Category Archives: campaigns

‘Diminished’ NRA at crossroads ahead of 2020 election

January 6, 2020, 2:04 pmcampaigns, lobbyingJustin Levitt

Speaking of mobilization, the Washington Times has questions: The National Rifle Association, after shedding its president and top lobbyist this year amid a string of internal disputes and legal battles, finds itself at a crossroads with Republican politicos wondering… Continue reading

Campaign finance compliance hits the WWE with steel-chair-like force

January 6, 2020, 2:03 pmcampaign finance, campaignsJustin Levitt

Former WWE star Rhino was a 2016 candidate for Congress … and seems to think that the rigors of campaign finance compliance may have impacted his last run in the WWE.

“Fresh Cambridge Analytica leak ‘shows global manipulation is out of control’”

January 5, 2020, 1:05 pmcampaigns, Election MeltdownJustin Levitt

From The Guardian: An explosive leak of tens of thousands of documents from the defunct data firm Cambridge Analytica is set to expose the inner workings of the company that collapsed after the Observer revealed it had misappropriated 87… Continue reading

“Give nonvoters a reason to participate in elections”

January 5, 2020, 12:51 pmcampaigns, election law bizJustin Levitt

Algernon D’Ammassa offers an intriguing critique of the “running a race” frame of American elections, tied to both news coverage and the “Campaigns, Inc.” influence of consultants.

“News coverage gets geo-fragmented”

January 4, 2020, 9:45 amcampaigns, Election MeltdownJustin Levitt

Madelyn Sanfilippo and Yafit Lev-Aretz reflect in NiemanLab on the impact of the structure of the news media market, and innovations in the delivery of news, on coverage of the 2020 elections. The lede: Coverage of the 2020 U.S. presidential… Continue reading

The partisan campaign finance horse race

January 3, 2020, 4:35 pmcampaign finance, campaignsJustin Levitt

The WaPo summarizes the reported candidate and party committee hauls for 2019 ($463 million for Trump and the RNC, for example). It seems fair to compare RNC solo fundraising to DNC solo fundraising, and Trump’s re-elect to Obama’s 2012 re-elect. … Continue reading

“Beauty on the Ballot: Candidates’ Attractiveness Plays Role in Voters’ Decisions, Especially in U.S.”

December 31, 2019, 2:04 pmcampaignsJustin Levitt

A study by Sebastian Jäckle et al. finds an advantage up to 11% for congressional candidates based on appearance alone. The study itself – titled “A Catwalk to Congress” – is here.

“Decade in review: Citizens United and campaign spending”

December 30, 2019, 1:01 pmcampaign finance, campaignsJustin Levitt

SCOTUSblog has a running decade-in-review series, and Citizens United occupies 14% of the space so far.

North Carolina: “‘Get off Facebook.’ Local election officials warned over partisan posts”

December 24, 2019, 9:10 amcampaigns, election administrationRick Hasen

News and Observer: Members of the State Board of Elections admonished county election board members to “get off Facebook” and “delete your Twitter account,” as they reviewed the latest complaints of improper social media posts by local election officials.The… Continue reading

“Russian disinformation network said to have helped spread smear of U.S. ambassador to Ukraine”

December 17, 2019, 8:13 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

WaPo: The story that appeared on The Hill website on March 20 was startling.Marie Yovanovitch, the American ambassador to Ukraine, had given a “list of people whom we should not prosecute” to Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Yuriy Lutsenko, according to… Continue reading

“When Madison Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue Merge: A Review of “Political Brands'”

December 16, 2019, 8:25 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Eric Segall: f you are worried about the state of our political system in the age of Facebook advertising, Russian interference in our elections, dark money in politics, and President Trump’s Twitter account, among many other disturbing trends, Professor Ciara… Continue reading

“A Great Big Gift Not on Trump’s Disclosure Form: Giuliani’s Legal Advice”

December 13, 2019, 7:46 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

NYT: For the past 20 months, President Trump has received free personal legal services from one of America’s highest-paid lawyers, who has traveled around the country and across the ocean to defend him in the special counsel’s inquiry and press… Continue reading