“The Congressional Fundraising Treadmill”
New from Issue One:
Category Archives: campaign finance
My New Paper: “Nonprofit Law as the Tool to Kill What Remains of Campaign Finance Law: Reluctant Lessons from Ellen Aprill”
I have written this draft for a festschrift symposium issue of the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review honoring my dear friend, Loyola Law School professor Ellen Aprill. Here is the abstract:
This brief Essay was prepared for a… Continue reading
Eighth Circuit refuses to bar Minnesota Attorney General’s subpoenas against WinRed
An opinion in WinRed Inc. v. Ellison written by Judge Benton, joined by Chief Judge Smith (with some excerpts, below, lightly edited). (Judge Shepherd, “writing separately,” argues the case is not ripe for review and the court lacks jurisdiction.)
“Santos’ unusual $199.99 campaign expenses are putting scrutiny on his longtime treasurer”
CNN:
In the fall of 2020, then-New York Rep. Lee Zeldin’s campaign submitted a report to federal regulators with a series of unusual expenses: 21 payments on a single day of exactly $199.99 each. The outlays – each just one… Continue reading
“FEC announces 2023-2024 campaign cycle contribution limits”
Release:
The Federal Election Commission announced updated contribution limits that have been indexed for inflation and are effective for federal elections in 2023 and 2024.
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) included provisions that indexed some contribution limits… Continue reading
“What are Andy Ogles’ financial ties? Freshman GOP congressman ignores federal disclosure law”
NewsChannel5:
Tennessee’s newest congressman, Rep. Andy Ogles, quickly became a key player in the battle for control of the House, demanding concessions in exchange for his support for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
But a NewsChannel 5 investigation discovered the freshman… Continue reading
Full Set from J.H. Snider on Financing Constitutional Conventions
Snider, J.H., Part I: Alaska’s constitutional convention spending spree, The Fulcrum, Jan. 9, 2023.
Snider, J.H., Part II: Deterrence helps explain the spending spree, The Fulcrum, Jan. 16, 2023.
Snider, J.H., Part III: The failed constitutional convention campaign finance marketplace… Continue reading
“New Report: Publicly Funded Campaigns Can Dilute Big Money’s Influence on California’s Politics”
Release:
“Matching funds” programs and democracy dollars, two approaches to public financing of campaigns, can be keys to breaking big money’s grip on state politics and lifting up the voices of regular Californians, according to a new report released today… Continue reading
“Revealed: Trump secretly donated $1m to discredited Arizona election ‘audit'”
The Guardian:/Documented:
One of the enduring mysteries surrounding the chaotic attempts to overturn Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 presidential battle has been solved: who made a secret $1m donation to the controversial election “audit” in Arizona?
The identity… Continue reading
“The improbability of George Santos’ $199 expenses”
Politico:
Rep. George Santos’ congressional campaign reported dozens of transactions just cents below the threshold that would have triggered a requirement to preserve spending records — an unusual spending pattern that is now part of broader complaints about alleged financial improprieties.… Continue reading
“Trump’s Former Lawyer Meets With Prosecutors About Hush Money”
NYT:
The Manhattan district attorney’s office on Tuesday took a significant step forward in its investigation of Donald J. Trump, meeting with his former personal lawyer about hush money paid to a porn star who said she had an affair… Continue reading
“Billions at stake as online fundraising practices turn off voters”
Politico:
That advice reflects a recognition among digital campaign staffers that text and email programs have gone from innovative to out of hand, to the point that it’s harming the campaign ecosystem. The rate of return on individual appeals is… Continue reading
“Records Show George Santos Made Questionable Payments to Vendors”
Newsday:
Campaign committees tied to Rep. George Santos paid tens of thousands of dollars to newly formed companies with opaque histories and meager track records of working for other candidates, a Newsday review ofstate and federal filings shows.
Election… Continue reading
“The Mysterious, Unregistered Fund That Raised Big Money for Santos”
NYT:
A month before George Santos was elected to Congress, one of his large donors received a call asking him to consider making another sizable contribution.
The request came from a Republican loyalist calling on behalf of RedStone Strategies, which… Continue reading