Category Archives: campaigns

“Presidential super PACs push campaign limits”

September 23, 2015, 9:58 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Fredreka Schouten for USA Today: The rules on what amounts to coordination, however, are so narrowly defined that super PACs are increasingly acting as shadow campaigns — deploying staff to early voting states, financing feel-good biographical ads to introduce the… Continue reading

The Future of the Party and Campaign Finance — A Response to Bob Bauer

September 22, 2015, 1:04 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, election law and constitutional law, guest blogging election law scholarship, political partiesCampaign finance, political partiesHeather Gerken

(with Joey Fishkin, University of Texas Law School) Bob Bauer just offered a thoughtful and engaging commentary on our work and a new report by the Brennan Center, both focused on the relationship between the political parties and campaign finance.… Continue reading

“The Warnings About The Supreme Court’s Dangerous Campaign Finance Ruling Are Now Coming True”

September 22, 2015, 7:45 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Paul Blumenthal for HuffPo: During courtroom debate over the McCutcheon decision, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli expressed concern that political parties could create joint fundraising committees to allow a single candidate to solicit a $1 million-plus contribution, which could be distributed… Continue reading

“New study shows potential impact of a small donor matching program on 2016 presidential race”

September 22, 2015, 7:44 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Release: Candidates in the 2016 presidential race would see a dramatic shift in their fundraising, and have a powerful incentive to focus more on small donors under a proposed small donor public financing system, according to a study released… Continue reading

“What Happens To All That SuperPAC Money When A Candidate Drops Out”

September 22, 2015, 7:43 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Peter Overby reports for NPR.

“A few new faces — but not many — among megadonors to presidential super PACs”

September 22, 2015, 7:42 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Center for Responsive Politics: While there are no complete ingenues among the rosters of top donors to the super PACs, which filed their disclosure reports for the first half of the year this week, there are a few who… Continue reading

“Scott Walker’s Demise Shows Limits of ‘Super PAC’ Money Model”

September 22, 2015, 7:37 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Nick Confessore reports for the NYT.

“If you think super PACs have changed everything about the presidential primary, think again”

September 21, 2015, 5:16 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

David Karol for the Monkey Cage.

Trump Says He’d Spend $100 Million to Get Elected

September 18, 2015, 7:04 pmcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

That wouldn’t do the trick.

“FEC to Vote on Super PAC Advisory Opinion”

September 18, 2015, 7:02 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, federal election commissionRick Hasen

Ken Doyle for Bloomberg BNA: The Federal Election Commission has signaled that it will vote in the coming weeks on a potentially major advisory opinion request seeking to clarify legal limits on super political action committees (super PACs) and other… Continue reading

“Election 2016: Why Money Won’t Matter”

September 18, 2015, 10:49 amcampaign finance, campaignsRick Hasen

Thad Kousser at IGS: With the imperfect storm of Citizens United, Super PACs, the Clinton Fundraising Machine, the Trump Fortune, and the Sheldon Adelsons of the world blowing money toward the presidential contenders at hurricane force, 2016 is almost certain… Continue reading

“Democratic candidate Lawrence Lessig decries ‘catch-22’ TV debate eligibility”

September 18, 2015, 8:59 amcampaignsRick Hasen

The Guardian: Harvard professor Lawrence Lessig, the newest candidate to enter the race for the Democratic nomination, is bracing himself to be excluded from the party’s first debate next month because he has been left out of national polling.… Continue reading