Category Archives: campaigns

“Judicial Candidates Try TikTok and Tinder in Mexico’s Sprawling Elections”

May 31, 2025, 11:10 amcampaign finance, campaigns, cheap speech, judicial electionsJustin Levitt

I mentioned Mexico’s historic upcoming judicial elections a few days ago, but hadn’t then focused on the campaign finance regime. Now the NYT digs a little deeper: They weren’t allowed to buy ads on television, radio, billboards or… Continue reading

“Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC failed to pay swing state petition signers, new suit alleges”

May 16, 2025, 12:35 pmcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

CNBC: Elon Musk’s America PAC didn’t keep its promise to pay swing state voters who signed a pro-Trump petition ahead of the 2024 election, and who enlisted others to do the same, a new lawsuit alleges. The case, a proposed… Continue reading

“Trump, Raking In Cash, Expands His Power in the G.O.P. Money World”

May 10, 2025, 1:20 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: President Trump is harnessing the Republican Party’s all-encompassing deference to him to exert even greater control over the G.O.P. big-money world, which had long been one of the party’s final remaining redoubts of Trump skepticism. For years, the super… Continue reading

“D.N.C. Will Send More Cash to Red States, Aiming to Strengthen Party’s Reach”

April 24, 2025, 6:38 amcampaigns, political partiesTravis Crum

NYT: The Democratic National Committee is pledging to give tens of thousands of dollars monthly to every state party across the country, emphasizing red states over blue ones, in an expansive — and expensive — push to make Democrats… Continue reading

ELB Podcast 6:7: Combatting False Election Information: Lessons from 2024 and a Look to the Future (Marwick, Starbird, Tucker)

April 6, 2025, 7:52 amcampaigns, cheap speech, ELB PodcastRick Hasen

Season 6, Episode 7 of the ELB Podcast: How did campaigning and false information in campaigns change in the 2024 elections? What role did platform content moderation play in 2024? Is generative AI going to change campaigns in 2028 and… Continue reading

“Musk Political Group Takes on Local Races and New Targets”

March 22, 2025, 2:31 amcampaign finance, campaignsDerek Muller

Wall Street Journal: As Elon Musk’s government-shrinking operation slashed its way through federal agencies across Washington this month, one of his top lieutenants turned his attention to a smaller political arena, more than 2,000 miles away. Chris Young, the… Continue reading

“Scoop: Musk’s PAC offers $100 to Wisconsin voters in pitch against ‘activist judges'”

March 21, 2025, 2:21 amcampaign finance, campaignsDerek Muller

Déjà vu all over again, from Axios.

“Meta vows to curtail false content, deepfakes ahead of Australia election”

March 20, 2025, 1:27 pmcampaignsDerek Muller

Reuters: Facebook and Instagram-owner Meta Platforms said on Tuesday its independent fact-checking program in Australia would help detect and remove false content and deepfakes, as it aims to curb misinformation ahead of a national election due by May. In… Continue reading

“Some Wisconsin voters received inaccurate information in the mail. The response may be a sign of the times.”

March 18, 2025, 3:15 amcampaignsDerek Muller

Wisconsin Public Radio on a cautionary tale of relying too heavily on out-of-state help: Last week, some Wisconsin voters began receiving postcards reminding them to vote in an upcoming election. The notes were backing Susan Crawford, the liberal candidate in… Continue reading

“Despite Musk, progressives are winning the ad war in Wisconsin”

March 7, 2025, 6:32 amcampaign finance, campaigns, judicial electionsRick Hasen

The Downballot: Despite Elon Musk’s multi-million dollar spending spree, progressives retain an advantage on the airwaves in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race—and now they’re making an issue of Musk’s involvement, too. At the same time, a rare poll shows liberal Judge… Continue reading

“Democrats Fume Over a Data Disaster Averted: ‘This Can’t Happen Again'”

March 1, 2025, 5:13 amcampaignsRick Hasen

NYT: Problems with a huge database of voter information that effectively functions as the central nervous system of the Democratic Party grew so worrisome last summer that top Democrats staged an extraordinary intervention to keep it running through the… Continue reading

“Venting at Democrats and Fearing Trump, Liberal Donors Pull Back Cash”

February 17, 2025, 7:18 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

NYT: The demoralization and fear gripping blue America in the early weeks of President Trump’s administration have left liberal groups and their allies struggling for cash, hurting their ability to effectively combat the right-wing transformation of the federal government. The… Continue reading

“Is it finally time to end the ‘blessed’ super PAC?; Last year, Democrats funneled nearly all of their resources into one billion dollar entity. Why did they put all of their eggs in one basket?”

January 18, 2025, 2:14 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Kyle Tharp writes.

“‘Everyone’s trying to kiss the ring’: Trump’s inauguration devours corporate cash, smashing records”

January 16, 2025, 7:07 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Politico: Donald Trump’s first White House victory caught corporate America flat-footed. This time around, industries that his administration will soon oversee are showering his inaugural committee with record-breaking donations — and making sure both the president-elect and the public notice… Continue reading