Category Archives: campaign finance

“Dissatisfied With Their Party, Wealthy Republican Donors Form Secret Coalitions”

April 6, 2022, 12:59 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

NYT: A new coalition of wealthy conservative benefactors that says it aims to “disrupt but advance the Republican agenda” gathered this week for a private summit in South Florida that included closed-door addresses from former President Donald J. Trump and… Continue reading

DNC Settles Suit Over Payment for Research in “Steele Dossier”; One ELB Reader Wonders About DNC Tactics

March 31, 2022, 7:42 amcampaign finance, chicanery, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Politico: The Federal Election Commission has agreed to a fine of over $100,000 against the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign over an investigation into alleged misreporting of spending related to the now-infamous Steele dossier.The FEC… Continue reading

“Congress gets new spending loophole”

March 31, 2022, 7:29 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Lachlan Markay for Axios: The big picture: Whether or not Ros-Lehtinen’s spending constituted personal use, the FEC’s failure to move forward with an investigation effectively cements a standard that, good government groups warn, opens a huge campaign finance loophole.… Continue reading

Federal District Court Denies Preliminary Injunction in Wisconsin Campaign Finance Disclosure Case

March 28, 2022, 6:44 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

From the opinion: In sum, while the First Amendment interests of WFA and its donors at stake in this case are substantial, WFA has failed to make a showing that it would suffer irreparable harm if its motion for… Continue reading

“Sen. Mitch McConnell has made it his personal mission to keep the dark money spigot open; The GOP’s hypocrisy on donor transparency has been on full display since President Biden announced Ketanji Brown Jackson as his Supreme Court justice nominee.”

March 27, 2022, 7:12 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Brendan Fischer NBC News oped.

Some recent law student scholarship on election law

March 26, 2022, 6:12 amabsentee ballots, campaign finance, redistrictingDerek Muller

This weekend, I’ll blog about some recent election law scholarship. I thought I’d start by highlighting a few student notes that caught my eye in recent weeks: Kyle Apple (Iowa), Gerrymandering the Presidency: Why Federal District Popular Voting Presents a … Continue reading

“GOP Congressman Jeff Fortenberry Found Guilty in Campaign Finance Case”

March 25, 2022, 6:43 amcampaign finance, legislation and legislaturesDerek Muller

Deanna Paul in the Wall Street Journal: A federal jury in Los Angeles on Thursday found Nebraska Rep. Jeff Fortenberry guilty of lying to federal investigators in a bid to conceal illegal campaign contributions he received during a 2016… Continue reading

“Abrams files lawsuit to use fundraising law meant to aid Kemp”

March 23, 2022, 8:59 amcampaign finance, campaignsDerek Muller

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking court approval to use a law that gives Republican Gov. Brian Kemp a massive fundraising advantage in his reelection bid this year.The challenge asks the court… Continue reading

Federal judge finds Wyoming’s campaign disclosure and disclaimer requirements violate First Amendment

March 22, 2022, 8:36 amcampaign financeDerek Muller

Order granting in part motion for summary judgment by a Wyoming federal district court in Wyoming Gun Owners v. Buchanon, a case building on Americans for Prosperity v. Bonta (and as applied to the plaintiffs in this case): WyGO… Continue reading

“Ted Cruz’s Latest Troll? Turning His Campaign Into a Super PAC”

March 22, 2022, 8:36 amcampaign financeDerek Muller

Daily Beast investigation: Federal law says candidates can only give other candidates $2,000 per election. But Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)—in classic Cruz fashion—may have found a loophole.Last month, Cruz poured a staggering $137,183 into the House campaign for Cassy Garcia,… Continue reading

“Philadelphia judge turned Congressional candidate who accepted rival’s cash suspended”

March 21, 2022, 5:59 pmcampaign finance, campaignsDerek Muller

Reuters: A former Philadelphia municipal judge who accepted $90,000 from another candidate to abandon his congressional campaign has been hit with a four-year suspension by Pennsylvania’s high court, according to a new order.The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday… Continue reading

“GOP Dark Money Criticisms in Supreme Court Fight Mirror Democrats”

March 18, 2022, 6:55 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Bloomberg Law: Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) brought poster boards to Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s 2020 confirmation hearing highlighting the interconnections among conservative groups like the Judicial Crisis Network and the Federalist Society.Now, Republicans have a chance to turn… Continue reading

“Democratic Group Says Trump Is Breaking Campaign Law by Not Declaring for 2024”

March 15, 2022, 7:22 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

NYT reports.

“Alaska campaign finance commission erases all limits on donations to political candidates”

March 4, 2022, 8:15 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Anchorage Daily News: The commission charged with enforcing Alaska’s campaign finance laws has lifted all limits on donations to candidates for governor, state legislative seats and municipal races — a decision that could allow a huge wave of cash… Continue reading