Category Archives: campaign finance

“Online Political Spending in 2024”

October 16, 2024, 9:58 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

New: Political advertisers in the United States spent more than $619 million on the two largest digital ad platforms between the beginning of 2023 and the end of August of this year, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis jointly conducted… Continue reading

“Big Money Flowed to Pro-Trump Groups in the Past Three Months; Three people — Elon Musk, Miriam Adelson and Dick Uihlein — put a combined $220 million into groups supporting Donald J. Trump in July, August and September.”

October 16, 2024, 6:59 amcampaign finance, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

NYT reports.

“Dark Money: Can Billionaires Buy Elections in America?”

October 16, 2024, 6:57 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Podcast with Ciara Torres-Spelliscy and Brody Mullins, interviewed by Adam Smith.

D.C. Circuit Will Rehear En Banc the End Citizens United PAC Case Holding that Dismissals of FEC Complaints are Unreviewable Exercises of Prosecutorial Discretion

October 15, 2024, 3:04 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

The controversial 2-1 decision is here. The en banc order wiping this out and setting it for briefing and oral argument is here. More background and documents from the FEC.

“Trump Leans On Creative Bookkeeping to Keep Up in Cash Race”

October 15, 2024, 12:54 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

NYT: Donald J. Trump’s political operation has been taking extraordinary measures in a bid to stay financially competitive with Vice President Kamala Harris, deploying aggressive and creative accounting strategies that test the legal limits of how far a candidate can… Continue reading

“Trump’s small-dollar donor fundraising is beset by confusion and fatigue”

October 10, 2024, 7:02 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

AP: Donald Trump’s contributions from small-dollar donors have plummeted since his last White House campaign, presenting the former president with a financial challenge as he tries to keep pace with the Democrats’ fundraising machine. Fewer than a third of… Continue reading

“Elon Musk’s PAC offers $47 payouts to refer swing state voters to sign petition”

October 8, 2024, 7:27 amcampaign finance, vote buyingRick Hasen

NBC News: Elon Musk’s pro-Trump America PAC is offering people $47 if they successfully get one registered swing-state voter to sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments of the Constitution. “Easy money,” Musk said in a post… Continue reading

“Is Democracy Doomed by Dark Money?”

October 8, 2024, 7:15 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy on New Books Network podcast.

With No Noted Dissents, Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Case Challenging San Francisco Law Requiring Donor Disclosures on the Face of Campaign Advertising

October 7, 2024, 10:08 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

Cert. denied in No on E v. Chiu. That’s a big deal after AFPF v. Bonta. From a Public Citizen press release: The “Sunlight on Dark Money” law was approved as a ballot measure in 2019 by 77% of… Continue reading

“The Intriguing Role Public Financing of Campaigns Played in the Eric Adams Indictments”

September 27, 2024, 2:10 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

Ciara Torres-Spelliscy for Washington Monthly.

Key Part of Indictment Against NYC Mayor Eric Adams is Foreign Conduit Campaign Contributions

September 26, 2024, 2:31 pmcampaign finance, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has been indicted on federal charges of bribery conspiracy, fraud and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations. The indictment, brought by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, was unsealed… Continue reading

“A new mystery firm enters Trump’s orbit, rekindling criticism of his presidential campaign spending”

September 26, 2024, 5:20 amcampaign financeRick Hasen

AP: Launchpad Strategies was incorporated less than a year ago and has since received $15 million from Donald Trump’s election fundraising machine. For what is mostly a mystery. Campaign finance records indicate the limited liability company was hired to provide… Continue reading

“The ‘crypto bros’ are spending big in the 2024 election”

September 25, 2024, 5:06 pmcampaign financeRick Hasen

New from Ciara Torres-Spelliscy.

“The Surprising Survival—So Far—of the Corporate Contribution Ban”

September 25, 2024, 4:55 amcampaign finance, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Richard Briffault has posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Chicago Business Law Review). Here is the abstract: Citizens United notwithstanding, the 117-year-old federal ban on corporate campaign contributions and similar prohibitions in twenty-one states remain on the books and continue… Continue reading