:49 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern in Slate (with maybe the best pun in an article title I’ve ever seen): When news broke last week, by way of dogged reporting in ProPublica, that Justice Clarence Thomas had accepted decades’ worth… Continue reading

“Indictment turbocharges Trump’s fundraising”

April 15, 2023, 3:35 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

Politico: Former President Donald Trump’s 2024 fundraising has been turbocharged by his indictment, according to new figures provided by his campaign. Trump raised a combined $18.8 million in the first quarter through his joint fundraising committee and his campaign, the… Continue reading

“Special counsel focuses on Trump fundraising off false election claims”

April 12, 2023, 7:12 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: Federal prosecutors probing the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol have in recent weeks sought a wide range of documents related to fundraising after the 2020 election, looking to determine if former president Donald Trump or… Continue reading