Category Archives: campaigns

Sen. Sanders Ties Health Care Reform to Campaign Finance Reform

January 18, 2016, 11:13 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

From last night’s debate: (video) SANDERS:… You know what it all comes down to? Do you know why we can’t do what every other country — major country on Earth is doing? It’s because we have a… Continue reading

“Super PACs get free pass to hide donors”

January 18, 2016, 10:44 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

CPI: On Tuesday, a pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC sent campaign regulators a seemingly perfunctory letter, all of 30 words long. “This letter serves to officially notify the Federal Election Commission that Priorities USA Action will file its reports… Continue reading

Tillman Relies on Democracy Canon to Support Interpretation that Sen. Cruz Eligible for President as Natural Born Citizen

January 18, 2016, 10:38 amcampaignsRick Hasen

I’d been thinking the same thing. My work on the Democracy Canon in the Stanford Law Review is here.

“The Koch brothers’ impact on the American political system”

January 17, 2016, 3:07 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Tom Hamburger reviews Jane Mayer’s Dark Money.

“Trump open to campaign finance reform”

January 17, 2016, 3:05 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

The Hill: Pointing to the effects of “horrible” super-PACs, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Sunday said America needs to come up with a solution to keep big money out of politics. “Well, I think you need it, because… Continue reading

“Prominent Jeb Bush Donor Questions Super PAC Strategist Over Negative Marco Rubio Ads”

January 16, 2016, 12:44 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: A prominent donor to Jeb Bush pressed the chief strategist of the “super PAC” supporting Mr. Bush over the group’s negative ads about Senator Marco Rubio during a closed-door meeting in Manhattan on Friday, according to three people… Continue reading

“Ted Cruz Failed to Report a Second Campaign Loan in 2012”

January 15, 2016, 3:50 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: he Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz, already facing scrutiny for not disclosing a Goldman Sachs loan he used for his 2012 Senate campaign, also failed to disclose a second loan, from Citibank, for the same race, according… Continue reading

“We Have Our First Lawsuit Over Ted Cruz’s Eligibility — And It’s A Doozy”

January 15, 2016, 9:08 amcampaignsRick Hasen

TPM reports (with link to complaint).

“How Obama Made This Congressman’s Day”

January 15, 2016, 8:18 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

HuffPo: You could forgive Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) if he celebrated a little during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address. That’s because when Obama came to what he said was perhaps his most important point, it sounded… Continue reading

“Tom Steyer Joins Forces With Group Pushing Hispanic Candidates”

January 15, 2016, 7:58 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: Tom Steyer, the billionaire environmental activist who invested heavily in the 2014 midterm elections, is joining forces with the Latino Victory Fund, the Democratic-leaning group that aims to elect Hispanics to higher office, a shift in approach… Continue reading

“Bush donors await green light to jump ship”

January 15, 2016, 7:38 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Politico reports. Mine yesterday: Money Can’t Buy You Jeb!

Federal Court Denies Preliminary Injunction to Stop Va Loyalty Oath That Trump Opposes

January 14, 2016, 3:17 pmcampaigns, political parties, primariesRick Hasen

Richmond Post-Dispatch: A federal judge in Richmond on Thursday denied a motion by supporters of Donald Trump for a preliminary injunction to block the so-called “statement of affiliation” in Virginia’s March 1 Republican presidential primary. The judge’s order means… Continue reading

Bryan Garner Writes Legal Memo on Ted Cruz Eligibility to Be President

January 14, 2016, 3:10 pmcampaignsRick Hasen

Here at the Atlantic: All in all, it seems highly likely that the Supreme Court would today hold that the foreign-born child of a mother-citizen is eligible for the Presidency under Article II of the Constitution.

“Money can’t buy Jeb Bush the White House, but it still skews politics”

January 14, 2016, 8:50 amcampaign finance, campaigns, Plutocrats United, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I have written this piece for the Washington Post Sunday Outlook, probably the most important oped I’ve written on money in Politics. It begins: It is easy to dismiss as overblown the concern about the outsize role of ultra-rich donors… Continue reading