Over at the Brennan Center: The 2024 election underscored the growing power of big money in politics. This year’s races broke spending records, with megadonors backing candidates not only to push their special interests but to buy government access and… Continue reading

WaPo: The election is over, but the seven-figure candlelight dinners are back. Make America Great Again, Inc., the super PAC that spent more than $450 million to elect Donald Trump this year, will host another “candlelight” meal with the president-elect… Continue reading

The Guardian parses the FEC tech-sector filings beyond Musk. Your reminder that FEC filings facilitate the drunkard’s search under the streetlight: they show what they show, but only where the light is good enough to see.

Rick said back in September he’d been waiting for this one, and now there’s a petition for cert.  Don’t know whether that counts as an early holiday present.

It’s FEC report season, with takes for everyone. Here’s the NYT on (some of) the bottom line.

And I think that doesn’t include the value of the X-posure. Lots of these today. Here’s the NYT take, and WaPo’s version.

Marketplace does the numbers … and I’m not sure this accounts for the value of billionaire-driven social media.

The Seattle Times reports on Monday’s appellate decision regarding violations of Washington’s disclosure law.  The state’s Public Disclosure Commission is quoted as saying the judgment is believed to be the largest fine imposed for campaign finance violations in U.S. history.