Category Archives: campaigns

“Nonprofit Founded by Stacey Abrams Admits Secretly Aiding Her 2018 Campaign”

January 15, 2025, 9:33 amcampaigns, chicanery, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

NYT: A nonprofit founded by Stacey Abrams, a Georgia Democrat, admitted on Wednesday that it had violated state law by concealing the fact that it had campaigned for her during her 2018 run for governor. At the time of that… Continue reading

“Scoop: Trump’s $500 million post-election windfall”

January 15, 2025, 7:02 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Axios: President-elect Trump is being inundated with so much money from corporations and wealthy donors that his team expects to raise about $500 million by summer — even though he can’t run again, sources in his operation tell Axios. Why… Continue reading

“Trump Inauguration, Awash in Cash, Runs Out of Perks for Big Donors”

January 10, 2025, 2:22 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, conflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

NYT: President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inaugural committee is no longer selling tickets for major donors to attend his swearing-in and accompanying private events in Washington, according to five people briefed on the conversations. The committee has raised over $170 million,… Continue reading

On remand, divided Michigan Court of Appeals allows 2020 political robocall prosecution to proceed

January 2, 2025, 7:38 amcampaignsDerek Muller

Back in June, the Michigan Supreme Court narrowed the construction of its “voter intimidation statute.” Five justices agreed the case should be remanded, while two would have held the conduct outside the statute. I blogged about that case here,… Continue reading

“This Was the Year of the Influencer Political Takeover”

December 27, 2024, 7:29 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Wired: After years of sitting on the sidelines, content creators became a part of the mainstream political media this year, delivering election news, analysis, and political commentary to their online fans—all while sidestepping the traditional press. Eighty-one-year-old Joe Biden… Continue reading

“Online Ad Spending in the 2024 Election Topped $1.35 Billion”

December 19, 2024, 5:29 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

New from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, OpenSecrets, and the Wesleyan Media Project. Key findings: Between January 1, 2023, and November 5, 2024, online political advertisers spent $1.35 billion to buy ads on Google and Meta. More… Continue reading

“Jeff Bezos’ Amazon Plans to Donate $1 Million to Trump’s Inauguration; The tycoon, long a Trump foe, is among tech leaders seeking improved ties with the president-elect”

December 13, 2024, 7:37 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

WSJ: Amazon.com is planning a $1 million donation to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, as founder Jeff Bezos and other tech leaders shore up ties with the incoming administration. The donation is being prepared as Bezos, Amazon’s … Continue reading

“How Alarmed Harris Staffers Went Rogue to Reach Black and Latino Voters”

December 9, 2024, 7:55 amcampaignsRick Hasen

NYT: Two days before the November election, a rogue team of campaign organizers for Vice President Kamala Harris turned a Dunkin’ Donuts in Philadelphia into their secret headquarters. Their mission was simple: Knock on the doors of as many Black… Continue reading

“How Trump Targeted Undecided Voters Without Breaking the Bank”

December 5, 2024, 9:13 pmcampaigns, cheap speechJustin Levitt

The NYT with some insight into the microtargeting capability of streaming services.

“The apocalypse that wasn’t: AI was everywhere in 2024’s elections, but deepfakes and misinformation were only part of the picture”

December 2, 2024, 11:34 pmcampaigns, cheap speechArtificial IntelligenceJustin Levitt

Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders expand the frame in The Conversation.

“Inside the Republican false-flag effort to turn off Kamala Harris voters”

November 15, 2024, 7:27 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

WaPo: Muslims in Michigan began seeing pro-Israel ads this fall praising Vice President Kamala Harris for marrying a Jewish man and backing the Jewish state. Jews in Pennsylvania, meanwhile, saw ads from the same group with the opposite message:… Continue reading

“Clashes, confusion and secrecy consume the Harris campaign’s finances”

November 14, 2024, 7:54 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NBC News: If Kamala Harris’ campaign was known for anything, it was its blockbuster fundraising. In just a matter of months, it crossed the $1 billion mark, in a stunning and record-breaking pace. Now, less than a week since… Continue reading

“Injunction Halting Kansas Election Law Reversed on Appeal”

November 13, 2024, 7:15 amcampaignsRick Hasen

Bloomberg Law: An injunction blocking a Kansas law barring organizations from sending mail ballot applications to voters containing personalized information was reversed by the Tenth Circuit on Tuesday, The court upended a ruling of the US District Court for the… Continue reading

“Elon Musk’s PAC spent an estimated $200 million to help elect Trump, AP source says”

November 12, 2024, 7:30 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

AP: Elon Musk’s super PAC spent around $200 million to help elect Donald Trump , according to a person familiar with the group’s spending, funding an effort that sets a new standard for how billionaires can influence elections. The billionaire… Continue reading