Category Archives: campaigns

“Philadelphia judge turned Congressional candidate who accepted rival’s cash suspended”

March 21, 2022, 5:59 pmcampaign finance, campaignsDerek Muller

Reuters: A former Philadelphia municipal judge who accepted $90,000 from another candidate to abandon his congressional campaign has been hit with a four-year suspension by Pennsylvania’s high court, according to a new order.The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday… Continue reading

“Now in Your Inbox: Political Misinformation”

December 13, 2021, 10:58 amcampaigns, chicaneryRick Hasen

Maggie Astor for the NYT: A few weeks ago, Representative Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican, falsely claimed that the centerpiece of President Biden’s domestic agenda, a $1.75 trillion bill to battle climate change and extend the nation’s social… Continue reading

“That ‘Team Beto’ Fund-Raising Email? It Might Not Be From Beto.”

November 27, 2021, 1:15 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Shane Goldmacher for the NYT: Where the money goes from there can be murky, though big payments to the operatives and consulting firms that operate those PACs have drawn increasing scrutiny from political colleagues, regulators and law enforcement alike.Some of… Continue reading

“House Democrats Have New Strategy for Voters of Color”

November 17, 2021, 1:57 pmcampaigns, political partiesTabatha Abu El-Haj

All Things Considered, NPR The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has launched a new, multimillion-dollar initiative “to engage and mobilize voters of color ahead of the midterm elections, including investments in local organizing” and in strategies to stymie “Republican efforts to… Continue reading

“NC operative Dowless rejects plea deal on ballot fraud accusations. Here’s what’s next”

November 16, 2021, 6:52 pmcampaigns, chicaneryTabatha Abu El-Haj

The Charlotte Observer McCrae Dowless faces 13 state felony charges largely related to his role in in Mark Harris’ 2018 run, as a Republican, for Congress in the North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District. Dowless rejected a plea deal through which… Continue reading

“Political Campaigns Can Still Target You on Facebook”

November 15, 2021, 6:00 pmcampaigns, cheap speechTabatha Abu El-Haj

From Nick Coransaniti at the NY Times “On Tuesday, Meta, the social media company formerly known as Facebook, announced changes that, on the surface, would appear to reduce such targeting. But it remains entirely possible for campaigns to get around… Continue reading

“Trump Insiders Are Quietly Paying Teen Memers For Posts”

September 9, 2021, 8:06 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

HuffPost: In the fever swamps of Instagram, a network of right-wing meme accounts run by teenage boys and young men has erupted into an advertising powerhouse reaching millions. These memers — who regularly post far-right conspiracy theories, anti-vaccine propaganda and… Continue reading

“Virginia Republicans file suit over McAuliffe’s paperwork”

August 26, 2021, 5:00 pmcampaignsRick Hasen

AP: The Republican Party of Virginia filed a lawsuit Thursday asking the courts to remove Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe from the ballot for failing to sign an official form declaring his candidacy. The McAuliffe campaign dismissed the suit as… Continue reading

“New intel reports indicate fresh efforts by Russia to interfere in 2022 election”

August 13, 2021, 5:19 amcampaignsDerek Muller

CNN: The Biden administration is receiving regular intelligence reports indicating Russian efforts to interfere in US elections are evolving and ongoing, current and former officials say, and in fact, never stopped, despite President Joe Biden’s warnings to Russian President… Continue reading

“Cuomo Has $18 Million in Campaign Cash. What Can He Do With It?”

August 12, 2021, 1:39 pmcampaign finance, campaignsDerek Muller

New York Times: Even after his resignation takes effect in less than two weeks, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will still control the largest pot of campaign cash in New York politics, an $18 million war chest amassed in apparent… Continue reading

Same judge on same day denies motions to dismiss in Dominion, Devin Nunes defamation lawsuits

August 12, 2021, 1:38 pmcampaignsDerek Muller

Jacqueline Thomsen at the National Law Journal has more on Dominion v. Powell and Nunes v. Washington Post. For more, the Wall Street Journal on Dominion and Law360 on Nunes. From Dominion (with some citations removed): Powell contends… Continue reading

“Giuliani told agents it was okay to ‘throw a fake’ during political campaign”

August 11, 2021, 2:45 pmcampaignsDerek Muller

Washington Post: Rudolph W. Giuliani’s promise of a “big surprise” to help Donald Trump’s election in October 2016 led to Democratic accusations the FBI was feeding him secrets about an investigation of Hillary Clinton.But a newly obtained transcript shows… Continue reading

Sixth Circuit affirms convictions for unlawful contributions to Kentucky candidate for U.S. Senate

August 9, 2021, 1:44 pmcampaign finance, campaignsDerek Muller

The opinion in United States v. Emmons is here. Alison Lundergan Grimes from Kentucky challenged Mitch McConnell in 2014 for a U.S. Senate seat. Her father (who ran a closely-held business) and a family friend were found guilty of… Continue reading

“Sex, Suffrage, and State Constitutional Law: Women’s Legal Right to Hold Public Office”

August 7, 2021, 2:50 pmballot access, campaignsDerek Muller

New draft from Elizabeth D. Katz on SSRN, forthcoming in the Yale Journal of Law & Feminism. Abstract: On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris was sworn in by Justice Sonia Sotomayor as the nation’s first woman Vice President. This… Continue reading