Category Archives: campaigns

“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

“Republicans inch toward ‘trifecta’ control of House, Senate, White House”

November 11, 2024, 7:45 amcampaignsRick Hasen

WaPo: Republicans are on the cusp of regaining the House majority for the 119th Congress and securing total control of Washington, days after the party won the presidency and control of the Senate. House Republicans appear to have flipped… Continue reading

“Who wins when? Election timing and descriptive representation”

November 11, 2024, 7:10 amcampaigns, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

Zoltan L. Hajnal, Vladimir Kogan, and G. Agustin Markarian have written this article for AJPS. Here is the abstract: We examine how the timing of local elections affects the success of minority candidates, who remain woefully underrepresented in… Continue reading

“Trump’s Victory Is a Major Win for Elon Musk and Big-Money Politics”

November 6, 2024, 2:44 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, Plutocrats UnitedRick Hasen

NYT: His victory lap was the culmination of an effort that began only six months ago and depended on a risky gamble: Mr. Musk’s new super PAC effectively led Mr. Trump’s get-out-the-vote operation in battleground states — and Mr. Trump… Continue reading

“Musk to Spend Election Night With Trump; Elon Musk has spent $119 million on a super PAC supporting Donald Trump and held events on his behalf. But his ownership of X is especially valuable.”

November 5, 2024, 11:11 amcampaign finance, campaigns, cheap speechRick Hasen

NYT: Elon Musk plans to spend election night with former President Donald J. Trump, giving Mr. Trump direct access to the person controlling one of key information platforms on what could be a chaotic evening…. Mr. Musk is joining the… Continue reading

“Elon Musk Pushes ‘Ballot Curing’ in Pennsylvania, Eyeing Tight Margin”

November 5, 2024, 8:45 amabsentee ballots, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: Elon Musk’s super PAC has been emphasizing “ballot curing” in the final days of the presidential campaign, a highly expensive strategy meant to pick up a few additional votes in a razor-thin election. Mr. Musk’s group, America PAC,… Continue reading

“Canvassers for Elon Musk’s America PAC Were Fired and Stranded in Michigan After Speaking Out”

November 3, 2024, 10:40 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Wired: Standing next to her hastily packed suitcase in Michigan’s Macomb County Wednesday night, Tyra Muldrow had a bad feeling in her gut. “I have this eerie feeling that I need to get the hell up out of there,” says… Continue reading

“‘All hell has broken loose’: Inside Elon Musk’s high-stakes pro-Trump door-knocking effort”

November 1, 2024, 6:56 amcampaignsRick Hasen

NBC News: Nine Republican operatives and canvassers connected to the Elon Musk-backed America PAC told NBC News that they’re worried the high-profile grassroots operation on behalf of Donald Trump’s presidential bid may hamper his chances in states decided by… Continue reading

“Election officials are outmatched by Elon Musk’s misinformation machine”

October 31, 2024, 7:04 amcampaigns, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

CNN: Elon Musk’s misinformation megaphone has created a “huge problem” for election officials in key battleground states who told CNN they’re struggling to combat the wave of falsehoods coming from the tech billionaire and spreading wildly on his X… Continue reading

“Workers Say They Were Tricked and Threatened as Part of Elon Musk’s Get-Out-the-Vote Effort”

October 30, 2024, 4:49 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Wired, with the subhed: “America PAC door knockers were flown to Michigan, driven in the back of a U-Haul, and told they’d have to pay hotel bills unless they met unrealistic quotas. One was surprised they were working to… Continue reading

“Elon Musk-Funded PAC Supercharges ‘Progress 2028’ Democrat Impersonation Ad Campaign”

October 30, 2024, 4:42 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, cheap speech, chicaneryRick Hasen

404 Media: An Elon Musk-funded super PAC has expanded an advertising campaign in which it is impersonating Democrats and targeting registered Republicans with policies unpopular with conservatives they say Kamala Harris will pass if she wins the election. The policies,… Continue reading

“In Election’s Final Days, Dark Money and ‘Gray Money’ Fund ‘Dirty Tricks'”

October 30, 2024, 7:55 amcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: The campaign literature that landed in Republican mailboxes in North Carolina this week was jarring. On one side was a sonogram image of a human fetus, with this message: “Her heart is beating. We all know it. Only the… Continue reading