Category Archives: campaign finance

“What to Know About Trump’s New York Criminal Case After the Election”

November 7, 2024, 7:04 amcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump was the one criminal case against the former president that actually went to trial. Now that Mr. Trump has reclaimed the presidency, it, too, is in jeopardy.… Continue reading

“Trump’s Victory Is a Major Win for Elon Musk and Big-Money Politics”

November 6, 2024, 2:44 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

NYT: His victory lap was the culmination of an effort that began only six months ago and depended on a risky gamble: Mr. Musk’s new super PAC effectively led Mr. Trump’s get-out-the-vote operation in battleground states — and Mr. Trump… Continue reading

“Musk to Spend Election Night With Trump; Elon Musk has spent $119 million on a super PAC supporting Donald Trump and held events on his behalf. But his ownership of X is especially valuable.”

November 5, 2024, 11:11 amcampaign finance, campaigns, cheap speechRick Hasen

NYT: Elon Musk plans to spend election night with former President Donald J. Trump, giving Mr. Trump direct access to the person controlling one of key information platforms on what could be a chaotic evening…. Mr. Musk is joining the… Continue reading

“Judge Allows Unusual G.O.P. Strategy to Pump Money Into Senate Races”

November 2, 2024, 11:32 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

NYT: A federal judge ruled on Friday that Senate Republicans may continue to pump tens of millions of dollars into key swing state races in the final days of the 2024 campaign by employing an unusual advertising strategy that Democrats… Continue reading

“Amazon donates to group backing hardline anti-abortion Republican; DoorDash and CVS also contributing funds to Raga group trying to re-elect Todd Rokita, who favors total abortion ban”

November 1, 2024, 6:25 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

The Guardian: Amazon, DoorDash and CVS Health are among major US companies publicly committed to supporting reproductive rights that have nonetheless contributed this year to a group supporting the re-election of Todd Rokita, the Republican attorney general of Indiana… Continue reading

“Billionaires’ new playground”

October 31, 2024, 7:22 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

Axios: Billionaire DNA is coursing through the U.S. election system like never before, smashing campaign finance records and ushering in a new age of influence. Why it matters: In an election that both sides see as existential, the moral guardrails… Continue reading

“Elon Musk-Funded PAC Supercharges ‘Progress 2028’ Democrat Impersonation Ad Campaign”

October 30, 2024, 4:42 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

404 Media: An Elon Musk-funded super PAC has expanded an advertising campaign in which it is impersonating Democrats and targeting registered Republicans with policies unpopular with conservatives they say Kamala Harris will pass if she wins the election. The policies,… Continue reading

“In Election’s Final Days, Dark Money and ‘Gray Money’ Fund ‘Dirty Tricks'”

October 30, 2024, 7:55 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: The campaign literature that landed in Republican mailboxes in North Carolina this week was jarring. On one side was a sonogram image of a human fetus, with this message: “Her heart is beating. We all know it. Only the… Continue reading

“Battle of the billionaires: the mega rich spending to swing the US election”

October 27, 2024, 8:40 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

FT: A small number of billionaires could help swing the result of the US presidential election, as many of the world’s wealthiest spend hundreds of millions of dollars to help their preferred candidate win. Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are… Continue reading

“These super PACs are spending more to get Trump elected than his campaign itself”

October 26, 2024, 10:12 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Politico: Donald Trump is counting on heavy financial backing from an array of super PACs to get him elected — far more than Kamala Harris is. The groups supporting Trump, working across different platforms to get him elected, spent… Continue reading

“JPMorgan, FirstEnergy to Offer More Political Spending Details”

October 25, 2024, 7:27 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Bloomberg: JPMorganChase & Co., FirstEnergy Corp., and Sempra are the first to be designated “model code companies” by organizations that urge corporations to voluntarily disclose more information about their political footprint. The companies have publicly committed to following the code,… Continue reading

“New Issue One investigation illuminates connections, secretive donors behind groups pushing false election-related narratives”

October 24, 2024, 7:52 amcampaign finance, chicanery, fraudulent fraud squadRick Hasen

Release: In recent months, a network known as the “Only Citizens Vote Coalition” — which counts more than 80 organizations as members — has been amplifying the biggest myth circulating this election, that large numbers of noncitizens are going to… Continue reading

“Trump files extraordinary complaint claiming election meddling by UK Labour party”

October 22, 2024, 8:16 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

The Guardian: First King George III. Now Sir Keir Starmer. Citing the American revolution while misspelling “Britian”, Donald Trump’s campaign has filed an extraordinary complaint against the UK’s Labour party for what it claims is “interference” in the US… Continue reading

“Bill Gates Privately Says He Has Backed Harris With $50 Million Donation”

October 22, 2024, 4:00 pmcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

The Plutocrats are out in force: After decades of sitting on the sidelines of politics, Bill Gates, one of the richest people in the world, has said privately that he recently donated about $50 million to a nonprofit organization that… Continue reading