Category Archives: campaigns

“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

“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