Category Archives: campaigns

“Kentucky gov. urges politics at pulpit despite federal law”

Lexington Herald Leader: Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin urged a group of preachers to embrace political speech at the pulpit by telling them not to fear a federal law that prohibits candidate endorsements by tax-exempt churches.

“R/GA and Ad Council built a voting bot to drive Millennials to the polls”

October 5, 2016, 2:35 pmcampaigns, voting, voting technologyRick Hasen

The latest: Simply called “GoVoteBot,” it interacts with users in real time on Facebook Messenger. The bot was designed to be non-partisan, simply supplying information to users without attempting to sway their vote. R/GA and the Ad Council worked with… Continue reading

“Ballot selfies are legal in Virginia, attorney general says”

October 5, 2016, 2:31 pmcampaigns, election administrationRick Hasen

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

“The Hacker Behind The New Clinton Leaks Denies That He Made Stuff Up”

October 4, 2016, 5:37 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

BuzzFeed: Despite the many questions raised over new documents allegedly leaked from the servers of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, the hacker known as “Guccifer 2.0” continued to insist Tuesday that the documents were real, and that they were a… Continue reading

“Trump Used Foundation Funds for 2016 Run, Filings Suggest”

October 4, 2016, 5:23 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Real Clear Politics: That check is one of at least several donations to suggest Trump used his private foundation, funded by outside donors, to launch and fuel his political ambitions. Such contributions, if they were made solely for Trump’s benefit,… Continue reading

“See The Amazing Campaign Contortionists Twist The Finance Rules”

October 4, 2016, 4:58 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Paul Blumenthal for HuffPo describes the deregulatory spiral.

Contrary to Early Reports, Sheldon Adelson Now Coughing Up $25 Million or More for Trump

October 2, 2016, 11:57 amcampaign finance, campaigns, tax law and election lawRick Hasen

Earlier I noted that Sheldon Adelson was giving only $5 million to a Trump Super PAC, only a small fraction of what he spent helping Gingrich then Romney in 2012. But now Teddy Schleifer reports the amount is likely to… Continue reading

“Trump’s unusual conflict: Millions in debts to German bank now facing federal fines”

September 30, 2016, 12:45 pmcampaigns, conflict of interest lawsRick Hasen

WonkBlog: Federal regulators are seeking a $14 billion fine from Deutsche Bank, Trump’s top lender, to settle claims that the bank issued toxic mortgages amid the housing crisis. German media have suggested the bank has sought a state bailout… Continue reading

“So Just Who Are These Undecided Voters?”

September 30, 2016, 7:43 amcampaigns, votingRick Hasen

Lynn Vavreck for NYT’s The UpShot: These descriptive differences are negligible compared with differences relating to politics and policy. The YouGov data reveal that undecided voters are much less likely to have positions on issues driving the campaign. On the… Continue reading

“Here comes the Republican Senate super PAC blitz”

September 30, 2016, 7:38 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Matea Gold: The Republicans’ central Senate super PAC is plowing $21 million more into six key races in the coming weeks as the fight for control of the chamber moves to states more hospitable to GOP candidates. The… Continue reading

Trump, Piggybacking Off Right Wing Claims that U.S. Rushing Citizenship Applications, Says Clinton Helped Machado

September 30, 2016, 7:28 amcampaignsRick Hasen

Greg Sargent: The “sex tape” angle here is sucking up all the attention. (Apparently, sex sells.) That appears to be a reference to reports about a steamy love scene that Machado filmed in 2005, though without further clarification, it’s… Continue reading

“How Democrats Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Big Donor Money”

September 30, 2016, 7:01 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: More than two-thirds of the Democrats’ cash went to a dozen presidential battlegrounds critical to any Clinton victory. The biggest beneficiaries were Florida, which has taken in close to $3.5 million, and Pennsylvania and Ohio, which have each received… Continue reading