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News Articles Archives

• Mar 15, 2011 How Companies Can Limit Political Spending Risks    March 14, 2011
  Huffington Post
  by Bruce F. Freed
  With spending in the upcoming presidential election cycle expected to soar, how can companies take advantage of newfound freedom after the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision without being "Target-ed"?    more   


• Apr 1, 2008 Political Money: The Need for Director Oversight    April 1, 2008
  The Conference Board Executive Action Alert
  By Bruce Freed and Karl J. Sandstrom
  When it comes to corporate governance, one area often overlooked is company involvement in politics. The amount of money companies spend for political purposes is relatively...    more   


• Mar 6, 2008 Boards Should Scrutinize Political Spending    March 6, 2008
  BusinessWeek
  By Bruce Freed and Karl J. Sandstrom
  Until recently, directors have paid scant attention to company political spending. Because the amount corporations devote to politics is quite small and might seem immaterial, especially as a proportion of...    more...  


• Jul 9, 2007 American business needs an election cash code    July 9, 2007
  Financial Times
  By Bruce Freed and Bennett Freeman
  Last year, Robert Kelner, a leading Washington election lawyer, warned: "More than in the past, the Department of Justice seems to be trying very hard to tie campaign contributions to legislative acts by...    more...  


• May 1, 2007 It Pays to Get Ahead of the Curve on Political Disclosure    May-June 2007
  Executive Counsel
  By Bruce Freed
  Corporate political spending is the subject of increased scrutiny by the press, regulatory authorities and prosecutors. With heightened attention come escalating legal and reputational risks.    more   


• Oct 1, 2006 Social Investment- Highlights from 2006 Proxy Season    October 1, 2006
  GreenMoneyJournal.com
  By Timothy Smith and Bruce Freed
  The 2006 proxy season was memorable with numerous highlights and its share of lowlights. Shareowners continued to insure their voices were heard and there were numerous examples of management and...    more...  


• Sep 1, 2006 Trade Associations and Oversight of Company Political Spending    September 1, 2006
  NACD Directors Monthly
  By Bruce Freed and Jamie Carroll
  The effort to limit corporate money in politics has created new channels for corporate political involvement, many hidden from public view. Prominent among these are trade associations. In response to...    more...  


• Jan 27, 2012 Shareowners File 40 Resolutions on Lobbying Expenditures by Corporations    January 27, 2012
  Social Funds
  by Robert Kropp
  Walden Asset Management leads a coalition of investors calling on companies to disclose both direct lobbying expenditures and indirect funding of lobbying through trade associations. SocialFunds.com -- Spearheaded by the work...    more   


• Jan 22, 2012 Corporate Political Spending Targeted    January 22, 2012
  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  by Len Boselovic
  Investors and corporate governance experts are asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to require public companies to provide detailed disclosure of their political spending. The initiative comes two years...    more   


• Jan 18, 2012 Shareowners to Corporations: Say No to Political Expenditures    January 18, 2012
  SocialFunds.com
  by Robert Kropp
  Since the US Supreme Court decided the controversial Citizens United case two years ago and removed longstanding limits on corporate political spending, shareowners and other governance advocates have engaged with companies in...    more   


• Jan 6, 2012 Tough Dilemmas for Companies on Campaign Spending    January 6, 2012
  Harvard Business Review
  by Ben W. Heineman, Jr.
  Should companies use funds from the corporate treasury to advocate directly for or against political candidates in contested elections? This basic question — now made immediate with the opening of the...    more   


• Jan 5, 2012 Occupy Shareholders Engaging with Shareholder Resolutions? It's Happening...    January 5, 2012
  Nonprofit Quarterly
  by Rick Cohen
  Why did 2011 break all previous records in the number of shareholder resolutions pursued in the corporate sector? Did the societal frustration with the concentration of wealth and power in corporate America lead to both the...    more   


• Dec 26, 2011 2011 in Retrospect: Will SRI Occupy Personhood in 2012?    December 26, 2011
  CSR Wire
  by Sanford Lewis
  In 2011, Occupy Wall Street and its progeny captured the world’s imagination with its resistance to the growing corporate occupation of our political system. As many within the socially responsible investment (SRI) community...    more   


• Dec 22, 2011 Mutual Fund Support for Political Spending Disclosure Inches Upward    December 22, 2011
  SocialFunds.com
  by Robert Kropp
  An analysis prepared for the Center for Political Accountability by Jackie Cook of Fund Votes reveals that mutual fund support for corporate political spending disclosure increased in 2011 for eighth year in a row....    more   


• Dec 16, 2011 Focus on Donations Grows    December 16, 2011
  Inside Investor Relations
  by Brad Allen
  When the US Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that corporate political contributions are protected by free speech, the five-four split-decision signaled deep divisions. But the court was nearly unanimous in upholding the...    more   


• Dec 7, 2011 Colgate & IBM Lead; Amazon, Berkshire, Cisco, Nike, Sprint, & Disney Lag    December 7, 2011
  CorpGov.net
  by James McRitchie
  The CPA-Zicklin Index of Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability ranks companies in the S&P 100 according to their disclosure and board oversight of political spending activities. In the aftermath of the Supreme...    more   


• Dec 6, 2011 Benchmarking Political Spending Habits    December 6, 2011
  Compliance Week
  by Stephen Davis and Jon Lukomnik
  The phrase “corporate politics” is about to take on a whole new meaning. Next year is, of course, an election year when presidential and congressional elections will dominate the headlines. What you may not...    more   


• Nov 22, 2011 Wall Street Journal Op-ed Attacks Corporate Disclosure of Political Spending    November 22, 2011
  Social Funds
  by Robert Kropp
  Bruce Freed of the Center for Political Accountability talks with SocialFunds.com about the mischaracterizations in the Journal's op-ed piece, and describes the widespread support for greater disclosure. SocialFunds.com --...    more   


• Nov 15, 2011 More Companies Disclose their Political Spending Habits    November 15, 2011
  Compliance Week
  by Reese Darragh
  According to a recent study on political spending disclosure practices—the first since the controversial Citizens United Supreme Court case—more than half of the S&P 100 disclose aspects of their political giving habits....    more   


• Nov 15, 2011 How Many Companies does it take to Win an Election?    November 15, 2011
  CSRwire.com
  by Elaine Cohen
  Is corporate political spending responsible business practice or unreasonable use of corporate power and influence? Either way, if more corporations do not disclose their contributions, you may just be voting, inadvertently,...    more   


• Nov 12, 2011 Citizens United ruling and the potential of don’t ask, don’t tell vs. full disclosure.    November 12, 2011
  Groundupct.wordpress.com
  Editorial
  Overtime, we have seen our electoral process eroded by special interests groups and lobbyists, coupled with much money to influence elections and elected officials. The emergence of a new Republican party has launched a...    more   


• Nov 10, 2011 Say-on-pay not going away    November 10, 2011
  Inside Investor Relations
  by Adam Piore
  With a flagging economy driving down earnings, investors are likely to more closely scrutinize rising pay, and may take a more confrontational stance than they did during the financially heady days of the 2011 proxy...    more   


• Nov 9, 2011 How Consequential is Citizen’s United?    November 9, 2011
  Election Law Blog
  by Richard Pildes
  There is a tendency right now to attribute to Citizens United (CU) virtually all newly emerging forms of financing elections, and the increasingly large amounts, that arose in the 2010 election cycle and that look to...    more   


• Nov 7, 2011 The indirect political spending of the S&P 100    November 7, 2011
  Law Professor's Blog Network
  by Elizabeth Pollman
  The Center for Political Accountability and Wharton’s Zicklin Center for Business Ethics recently released a report evaluating the political spending and disclosure practices of the S&P 100. They’ve come up...    more   


• Nov 4, 2011 The Biggest Companies Are Getting the Message    November 4, 2011
  Motley Fool
  by Alyce Lomax
  The unholy alliance between money and politics is one of the biggest controversies capturing the public spotlight these days. Fortunately, heightened attention to the topic seems to be convincing the biggest corporations to...    more   


• Nov 4, 2011 Study ranks UPS high in political transparency    November 4, 2011
  Atlanta Business Chronicle
  by Dave Williams
  United Parcel Service Inc. .. has one of the most progressive policies for disclosing political contributions among the nation’s largest companies, according to a new study.    more   


• Nov 3, 2011 Corporate citizenship: Companies should follow IBM and Colgate-Palmolive's lead on political spending    November 3, 2011
  Pennlive.com
  by Patriot News Editorial Board
  January 21, 2010, might well go down in American history as the day our democracy altered forever — and not for the better. That was the date the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision was made, giving...    more   


• Nov 2, 2011 New Index Looks at S&P 100 Corporate Political Spending Policies and Practices    November 2, 2011
  The Confernece Board
  from the Governance Center Blog
  With the 2012 presidential and congressional elections hurtling toward us and another proxy season just around the corner, the topic of corporate political spending is looming large, as U.S. companies...    more   


• Nov 1, 2011 Political-Giving Feedback    November 1, 2011
  Treasury & Risk
  by John Mulqueen
  The issue of corporate political contributions has drawn a lot of attention since 2010, when the Supreme Court opened the way for secret political contributions by companies and unions. Shareholder groups are pressing...    more   


• Oct 31, 2011 Amazon Gets Failing Grade for Political Transparency, Says Study    October 31, 2011
  Seattle Weekly
  by Curtis Cartier
  Question: What do Amazon and Disney have in common? Answer: Both company's founders had/have a strange interest in cryogenics. Oh, also both companies are apparently extremely secretive about how they spend money to...    more   


• Oct 31, 2011 Study Rates S&P 100 Corporate Political Transparency, Accountability    October 31, 2011
  Corporate Counsel
  by Sue Reisinger
  A growing number of U.S. companies are putting restrictions on political contributions and are voluntarily disclosing corporate political spending, according to a new study by the nonpartisan Center for Political...    more   


• Oct 31, 2011 Under shareholder pressure, companies disclose political spending    October 31, 2011
  InsideCounsel.com
  by Cathleen Flahardy
  According to a recent survey by the Center for Political Accountability, a non-profit created in 2003 with a goal to bring transparency to corporations' political spending, an increasing number of companies is...    more   


• Oct 31, 2011 Companies rethink corporate political donations    October 31, 2011
  Inside Investor Relations
  by Brad Allen
  A survey of practices at the S&P 100 reveals that two dozen of the largest US corporations have publicly opted out of political spending funneled through independent committees, as allowed by the Supreme Court...    more   


• Oct 29, 2011 Study: Corporations placing own limits on political spending    October 29, 2011
  Los Angeles Times
  by Melanie Mason
  Faced with the option of limitless political spending in a post-Citizens United world, corporations are increasingly choosing to disclose, and in some cases limit, their giving, according to a study released Friday....    more   


• Oct 28, 2011 More Companies Shed Light on Political Spending    October 28, 2011
  Reuters
  by Kim Dixon
  More American companies are bending to shareholder pressure to reveal their spending to sway political campaigns despite court decisions allowing unfettered corporate cash in elections, according to a study released on Friday....    more   


• Oct 28, 2011 Study: Where do Minnesota companies rank in political disclosure?    October 28, 2011
  Minnesota Independent
  by Jon Collins
  A study released today ranked the top 100 American companies on how well they disclose their political activities, finding that many companies are moving towards adoption of disclosure policies, although others, such as...    more   


• Oct 28, 2011 Amazon, Disney tight-lipped on giving    October 28, 2011
  Politico
  by Dave Levinthal
  Amazon.com may be a leading purveyor of information. The Walt Disney Company trades in making youthful dreams come true. But both corporations rank among the nation’s worst when it comes to disclosing and managing their...    more   


• Oct 28, 2011 Walt Disney Doesn't Want You To Know Which Political Campaigns It's Paying For    October 29, 2011
  Miami New Times
  by David Minsky
  Walt Disney might be known best for sunny characters like Mickey Mouse, but that doesn't mean it's opposed to a little dark political skullduggery on the side. Disney is worst among big American corporations in terms of...    more   


• Oct 28, 2011 Is Political Accountability an Oxymoron    October 28, 2011
  Intel CSR Blog
  by Linda Qian
  Intel does have Political Accountability Guidelines based on the Center for Political Accountability’s Model Code of Conduct for Political Spending. That document is a living document that was just recently updated this year...    more   


• Oct 28, 2011 Index Ranks Companies on Political Spending Disclosure    October 28, 2011
  Sustainability Investment News
  by Robert Kropp
  SocialFunds.com -- Today, at the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the Wharton School, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) launched the most recent of its initiatives to improve...    more   


• Oct 27, 2011 More Corporations Shed Light on Political Spending    October 27, 2011
  National Public Radio
  by Peter Overby
  For the first time, 100 of America's biggest corporations are being rated on the transparency of their political activities. On Friday, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the nonpartisan Center...    more   


• Oct 27, 2011 Largest U.S. Companies Increasingly Disclose Political Spending    October 27, 2011
  Bloomberg News
  by Kristin Jensen and Alison Fitzgerald
  The largest U.S. companies are increasingly disclosing to shareholders the donations they make to political candidates and interest groups, according to the Center for Political Accountability....    more   


• Oct 26, 2011 The Influence Industry: Judicial elections, corporate policies give glimpse into 2012    October 27, 2011
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen
  Two studies scheduled to be released Thursday offer contrasting predictions for the 2012 elections: Outside groups are likely to spend more money than ever, but many top corporations may not be among them. The second study,...    more   


• Aug 13, 2011 The Conference Board Forms Committee on Corporate Political Spending    August 13, 2011
  SocialFunds.com
  by Robert Kropp
  After collaborating last year with the Center for Political Accountability on a Handbook on Corporate Political Activity, the Board seeks to educate its member businesses on the issue in advance of the 2012 elections.    more   


• Aug 9, 2011 Corporate Political Donations: Ties that Bind    August 9, 2011
  Corporate Board Member
  by John R. Engen
  By now, most corporate leaders are at least vaguely familiar with Target Corp.’s ill-fated dalliance in the arena of financing election campaigns. During the 2010 Minnesota gubernatorial race, the big Minneapolis-based...    more   


• Aug 4, 2011 Corporate Political Spending Will be a Major Issue in 2012    August 4, 2011
  Sustainability Investment News
  by Robert Kropp
  SocialFunds.com -- The degree to which the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision of January 2010 has galvanized activist shareowners was made clear this past proxy season, when resolutions addressing political...    more   


• May 17, 2011 Obama mulls new way to measure political reach    May 17 2011
  USA Today
  by Fredreka Schouten
  WASHINGTON — Some of the nation's biggest government contractors do not disclose details of their political spending through trade associations and other third-party groups that are playing an increasingly important role in...    more   


• May 13, 2011 Shareholder advocacy groups lift veil on political contributions    May 13, 2011
  Star Tribune
  by Susan Feyder
  Spurred by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that opened corporate coffers to political candidates, shareholder advocacy groups are taking companies here and elsewhere to task for their political spending policies.    more   


• Mar 23, 2011 When it Comes to Political Spending, Some Companies Tell All    March 23, 2011
  National Public Radio
  by Peter Overby
  The percentage of undisclosed money in the political system went up during last year's midterm elections. That's because of a dramatic increase in advertising by anonymously funded freelance organizations such as the...    more   


• Feb 24, 2011 Target Corp Revises Contribution Policy But Questions Continue After 2010    February 24, 2011
  BNA Money and Politics Report
  by Kenneth P. Doyle
  Target Corp., the national retailer that prompted headlines and a boycott effort last year when it contributed to a conservative campaign spending group, has quietly adopted a new policy calling for more...    more   


• Feb 4, 2011 Investors Target Political Spending    February 4, 2011
  Inside Investor Relations
  by Jeff Cossette
  Doling out corporate cash to support political campaigns is not winning any votes with shareholders    more   


• Dec 13, 2010 Business Leaders See Risks in Unchecked Political Spending    December 13, 2010
  National Journal
  by Eliza Newlin Carney
  Reform advocates railing against undisclosed corporate campaign spending may have an unlikely new ally in the never-ending political money wars: Business leaders themselves.    more   


• Dec 7, 2010 Handbook Guides Corporations on Disclosure of Political Activity    December 7, 2010
  Institutional Shareholder
  by Robert Kropp
  SocialFunds.com talks with Bruce Freed, President of the Center for Political Accountability and co-author of the Handbook on Corporate Political Activity, about efforts to increase corporate disclosure of payments...    more   


• Dec 2, 2010 Shareholders Target Politics    December 2, 2010
  Treasury and Risk
  by Dave Lindorff
  Retailer Target was once seen as a paragon of social responsibility. The company offers scholarships and steers 5% of profits to programs in the communities in which its stores are located. As recently as 2008, socially...    more   


• Dec 2, 2010 After Citizens United, Political and Legal Strategies Still Evolving    December 2, 2010
  WNYC
  by Anna Sale
  It's been nearly a month since the midterm elections, but the impact of the Supreme Court's Citizens United campaign finance decision is still largely disputed. A bitterly divided court ruled in January that the government may not limit...    more   


• Nov 17, 2010 Regulatory: Corporate Political Expenditures After Citizen's United    November 17, 2010
  Inside Counsel
  by William H. Minor
  This month’s elections featured an avalanche of independent spending designed to persuade voters to support or oppose particular candidates. Anyone who lives in a state with one or more competitive races on the 2010 ballot...    more   


• Oct 1, 2010 Political spending does not always match CSR values    October 1, 2010
  Financial Times
  by Sarah Murray
  In January this year, a US Supreme Court ruling removed limits on corporate spending in political campaigns. The decision, which is expected to release into the election process a wave of corporate and special interest...    more   


• Aug 30, 2010 New Spending Rules Mean New Backlash    August 30, 2010
  National Journal by Eliza Newlin Carney
  For American corporations testing their new freedom to spend money directly on campaigns, the backlash against donations by Target Corp. and Best Buy Co. sends a stark warning: Proceed at your own risk.    more   


• May 10, 2010 Funds Want More Disclosure of Railroad's Political Spending    May 10, 2010
  Virginia Pilot
  by Robert McCabe
  For the second year in a row, a group of New York City pension funds has asked shareholders of Norfolk Southern Corp. to push the railroad's board of directors to better disclose the company's spending on political activities.    more   


• May 7, 2010 WellCare's Investor Wants Disclosure    May 7, 2010
  Health News Florida
  by Jim Saunders and Mike Wells
  A New York-based investor is pushing to require WellCare Health Plans --- a major contributor to Florida politicians and parties --- to disclose more information about how it spends company money on political...    more   


• Apr 5, 2010 Shareholder Groups Seek to Limit Corporate Contributions    April 5, 2010
  Christian Science Monitor by Margaret Price
  Shareholder groups aim to keep a lid on companies’ political spending in the wake of Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission, a case in which the Supreme Court eased restrictions on corporate campaign spending.    more   


• Mar 11, 2010 Testimony of Professor John C. Coffee, Jr.    March 11, 2010
  Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Entities of the House Financial Services Committee
  by John C. Coffee, Jr.
  I am pleased and honored to be invited to testify here today. My message is simple: Congress cannot successfully...    more   


• Feb 23, 2010 CPA Demands Political Donations Disclosure    February 23, 2010
  Corporate Secretary
  Last week the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) sent 430 letters to members of the S&P 500 who do not yet disclose their political spending. The letter, whose numerous signatories include the Council of Institutional Investors, warns...  


• Feb 22, 2010 Valuing Corporate Politics    February 22, 2010
  Pensions and Investments
  by Roger Schillerstrom
  The U.S. Supreme Court decision Jan. 21 relaxing legal constraints on corporate political advocacy spending makes disclosure of such spending more important than ever.    more   


• Feb 9, 2010 Investors Seek More Disclosure on Political Spending    February 9, 2010
  Wall Street Journal
  by Scott Thurm
  An effort by activist shareholders to prod companies to disclose political contributions is taking on new urgency following last month's Supreme Court decision loosening restrictions on corporate political spending.    more   


• Feb 5, 2010 Global Proxy Watch Newsletter    February 5, 2010
  Global Proxy Watch
  US shareowner activists have been galvanized into collective action by Citizens United, the surprise US Supreme Court decision lifting most restrictions on corporate political spending...  


• Feb 5, 2010 In the Wake of Controversial Supreme Court Spending Decision, Shareowner Activists Develop Plan for Corporate Disclosure of Political Spending    February 5, 2010
  by Robert Kropp
  Social Investment Forum
  Asserting that excessive corporate political spending reduces shareowner value and weakens corporate governance, shareowner advocates call on corporations to adopt a framework for disclosure developed by the Center...    more   


• Jan 29, 2010 Corporate Campaign Spending: The Buck Stops Where?    January 29, 2010
  AARP Bulletin Today
  by Bill Hogan
  In a game-changing decision handed down on Jan. 22, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for corporations big and small to pump as much money as they want into election advertising that explicitly promotes or attacks...    more   


• Jan 28, 2010 Good Governance is Key to Policing Corporate Political Activities    January 21, 2010
  The Council of Institutional Investors: The Voice of Corporate Governance
  In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled today that the government may not bar companies, labor unions and other organizations from using their general treasuries to fund...    more   


• Jan 22, 2010 Day After: SCOTUS Ruling Not So Bad    January 22, 2010
  Politico
  by Jeanne Cummings
  New money will flow into campaigns this year as a result of Thursday’s Supreme Court decision, but will the impact be as dramatic as all the hyperventilating in Washington suggests?    more   


• Jan 21, 2010 'Free at Last,' Business Says as Court Opens Campaign Spending    January 21, 2010
  Bloomberg
  by Lorraine Wollert and Jonathan Salant
  Jan. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Business groups celebrated the potential for greater political influence as labor unions and shareholder activists began looking for ways to counter a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that...    more   


• Dec 14, 2009 More Companies are Disclosing Their Political Activity    December 14, 2009
  USA Today
  by Fredreka Schouten
  WASHINGTON- Drugmaker Merck's political action committee donated more than $572,000 to federal candidates in the 2008 election and racked up $4.6 million in expenses to lobby Congress and the executive branch last year,...    more   


• Nov 7, 2009 Electon Spending: Reformers on Flood Watch    November 7, 2009
  National Journal
  by Sara Jerome
  Doomsday scenarios from campaign finance reform advocates are enough to make you grab hip waders. A pending Supreme Court decision, advocates say, could "open the floodgates to unlimited corporate and union spending during...    more   


• Oct 24, 2009 Corporate America's Enlightened Disclosure    October 24, 2009
  National Journal
  by Julie Kosterlitz
  Six years ago, Bruce Freed embarked on a seemingly quixotic quest. The former Senate investigator and newspaper columnist set out to get corporate America to reveal and rethink the cash that it lavishes on the nation's...    more   


• Oct 22, 2009 Shareholders Should Hear About Political Spending    October 22, 2009
  Business Week
  by Ciara Torres-Spellescy
  On Sept. 9, about a month before the U.S. Supreme Court officially kicked off its 2009- 2010 term, the justices assembled to rehear a closely watched case about corporate campaign spending. Citizens United v. Federal...    more   


• Oct 1, 2009 Investors Urge Chamber Defections    October 1, 2009
  Roll Call
  By Anna Palmer
  Activist shareholders are pressuring companies such as Nike to pull out of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, arguing that the trade group’s stance against climate change legislation is incompatible with the companies’ own positions.    more   


• Jun 10, 2009 Cash-for-clunkers deal moves ahead    June 10, 2009
  Politico
  By Lisa Lerer
  A controversial auto bill that would reward consumers with tax credits for trading in their old cars and buying more-fuel-efficient ones passed the House on Tuesday, inching closer to becoming law.    more   


• Apr 17, 2009 El Paso advocates disclosure standards    April 17, 2009
  Houston Business Journal
  By Greg Barr
  Bruce Freed has been prodding publicly traded companies for five years to provide details of political expenditures using corporate funds. His Washington, D.C., advocacy group, the Center for Political Accountability, sent...    more   


• Mar 24, 2009 Companies try to clean up their act    March 24, 2009
  Politico
  By Jeanne Cummings
  Having the wrong political benefactor can be as toxic an asset as a bundled bunch of subprime loans. Just ask the PMA Group, Kuchera Defense Systems and Kuchera Industries, all companies caught up in a federal investigation...    more   


• Feb 23, 2009 Shareholder Advocates Want Political Disclosure    February 23, 2009
  National Journal
  By Robert Gettlin
  The Center for Political Accountability, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that advocates for transparency and accountability in corporate political spending, has sent a letter to 19 financial companies that received...    more   


• Dec 17, 2008 Measuring Corporate Accountability    December 17, 2008
  National Journal
  By Bara Vaida
  Companies over the years have gotten caught up in controversy by providing monetary support for hot-button state ballot measures. The most recent companies to get embroiled in such measures are Bolthouse Farms, Pacific Gas &...    more   


• Jun 1, 2008 When Political Giving Doesn't Pay    June 1, 2008
  Directorship
  By Aaron Bernstein
  As the 2008 presidential election hits full stride, your company may be inclined to shell out? through the legal channels of PACs, 527s, and other avenues?to the candidate perceived to be in the best interest of your company or...    more...  


• May 29, 2008 Corporations to Disclose Political Contributions    May 29,2008
  New York Times Caucus blog
  By Leslie Wayne
  Boards of directors of Fortune 500 companies typically get involved in such matters as setting dividends, hiring executives and deciding on corporate strategy. But a new task has been added to the agenda of many...    more   


• May 13, 2008 Companies Start to Lift Veil on Political Spending    May 13, 2008
  Washington Post
  By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
  Ever wonder how much companies really spend to influence government through trade associations? Well, a few corporations are coming clean, or at least cleaner.    more   


• Mar 14, 2008 Political Blinders    March 14, 2008
  Global Proxy Watch
  By Stephen Davis
  Should a company's board control its political spending, a task usually left to management? Some 62% of US directors think boards should oversee donations, and 57% think such spending should require board approval,  


• Feb 28, 2008 Disclosing gifts to trade groups: the next big thing in governance?    February 28, 2008
  Financial Week
  By Jeff Nash
  Five U.S. public companies have agreeed to disclose the donations they make to trade associations and other non-profits that are used for political purposes, bringing the total number of companies now providing such disclosure...    more...  


• Feb 28, 2008 Companies to disclose political aid    February 28, 2008
  Financial Times
  By Francesco Guerrera
  Five large US companies, including American Express and Xerox, will bow to shareholder pressure on Thursday and agree to disclose all their political spending.    more   


• Jan 28, 2008 Monsanto bears up to baring its political contributions    January 28, 2007
  St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  By David Nicklaus
  A year ago, Monsanto resisted the idea of disclosing political contributions on its website. It said such reporting "would not be useful to shareowners and would be burdensome and an unnecessary expense to the...    more   


• Jan 17, 2008 Is your portfolio politically slanted?    January 17, 2008
  Christian Science Monitor
  By Laurent Belsie
  Do you know the political slant of your portfolio? Every election cycle, US businesses pour hundreds of millions of dollars into campaigns, parties, and politically affiliated groups. Some of that money is...    more   


• Jan 14, 2008 Corporate Governance special report    January 14, 2008
  Wall Street Journal
  By Andrew Yurkovsky
  The pace of companies adopting policies to disclose their political spending has quickened, with 18 more companies in the Standard & Poor's 500 index agreeing last year to disclose such spending. According to the...    more...  


• Nov 16, 2007 Lifting the Curtain on Corporate Contributions    December 16, 2007
  Conde Nast Portfolio.com
  By Megan Barnett
  During the first six months of 2007, Pfizer spent $128,969 from its corporate checkbook on political donations to Democratic and Republican politicians. It doled out another $614,300 to various party committees and...    more...  


• Sep 1, 2007 Show Us Your Money: Halting the Use of Trade Organizations as Convert Conduits for Corporate Campaign Contributions    September 9, 2007
  Journal of Corporate Law
  By Shayla Kasel
  The US Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber) is the world's largest business federation, and the most financially influential trade organization. The Chamber is one of the top independent organizational contributors...    more   


• Aug 12, 2007 Resolved: Public Corporations Shall Take Us Seriously    August 12, 2007
  New York Times Sunday Magazine
  By Dashka Slater
  Daly's order, the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Caldwell, N.J., owns about 300 of the 5.5 billion Exxon Mobil shares outstanding, but she has used those few shares to keep the company talking about an issue that...    more   


• Aug 1, 2007 What's Next for Governance?    August 1, 2007
  Institutional Shareholder Services
  Investors and U.S. corporate issuers came together as never before in 2007 to address a wide range of concerns and to better align views on corporate best practices.    more   


• Jun 4, 2007 Proxy bids more than hot air    June 4, 2007
  Financial Week
  By Jeff Nash
  With the 2008 election season ramping up, investors are increasingly asking companies to better disclose their political contributions?and in many cases, they?re getting what they asked for.    more...  


• Apr 17, 2007 To Conceal Donors, Some Political Groups Look to the Tax Code    April 17, 2007
  The Washington Post
  By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
  An increasing number of organizations working to influence elections also are working to hide who is paying for their activities.    more   


• Apr 1, 2007 Investors want facts on political donations    April 1, 2007
  Financial Times
  By Francesco Guerrera
  Corporate America's traditional secrecy on political spending is under attack from an investor drive for greater transparency before the 2008 presidential election campaign.    more   


• Mar 21, 2007 Nonprofit Calls on Firms to Include Donation Rules in Codes of Conduct    March 21, 2007
  Wall Street Journal
  By Dean Treftz
  A shareholder advocacy group is calling for companies to include rules on corporate political donations in their codes of conduct, in order to avoid potential legal problems and perhaps scandal.    more...  


• Mar 6, 2007 A Peek Into Corporate America    March 6, 2007
  The Washington Post
  Not waiting for Congress to impose new disclosure laws, shareholder activists have persuaded some of the nation's largest companies to disclose their political spending on such things as issue campaigns. General Electric, Hewlett-Packard and...    more...  


• Jan 29, 2007 Cutting Risk by Disclosing Political Donations    January 29, 2007
  Politico.com
  By Andrew Glass
  In politics, it often pays to be ahead of the curve. That holds true for corporate governance too, even more so when politics enter the equation.    more...  


• Jan 28, 2007 Monsanto bears up to baring its political contributions    January 28, 2007
  St. Louis Post-Dispatch
  By David Nicklaus
  A year ago, Monsanto resisted the idea of disclosing political contributions on its website. It said such reporting "would not be useful to shareowners and would be burdensome and an unnecessary expense to the...    more...  


• Jan 24, 2007 Home Depot Agrees to Disclose Political Donations    January 24, 2007
  Bloomberg News Service
  By Vineeta Anand
  Home Depot Inc. agreed to disclose its political donations for the first time, one of several new policies that may help appease investors angered by former Chief Executive Officer Robert Nardelli's severance package.    more...  


• Dec 1, 2006 Cause-Related Funding: Critics Want Disclosure    December 1, 2006
  The Issue Barometer
  Hard questions are being asked about "soft money" corporate spending.    more   


• Nov 7, 2006 Activists Say BP Breaking Promise on Campaign Donations    November 7, 2006
  Dow Jones Newswires
  By John M. Biers
  BP PLC (BP), which vowed to refrain from making political donations in 2002, has come under renewed criticism over a series of recent U.S. contributions that shareholder activists say contradict its pledge.    more...  


• Aug 22, 2006 Lifting the veil of secrecy on corporate political donations    August 22, 2006
  Financial Times
  By Francesco Guerrera
  When President Theodore Roosevelt railed against business people for putting their fortunes "only to the basest of uses", he did not include currying political favour as one of the abominations of those "malefactors of...    more...  


• May 31, 2006 Does your company keep political secrets?    May 31, 2006
  Fortune
  By Marc Gunther
  Transparency is a big trend these days in corporate America. Under pressure from regulators, shareholders and activists, Fortune 500 companies are becoming more open about executive pay, the makeup of their workforce, the safety of their...    more...  


• May 14, 2006 Secrets of Corporate Giving    May 14, 2006
  Time
  By Douglas Waller
  Merck prides itself on being socially enlightened. The drugmaker gives its employees diversity training and extends health insurance to same-sex partners. But a report to be released this week by the Washington-based Center for Political...    more...  


• Jan 6, 2012 CPA Letter Challenges Wall Street Journal Attacks on Political Disclosure    January 6, 2012
  The Center for Political Accountability responded to recent Wall Street Journal attacks on corporate political disclosure in a letter published in today’s paper. CPA chair John Milton Cooper, Jr. wrote that companies are not being silenced but “are responding to the...    more   


• Oct 28, 2011 CPA-Zicklin Index Press Release    October 28, 2011
  CPA-Zicklin Index findings indicate corporate disclosure of political spending is now the norm as companies restrict campaign outlays - Rankings produced for disclosure practices of the companies in the S&P 100.    more   


• Dec 15, 2010 Mutual Funds Back Corporate Political Disclosure in 2010 Proxy Season    December 15, 2010
  Washington, D.C. -- Continuing a strong trend, mainstream mutual funds registered this year the lowest resistance ever to corporate political disclosure resolutions, the Center for Political Accountability reported today.    more   


• Nov 1, 2010 Groundbreaking Corporate Political Activity Handbook Sets Out Emerging Best Practices for Political Spending    November 1, 2010
  On the eve of the most expensive mid-term election in American history, The Conference Board today released a groundbreaking Handbook on Corporate Political Activity, co-authored by Center for Political Accountability president Bruce F. Freed and counsel Karl Sandstrom with...    more   


• Nov 1, 2010 CPA Finds Solid Business Leader Support for Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability in New Survey    November 1, 2010
  Washington, D.C. - U.S. business leaders overwhelmingly say they support disclosure and board oversight of corporate political spending, the Center for Political Accountability reported in highlighting a new survey commissioned by the Committee for Economic Development (CED).    more   


• Jun 29, 2010 2010 Proxy Season Results: Record Support for Political Disclosure Sends 'Loud and Clear' Message to Companies    June 29, 2010
  Washington, DC -- Shareholders registered a record high level of support for corporate political disclosure and accountability this proxy season, the Center for Political Accountability announced.    more   


• Jun 24, 2010 CPA Unveils Database on Corporate Political Disclosure and Accountability    June 24, 2010
  Washington, DC -- The Center for Political Accountability has launched a new corporate political accountability and disclosure database to provide a valuable tool for the media, investors and the public and shed greater light on direct and indirect corporate political...    more   


• May 20, 2010 High Votes Show Strong Support for Political Disclosure    May 20, 2010
  Washington - The Center for Political Accountability applauds an exceptionally strong show of support for corporate political disclosure and accountability as Goldman Sachs shareholders voted on a resolution for the investment bank to report its trade association payments...    more   


• May 5, 2010 CPA Receives Ceres Award for Its Pioneering Achievements in Corporate Political Accountability    May 5, 2010
  Washington -- The Center for Political Accountability received yesterday a prestigious award from Ceres and Trillium Asset Management for its pioneering work to establish corporate political disclosure and accountability.    more   


• Apr 22, 2010 Key Milestone Reached as Half of Trend Setting S&P 100 Adopt Political Disclosure    April 22, 2010
  Washington -- Two new companies have moved to adopt disclosure and oversight of their political spending with corporate dollars. Their action brings to 50, or half, the number of public companies in the trend-setting S&P 100 that have embraced the corporate governance...    more   


• Feb 24, 2010 CPA-CII Write to 427 Top Companies, Urge Adoption of Political Disclosure and Accountability in Response to Citizens United    February 24, 2010
  Washington, D.C., Feb. 24, 2010 -- The Center for Political Accountability and the Council of Institutional Investors, joined by nearly 50 institutional investors and shareholder advocate groups, today launched a letter campaign to persuade companies in the Standard &...    more   


• Jan 21, 2010 Citizens United decision makes company political disclosure, corporate governance changes even more critical    January 21, 2010
  Washington DC - “Company disclosure and board oversight of political spending becomes more critical because of the Supreme Court’s sweeping decision allowing unlimited corporate political spending,” the Center for Political Accountability said in a statement.    more   


• Dec 14, 2009 New companies bring political disclosure to nearly half of trend-setting S&P 100    December 14, 2009 Washington DC - Four new companies have agreed to adopt disclosure and board oversight of political spending with corporate funds, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) and Newground Social Investment announced today.    more   


• Jul 30, 2009 CPA-Zicklin Center File Amicus Brief Urging Supreme Court to Protect Competition in the Political and Economic Marketplace    July 30, 2009
  Washington, DC - The Center for Political Accountability and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School warned that lifting long-standing limits on corporate political activity and more recent requirements for...    more   


• Jul 21, 2009 Political disclosure gains new support among S&P100 companies as 2009 proxy season closes    July 21, 2009
  Washington DC – Four new companies have agreed to adopt disclosure and board oversight of political spending with corporate funds, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) and Green Century Capital Management, Inc. announced today.    more   


• Jul 17, 2009 Politico pulls back curtain on the secret funding of 501(c)(4) organizations    July 17, 2009
  Washington, D.C. -- An article in today's Politico exposed an effort by the American Conservative Union, a leading 501(c)(4) organization, to raise $2 million from private mail carrier FedEx. The group said it would support the company on a controversial piece of...    more   


• Jun 30, 2009 CPA warns that Supreme Court action threatens corporate political accountability, poses serious risk to shareholders    June 30, 2009
  Washington, DC - The Center for Political Accountability warned today that the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on June 29, 2009 ordering a new hearing of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission threatened a tidal wave of undisclosed, unaccounted for money in federal and...    more   


• Apr 23, 2009 40 Percent Vote at Citi Demonstrates Strong Shareholder Support for Political Disclosure    April 23, 2009
  Washington DC - The Center for Political Accountability hailed the 40 percent vote for a political disclosure resolution at Citigroup Inc.'s annual meeting this past Tuesday as demonstrating surging support for full reporting of the company's political spending.    more   


• Mar 24, 2009 Political disclosure hits 60 companies, including 40 in the trend-setting S&P 100    March 24, 2009
  Washington DC - As the 2009 proxy season formally opens, the pace of political disclosure is accelerating as seven new companies from a cross-section of American business have agreed to adopt or expand their disclosure of political spending with corporate funds. This brings to...    more...  


• Feb 26, 2009 CPA, Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research urge Supreme Court to uphold political disclosure    February 26, 2009
  Washington DC - The Center for Political Accountability and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School called on the U.S. Supreme Court to leave in place long-standing limits on corporate political activity and more...    more...  


• Feb 23, 2009 19 Leading Financial Institutions Receiving TARP Funds Urged to Adopt Political Disclosure    February 23, 2009
  Washington, D.C. – Warning that "gaps in transparency and accountability" contributed to the current economic crisis, shareholder advocates called on 19 financial companies that received more than $1 billion under the U.S. Treasury Department’s Troubled Asset Relief Program...    more...  


• Jan 16, 2009 Sacramento Bee article highlights ballot measure spending abuses examined in CPA report    January 16, 2009
  Washington, D.C. -- An article in the Sacramento Bee yesterday highlighted the abuses of candidate-controlled ballot measure committees that were the focus of the Center for Political Accountability's recent Taking Initiative report.    more...  


• Jan 8, 2009 CPA, Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research call mandatory judicial recusal essential to avoid conflicts of interest    January 8, 2009
  Washington, DC -- To "enable companies to act ethically without sacrificing their right to speak on important public issues," the Center for Political Accountability and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School called...    more...  


• Dec 17, 2008 CPA Report Shows How Corporate Bankrolling of Ballot Measures Distorts Democratic Process and Puts Companies and Their Shareholders at Risk    December 18, 2008
  Washington, D.C. -- In the wake of one of the most divisive ballot easure battles in American history, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) has completed a comprehensive study of how corporate bankrolling of initiatives can distort the democratic process and...    more...  


• Dec 11, 2008 In About Face, Top Mutual Funds Support Political Disclosure Resolutions in 2008 Proxy Season    December 11, 2008
  Washington, D.C. -- In a sign of accelerating support from the institutional investor community, at least 13 mutual fund families switched their votes in 2008 to support shareholder resolutions calling on companies to disclose and require board oversight of their political...    more   


• Sep 26, 2008 Politico.com Article Highlights Secret Corporate Political Spending    September 26, 2008
  Washington, D.C. -- An article in Politico.com this week is a timely reminder of the pervasiveness of secret corporate political spending that the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) has been working to eliminate through its political disclosure effort.    more   


• Jul 28, 2008 CPA Calls on US Chamber of Commerce, new c4 Groups to Disclose Questionable Political Spending    July 28, 2008
  Washington, D.C. -- The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) called on the Voter Education Committee (VEC), an organization used by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to conceal its funding of political ads in Washington state, to drop its appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court of a...    more   


• May 28, 2008 Political Disclosure Tops 50 Companies    May 28, 2008
  Washington DC - Reaching a major milestone, the number of companies that have adopted political disclosure and accountability reached 51, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) and its shareholder advocate partners announced today. Prudential Financial (NYSE: PRU),...    more   


• Apr 21, 2008 Key Proxy Advisor Recommends Vote Against AT&T Management on Political Contributions Disclosure    April 21, 2008
  Washington, D.C. - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) and Domini Social Investments welcomed the support of RiskMetrics Group (RMG) for Domini's shareholder proposal, which calls on AT&T to publicly disclose and require board oversight of its political contributions.    more   


• Apr 3, 2008 Shareholders Call Information Giant McGraw-Hill Hypocritical for    April 3, 2008
  Washington, D.C. - As McGraw-Hill shareholders prepare to vote on proxy proposals this April, a shareholder advocate called the information services company "hypocritical" for blocking a political disclosure proposal that has been adopted by 43 other leading U.S. public companies.    more   


• Apr 2, 2008 Recent Developments Highlight Move Toward Secret Political Spending    April 2, 2008
  Washington, D.C. - Two recent articles highlight continued efforts to hide political spending. One involves a suit by a conservative think tank to overturn West Virginia disclosure requirements for political spending in state races. The other examines the expanded use of...    more   


• Mar 25, 2008 CPA Calls on US Chamber Group to Drop High Court Appeal, End Fight Against Political Disclosure    March 25, 2008
  Washington, D.C. - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) called on the Voter Education Committee (VEC), an organization used by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to conceal its funding of political ads in Washington state, to drop its appeal to the U.S.    more   


• Feb 25, 2008 Money, Politics, and the Corporate Agenda Big Business in the Political Process    February 25, 2008
  A HOT-BUTTON ISSUE FOR MANY AMERICANS, CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT OF CANDIDATES AND CAMPAIGNS OFFERS BOTH RISKS AND CREWARDS. HOW PREVALENT IS CORPORATE POLITICAL ACTIVITY? WHAT POLICIES GOVERN CORPORATE SPENDING?    more   


• Feb 19, 2008 New Companies Bring Number Adopting Political Spending Disclosure to 38    February 19, 2008
  Washington, D.C. - In a major expansion of company political disclosure, Adobe Systems (NASDAQ: ADBE), United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS) and United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) have agreed to report their trade association payments used for political purposes as part of their...    more   


• Jan 8, 2008 CPA Calls on US Chamber of Commerce to Disclose its 2008 Political Spending    January 8, 2008
  Washington, D.C. - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) today urged the United States Chamber of Commerce, the nation's premier trade association, to disclose the sources and beneficiaries of the more than $60 million it plans to spend in the 2008 elections.    more   


• Dec 19, 2007 Use of Trade Associations, c4s as Conduits for Secret Political Spending Highlighted by Wall Street Journal    December 19, 2007
  Washington, D.C. - The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) applauded the Wall Street Journal for highlighting the growing use of trade associations and "social welfare" organizations to hide political spending. In several reports this and last year, the CPA warned...    more   


• Dec 6, 2007 Washington Post Highlights Growth, Danger of Stealth Political Spending Through 501c4s    December 6, 2007
  Washington, D.C. -- As the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) has been warning, 501(c)(4)s and 501(c)(6)s -- non-profit "social welfare" organizations and trade associations -- are becoming the vehicle for stealth political campaigns. This development was highlighted...    more   


• Nov 15, 2007 Fidelity Shift in 2007 Proxy Season Tips Scales Toward Corporate Political Disclosure    November 15, 2007
  Washington, D.C. - In an important development, top funds in Fidelity, one of the nation's leading mutual fund families, moved from opposing to abstaining on shareholder resolutions calling for corporate political transparency and accountability in 2007, the Center for...    more   


• Nov 13, 2007 Use of 501c4s for Secret Campaign Spending Underscores Need for Corporate Political Disclosure, CPA Warns    November 13, 2007
  Washington, D.C. - The emergence of 501(c)(4) groups as major conduits for secret political money in the 2008 elections reinforces the need for public companies to disclose and require board oversight of their political spending, the Center for Political Accountability...    more   


• Sep 26, 2007 Dell, Oracle Latest Companies to Adopt Political Disclosure    September 26, 2007
  Washington, D.C. -- September 26, 2007. As 2008 proxy season plans get underway, shareholder activists announced today that Dell (NASDAQ: DELL) and Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL) have adopted political disclosure and accountability policies. This brings to 33 the number of...    more   


• Sep 20, 2007 CPA Announces New Board Member    September 20, 2007
  Washington, D.C. -- Shelley Alpern, Vice President and Director of Social Research and Advocacy at Trillium Asset Management, and Michael Petro, Vice President and Director of Business and Government Policy and Chief of Staff of the Committee for Economic Development, have...    more   


• Aug 24, 2007 CPA and the Zicklin Center at The Wharton School to Collaborate on Corporate Governance and Corporate Political Accountability Issues    August 24, 2007
  Washington, D.C. -- August 24, 2007. The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) and the Wharton School's Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research announced today a new collaborative effort on corporate governance and corporate political accountability.    more   


• Apr 4, 2007 Gaining Momentum: Number of Companies Adopting Political Disclosure Hits 31    April 4, 2007
  Washington, D.C. - Shareholder activists announced today that 12 new companies have adopted political disclosure and accountability policies, boosting the number to 31. This represents a 63% jump in the past two and a half months.    more   


• Mar 14, 2007 CPA Releases Primer on Corporate Political Spending    March 14, 2007
  Washington, D.C. -- The Center for Political Accountability (CPA) released today a primer on corporate political spending. As the CPA's primer sets forth, corporate political spending takes various forms. The report provides a definition that covers the most common types of...    more   


• Feb 8, 2007 44 Companies to Face Political Disclosure Shareholder Resolution in 2007 Proxy Season    February 8, 2007
  Washington, D.C. - Forty-four companies -- a record number -- are expected to vote on political disclosure shareholder resolutions in the 2007 proxy season. Based on Center for Political Accountability (CPA) model proposals urging companies to disclose and require board...    more   


• Jan 24, 2007 In Major Expansion, Four Leading Companies Widen Political Disclosure    January 24, 2007
  Washington, D.C. -- In a major expansion of company political disclosure, General Electric (NYSE:GE), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) and American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) have agreed to report their trade association payments used for political purposes as part of their...    more   


• Dec 20, 2006 Monsanto, Verizon, General Dynamics Adopt New Policies for Political Spending    December 20, 2006
  Washington, D.C. - In a major development, three leading public companies -- Verizon (NYSE:VZ), Monsanto (NYSE:MON), and General Dynamics (NYSE:GD) -- have committed to steps that move corporate political disclosure forward.    more   


• Oct 10, 2006 Eight Large Cap Mutual Funds Cast Proxies for Corporate Political Disclosure in 2006    October 10, 2006
  Washington, D.C. - October 10, 2006. In a significant shift, eight of 30 "large cap" U.S. equity mutual funds voted for corporate political disclosure resolutions in the 2006 proxy season, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) reported today. Previously, the major...    more   


• Jul 17, 2006 General Mills Joins Companies Disclosing Political Spending, Political Disclosure Resolution Leading Vote-Getter in 2006 Proxy Season    July 17, 2006
  Washington, D.C. -- General Mills (NYSE: GIS) became the latest major company to agree to disclosure and board oversight of its corporate political contributions. The company's move came at the close of the most successful proxy season yet for corporate political disclosure....    more   


• May 15, 2006 CPA Report Call Trade Associations "Swiss Bank Accounts" for American Politics, Hiding and Spending Corporate Political Funds and Heightening Risks for Shareholders    May 15, 2006
  Washington, D.C. - In a report released today, the Center for Political Accountability (CPA) called trade associations "the Swiss bank accounts of American politics" for their role in helping companies conceal and spend over $100 million in corporate funds. This spending, the...    more   


• Feb 2, 2012 Corporations are sending more contributions to super PACs    February 2, 2012
  Washington Post
  by T.W. Farnam
  Corporations appear to be embracing, albeit slowly, new campaign rules that allow them to make direct contributions to political groups. The super PACs that have been playing a significant role this election season are...    more   


• Feb 1, 2012 'Super PACs' largely funded by a wealthy few    February 1, 2012
  Los Angeles Times
  by Matea Gold, Tom Hamburger, and Maloy Moore
  Reporting from Washington and Los Angeles— When it comes to big money in politics, Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons' influence has long been apparent in Texas, where he has plowed more than $1...    more   


• Jan 31, 2012 Congress can fix the Super PAC problem    January 31, 2012
  Salon.com
  by Adam Skaggs
  Election junkies circled January 31st on their calendars months ago — but not because of Florida’s primary today, no matter how important it is to Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Tuesday’s real significance deals with Super PACs —...    more   


• Jan 31, 2012 Harold Simmons gave Karl Rove-linked Crossroads groups $7 million    January 31, 2012
  Politico
  by Kenneth Vogel
  The Karl Rove-linked juggernaut Crossroads groups raised $51 million last year – including a whopping $7 million from Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons – but that’s still a far cry from the $300 million the two-pronged outfit...    more   


• Jan 30, 2012 Push for transparency focuses on campaign spending, gift giving    January 30, 2012
  Arizona Capitol Times
  by Caitlin Coakley Beckner
  In the wake of two of Arizona’s biggest political shake-ups of last year, lawmakers are hoping a little sunshine will help clean up the mess. Shadowy groups involved in the recall of then-Senate President...    more   


• Jan 26, 2012 Super PACs' Money Could Tip Balance of Power in Congress    January 26, 2012
  CNN
  by Martina Stewart
  The 2010 Supreme Court ruling that allows unlimited contributions by corporations and unions has already affected the 2012 presidential campaign. But it could play a larger part in the balance of power in Congress this fall.    more   


• Jan 25, 2012 SOPA-Supporting California Politicians Receive Cash Flow From Hollywood    January 25, 2012
  Huffington Post
  by Will Evans
  Hollywood is threatening politicians with one thing they hold very dear: campaign cash. As anti-piracy legislation stalled in Congress last week, the movie industry's top lobbyist, former U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd, warned...    more   


• Jan 24, 2012 Super PACs Set Sights on 2012 Congressional Races    January 24, 2012
  USA Today
  by Fredreka Schouten
  Outside political groups, already big players in this year's GOP presidential battle, have started to train their firepower on Senate and House races.    more   


• Jan 21, 2012 Meet the Super Super PAC    January 21, 2012
  Politico
  by Dave Levinthal
  Super PACs are just so 2011. Meet the next big thing in U.S. politics: the super super PAC. These nascent groups can not only raise mega cash to promote candidates, but give money to candidates’ campaigns — a kind of political...    more   


• Jan 20, 2012 As 'Citizens United' Turns 2, SuperPACs Draw Protests    January 20, 2012
  National Public Radio by Peter Overby
  Saturday is South Carolina's Republican presidential primary. It's also the second anniversary of the Supreme Court's famous Citizens United decision. That's the case that allows corporations to explicitly support or attack...    more   


• Jan 19, 2012 Investors Announce New Shareholder Initiative Seeking Disclosure of Company Lobbying Activities    January 19, 2012
  Market Watch
  Investors today announced the filing of shareholder resolutions at 40 corporations, for votes at 2012 shareholder meetings; the resolutions urge the corporations to report on lobbying expenditures, including indirect funding of lobbying through trade...    more   


• Jan 12, 2012 Citizens Divided    January 12, 2012
  Colorado Springs Independent
  by Steven Rosenfeld
  On Dec. 30, Montana's Supreme Court issued a stunning rebuke to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision that infamously decreed corporations had constitutional rights to directly spend money on...    more   


• Jan 11, 2012 Time to Revive Democracy in the U.S.: Tell Shareholders How Their Dollars Are Used in Politics    January 11, 2012
  Nonprofit Quarterly
  by Rick Cohen
  Between those advocating for economic democracy who think there's too much wealth and power concentrated in the hands of 1 percent of the nation's population, and those advocating for corporate democracy advocated by...    more   


• Jan 10, 2012 GOP: Corporate Donation Ban Unconstitutional    January 10, 2012
  Politico
  by Josh Gerstein
  The century-old ban on corporate donations to federal political campaigns should be junked as unconstitutional, the Republican National Committee argued in a legal brief filed Tuesday that could lead to new attacks on the GOP as...    more   


• Jan 9, 2012 The Power of Super PACs    January 9, 2012
  Washington Post
  “WELL, OF COURSE, it’s former staff of mine. And, of course they’re people who support me. They wouldn’t be putting money into a PAC that supports me if they weren’t people who support me.” That was former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in...    more   


• Jan 8, 2012 Super PACs Alter the Dynamics of Fundraising    January 8, 2012
  Washington Post
  by T. W. Farnam
  Well-established candidates have always had the edge in fundraising, but under the new rules governing money in politics, it looks as if the rich are just getting richer. The vast majority of the $14 million in spending from...    more   


• Jan 7, 2012 Chamber's Attack Ads Draw Local Criticism    January 7, 2012
  Great Falls Tribune
  by John S. Adams
  Chamber of Commerce officials in three Montana communities have publicly responded to a political attack ad created and paid for by their parent organization, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The national chamber...    more   


• Jan 6, 2012 The Biggest Threat to Citizens United    January 6, 2012
  Salon.com
  by David Sirota
  Last week, while the national press corps was busy pretending the tiny Iowa caucus was the only news in America, a major ruling out of Montana paved the way for a likely U.S. Supreme Court showdown over the role of corporate money in...    more   


• Jan 4, 2012 In Montana, Corporations Aren't People    January 4, 2012
  Slate
  by Dahlia Lithwick
  On the rare occasions when the world talks to you in stereo, it’s a good idea to set aside your knitting and listen. This week, Americans got their first good look at what super PACs—political organizations that can receive unlimited...    more   


• Jan 4, 2012 ISS Policy Shift Favors Disclosure of Political Spending    January 4, 2012
  Inside Investor Relations
  by Brad Allen
  Attention on corporate political spending promises to ratchet up from next month, and it’s not just because the US presidential campaign is swinging into full gear. Proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services...    more   


• Jan 3, 2012 Three Campaign-Finance Lawsuits on the Heels of 'Citizens'    January 3, 2012
  Law.com
  by Marcia Coyle
  Three key campaign-finance challenges, one already at the U.S. Supreme Court, seek to push through doors left open by the justices' controversial Citizens United decision.    more   


• Jan 1, 2012 'Super PACs' Are Showing Their Power    January 1, 2012
  Los Angeles Times
  by Tom Hamburger and Melanie Mason
  Political committees unfettered by donation limits are dominating the last weeks of the presidential nominating contests in Iowa and New Hampshire, funding aggressive attack campaigns that are swamping the...    more   


• Dec 31, 2011 MT Court Restores Corporate Campaign Spending Ban    December 31, 2011
  Boston Globe
  by Matt Gouras
  The Montana Supreme Court restored the state’s century-old ban on direct spending by corporations on political candidates or committees in a ruling Friday that interest groups say bucks a high profile U.S. Supreme Court decision...    more   


• Dec 31, 2011 Super PACs Dominate Iowa Caucus, Helping Mitt Romney Run Ahead    December 31, 2011
  Huffington Post
  by Paul Blumenthal
  "This is politics," Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney declared Dec. 21, dismissing calls for him to condemn ads attacking former House Speaker Newt Gingrich that were run by an independent group supporting...    more   


• Dec 30, 2011 Group's Ads Rip at Gingrich as Romney Stands Clear    December 30, 2011
  The New York Times
  by Nicholas Confessore and Jim Rutenberg
  The attacks began three weeks ago and have not let up since: Television ad after television ad slamming Newt Gingrich for having “more baggage than the airlines,” for being fined by Congress for...    more   


• Dec 27, 2011 Outside Groups Air Barrage of Ads in Mass. Race    December 27, 2011
  Boston Globe
  by Andrew Miga
  Watch the political advertising and Elizabeth Warren, the leading Democratic Senate candidate in Massachusetts, either "sides with extreme left" protesters or has a history of being too cozy with Wall Street. Or Republican...    more   


• Dec 27, 2011 'Reform' Initiative on 2012 Ballot Is Not at All What It Seems    December 27, 2011
  The Modesto Bee
  by Dan Morain
  The latest initiative to qualify for the 2012 ballot is thick with the earnest rhetoric of white-hat-wearing good government reformers. It's also dripping with cynicism.This may come as a shock, but the "Stop Special Interest...    more   


• Dec 21, 2011 Challenge to NY Campaign Finance Laws Fails    December 21, 2011
  Thomson Reuters
  by Basil Katz
  A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday tossed out a challenge to New York City anti-corruption campaign finance laws, finding the so-called "pay to play" rules do not violate free speech rights.    more   


• Dec 21, 2011 Super PACs: The Bad Cops of 2012    December 21, 2011
  Politico
  by Robin Bravender and Dave Levinthal
  The bad cops of 2012 are here. Super PACs with ties to Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum launched a negative advertising blitz this month in Iowa that has let the candidates – with ties to the groups – stay...    more   


• Dec 21, 2011 Romney-Gingrich Super PAC Spat Highlights Hazy Rules    December 21, 2011
  Real Clear Politics
  by Scott Conroy
  A day after he condemned current campaign finance regulations for making "a mockery of our political campaign season," Mitt Romney appeared to change his tune on Wednesday morning after Newt Gingrich publicly called on...    more   


• Dec 21, 2011 Five Constitutional Amendments That Could Overturn Citizens United - How Are They Different?    December 21, 2011
  International Business Times
  by Ashley Portero
  While the U.S. Supreme Court treats corporations like people who can use money as a form of expression, a handful of congressman -- Democrats, Independents and even a Republican -- have taken steps to overturn...    more   


• Dec 18, 2011 Starve the Beast. End the Stalemate    December 18, 2011
  Washington Post
  by Steven Pearlstein
  There is a branch of economics known as game theory, which tries to figure out how various “players” in a market maximize their welfare based on the expected behavior of other “players,” all of whom are doing the very...    more   


• Dec 15, 2011 Close Super PAC Ties Draw Ire    December 15, 2011
  Roll Call
  by Eliza Newlin Carney
  In this year's brawling and unpredictable GOP presidential primary, super PACs have emerged as the latest magnet for controversy.    more   


• Dec 15, 2011 FEC Quashes New Disclosure Rules    December 15, 2011
  Politico
  by Robin Bravender
  New rules that would pull back the curtain on who is behind big-money political advertising were quashed Thursday by the Federal Election Commission, thanks to unified opposition from the panel’s Republicans.    more   


• Dec 12, 2011 Who is Behind the Attacks on Dem Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren?    December 12, 2011
  OpenSecrets.org
  by Michael Beckel
  Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies -- the conservative nonprofit advocacy group founded with assistance from GOP strategist Karl Rove -- wants you to believe that Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren is too...    more   


• Dec 12, 2011 Actually, Corporations That Lobby and Make Campaign Contributions Get Special Benefits    December 12, 2011
  Huffington Post
  by Stephen Strauss
  Recent reports reveal that: GOP Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich received nearly $2 million for activities (not technically within the definition for lobbying) resembling lobbying, and former GOP Congressman Tauzin --...    more   


• Dec 10, 2011 Unlimited Campaign Cash Fuels "Super PACs"    December 10, 2011
  CBS News
  by Phil Hirschkorn
  Even before it had filed its paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, a "Super PAC," or political action committee, supporting Texas Governor Rick Perry for president was filming his announcement speech in Charleston,...    more   


• Dec 9, 2011 Oil and Gas: Industry Pours Campaign Cash Into State, Local Races    December 9, 2011
  E&E Publishing
  by Mike Soraghan
  The chairwoman of the Texas Railroad Commission, Elizabeth Ames Jones, gets more campaign contributions from oil and gas than from any other industry. The Railroad Commission doesn't oversee railroads. By accident of...    more   


• Dec 8, 2011 Illinois mulls public financing of elections    December 8, 2011
  Illinois Times
  by Patrick Yeagle
  Illinois needs a system to publicly fund election campaigns, reform advocates told a state committee examining potential campaign finance reforms last week. But one expert says lawmakers probably won’t go for it.    more   


• Dec 7, 2011 Measure to curb union, corporate clout qualifies    December 7, 2011
  Mercury News
  by Judy Lin
  California Republican interests have qualified a ballot measure that would severely curb the political influence of public and private employee unions while depriving Democratic political candidates of a major source of campaign cash.    more   


• Dec 3, 2011 Some Say the American Legislative Exchange Council Influences Legislation Too Much in Texas and U.S.    December 3, 2011
  Star-Telegram
  by Aman Batheja
  It may be the most powerful force in Texas politics you've never heard of. The American Legislative Exchange Council has helped enact hundreds of pieces of legislation in states nationwide. The conservative, pro-business...    more   


• Dec 1, 2011 OCCUPIED Amendment Would Overturn ‘Citzens United’    December 1, 2011
  The American Independent
  by Ashley Lopez
  Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, appeared on MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan Show yesterday to discuss a newly proposed amendment to the Constitution he introduced to reform campaign finance in the U.S.    more   


• Dec 1, 2011 FEC Deadlocks on Coordination Among Candidates as Super PACs Expand to Capitol Hill    December 1, 2011
  Washington Post
  by Jack Gillum, AP
  How much can an outside group, bankrolled by millionaires, help a candidate win an election? In the midst of a bitterly divided campaign season, not even the country’s top election officials could decide.    more   


• Nov 28, 2011 As White House Candidates Abandon Public Funding, Republicans Look to End System    November 28, 2011
  Washington Post
  by Ben Pershing
  At some point in 2012, President Obama and his GOP opponent will formally declare whether they plan to take public funding for their general-election campaigns. If House Republicans get their way, there won’t be a choice to...    more   


• Nov 26, 2011 TV Attack Ads Aim at Obama Early and Often    November 26, 2011
  The New York Times
  by Jeremy Peters
  Inside the debate halls, the clash may be Republican versus Republican. But offstage, conservatives are mounting a unified and expensive air assault on the candidates’ common opponent: President Obama.    more   


• Nov 24, 2011 Money & Politics: New study tracks independent spending    November 24, 2011
  Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism
  by Bill Lueders
  In four critical Wisconsin state Senate races last year, groups making independent campaign expenditures actually spent more than the candidates themselves.    more   


• Nov 24, 2011 Despite pledge, donations flow from Starbucks    November 24, 2011
  Associated Press
  by Mike Baker
  If Starbucks chief Howard Schultz wants voters to withhold campaign cash from federal politicians, he may need to start with trying to halt the flow of donations coming from the people who work for him.    more   


• Nov 23, 2011 New state website to help in finding campaign finance data    November 23, 2011
  Rapid City Journal
  by David Montgomery
  Political donations in South Dakota will take a big step into the 21st century next month when Secretary of State Jason Gant rolls out a new website to monitor money in state elections.    more   


• Nov 21, 2011 Main Street Alliance challenging Humana on contributions to anti-reform forces    November 21, 2011
  Insider Lousiville
  Staff Article
  The liberal Main Street Alliance is asking Louisville insurer/health care provider Humana to come clean on political donations related to Obama health care reform.    more   


• Nov 21, 2011 Freedom and its Price: Shareholders Seek Disclosure of Corporate Political Spending    November 21, 2011
  Corporate Political Activity Law Blog
  by Jisha V. Dymond
  In the past few years, pay-to-play restrictions have flourished, particularly in the context of contracts related to the management of public pension plan assets and similar government investment...    more   


• Nov 19, 2011 Corporate power grows stronger as government wanes    November 19, 2011
  Los Angeles Times
  by Tom Petruno
  In the dreams of the Occupy Wall Street movement, America will look like a very different place five years from now. The power and influence of corporations will be sharply curbed, good jobs will be plentiful and income...    more   


• Nov 18, 2011 California Retirement Systems/ISS United On Corporate Political Spending    November 18, 2011
  California Corporate & Securities Law
  by Keith Paul Bishop
  On Tuesday, I wrote about CalPERS‘ adoption of updated governance principles, including this new Principle 6.5: Robust board oversight...    more   


• Nov 17, 2011 2012 Corporate Governance Policy Updates and Process    November 17, 2011
  Institutional Shareholder Services
  Executive Summary
  Read the Executive Summary of the 2012 Corporate Governance Policy Changes Here.    more   


• Nov 14, 2011 Calpers Approves Policy on Corporate Political Contributions    November 14, 2011
  Bloomberg Businessweek
  by Michael B. Marois
  The California Public Employees’ Retirement System approved new guidelines calling on companies in which the largest U.S. public pension invests to disclose their political contributions annually.    more   


• Nov 14, 2011 Talking Points: What Boards Need To Know About Corporate Political Spending    November 14, 2011
  Boardmember.com
  by Bobby R. Burchfield
  It is expected that $6 billion will be spent fueling election campaigns in 2012. Bobby Burchfield, a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office , recently spoke...    more   


• Nov 13, 2011 Unveiling secret corporate political money    November 13, 2011
  United Press International
  by Michael Kirkland
  The Securities and Exchange Commission is being flooded with support for a proposed regulation that would undo at least some of the effects of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United vs. Federal...    more   


• Nov 9, 2011 Coalition Seeks Disclosure Rules for Corporate Political Contributions    November 9, 2011
  Corporate Counsel
  by Sue Reisinger
  A coalition of 40 investment professionals, foundations, religious investors, and financial planners have come out in support of a proposal to require public companies to disclose their spending on political campaigns.    more   


• Nov 4, 2011 CalSTRS Adopts Policy on Corporate Political Contributions Disclosure    November 4, 2011
  Reuters
  Press Release
  The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) adopted a policy calling for portfolio companies to annually report their expenditures on political contributions.    more   


• Nov 2, 2011 FCC Wants Political Ad Spending Disclosure    November 2, 2011
  TMCNet.com
  by Peter Bernstein
  It kind of went unnoticed given all of the commotion at the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) open meeting on October 27 about the Universal Service Fund (USF) and Intercarrier Compensation System (ICC) reform....    more   


• Nov 1, 2011 ISS Seeks Investor Input for Revised Proxy Voting Policies    November 1, 2011
  Institutional Shareholder Services
  by Robert Kropp
  The contribution of proxy advisory services is credited as a factor in the marked increases in shareowner support for environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) proposals over the past two proxy...    more   


• Oct 31, 2011 Politics, money and taxes    October 31, 2011
  The Los Angeles Times
  Editorial
  Mention "social welfare organization" and the last thing that comes to mind is a group that expends millions of dollars to influence a federal election. But Crossroads GPS, which spent more than $17 million in 2010 to elect...    more   


• Oct 29, 2011 Outside Groups Eclipsing G.O.P. as Hub of Campaigns    October 29, 2011
  The New York Times
  by Nicholar Confessore
  About once a month, a dozen or so of the country’s most influential Republicans meet in a bare-walled conference room in Washington to discuss how to make further gains in the Congressional elections next year and...    more   


• Oct 28, 2011 Political Ad Funders Must Not Dodge Scrutiny    October 28, 2011
  Bloomberg Businessweek
  by Susan Crawford
  Thanks to the Supreme Court’s decision last year to allow corporations and unions to make unlimited campaign contributions, Americans in the coming year may be blitzed by $1 billion of essentially anonymous...    more   


• Oct 27, 2011 FCC To Rule On Online Political Advertisement Disclosure    October 27, 2011
  The Huffington Post
  by Paul Blumenthal
  Everyone is used to seeing a flood of political advertising, whether they are vicious attack ads or saccharine puff pieces, in the months before an election. Soon, the public may get a huge amount of information about...    more   


• Oct 25, 2011 Influence of Corporate Campaign Contributions in Government Contract Award Decisions    October 25, 2011
  Journalist's Resource
  by Elise Shanbaker
  In the wake of the 2010 Supreme Court decision “Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission,” the level of corporate spending on federal elections is likely to increase. In making such donations, corporations...    more   


• Oct 25, 2011 Super-Soft Money: How Justice Kennedy paved the way for “SuperPACS” and the return of soft money.    October 25, 2011
  Slate
  by Richard Hasen
  Soft money is coming back to national politics, and in a big way. And we can blame it all on a single sentence in Justice Anthony Kennedy’s opinion in 2010’s controversial Citizens United decision—a sentence that was unnecessary to...    more   


• Oct 24, 2011 'Pivotal Role' for General Counsel in Corporate Political Activity    October 24, 2011
  Corporate Counsel
  by Catherine Dunn
  The machinations of the 2012 election cycle are fully in motion, with each televised debate and catchy tax proposal marking the countdown to the primaries and general election—and in the national, state, and local...    more   


• Oct 24, 2011 A new way to buy real influence    October 24, 2011
  Politico
  by Anna Palmer & Jim Vandehei
  Good news for rich people, corporate power players and labor bosses who want to buy some real influence with members of Congress: It just got a lot easier. Many voters assume it’s always been easy to buy influence...    more   


• Oct 21, 2011 With Political Spending Outrage In The Streets, Corporate Leaders Talk About Transparency, Accountability    October 21, 2011
  Huffington Post
  by Paul Blumenthal
  Four miles north of the occupied Zuccotti Park, where protesters have urged an end to corporate influence in politics, business executives met at the Waldorf Astoria, the former home of President Herbert Hoover, to talk...    more   


• Oct 20, 2011 House Democrats Urge SEC To Require Disclosure of Campaign Donations    October 20, 2011
  The Wall Street Journal
  by Andrew Ackerman
  )--A group of 43 House Democrats is urging the Securities and Exchange Commission to require public companies to disclose the political contributions they make, a followup to a 2010 Supreme Court ruling...    more   


• Oct 18, 2011 Corporate-backed 'Super-PAC' raising eyebrows    October 18, 2011
  The Orlando Sentinel
  by Mark K. Mathhews
  A Hialeah-based funeral service -- called Deep Sea Burial for obvious reasons -- has become the first corporation to register a so-called Super-PAC with the Federal Election Commission that will allow it to raise...    more   


• Oct 17, 2011 The Perils of Donating to Perry    October 17, 2011
  The Weekly Standard
  by Mark Hemingway
  Last week, the Rick Perry campaign announced with great fanfare that the Texas governor had raised $17 million for his presidential campaign in the July-September quarter. That’s more than any other GOP hopeful, and...    more   


• Oct 12, 2011 Fighting for Corporate Disclosure    October 12, 2011
  Roll Call
  by Eliza Newlin Carney
  All eyes seem to be on Wall Street these days, which is turning out to be good timing both for soul-searching CEOs and for reform activists taking aim at corporate money. A far-flung corporate reform coalition is pushing to...    more   


• Oct 10, 2011 Rove vs. the Koch Brothers    October 10, 2011
  Politico
  by Kenneth P. Vogel
  Karl Rove’s team and the Koch brothers’ operatives quietly coordinated millions of dollars in political spending in 2010, but that alliance, which has flown largely under the radar, is showing signs of fraying.    more   


• Oct 3, 2011 Dealing with Political Contribution Disclosures    October 3, 2011 Corporate Secretary
  by Gary Stern
  Corporate secretary plays a key role in deciding disclosure policy by advising management and board. The Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision granted corporations the right to contribute to federal elections for the...    more   


• Sep 27, 2011 The Counter-Reformation: The Fall of Campaign Finance Reform    September 27, 2011
  Huffington Post
  by Josh Blumenthal
  WASHINGTON -- In the first two weeks of January 2006, the Senate Judiciary Committee held confirmation hearings for President George W. Bush's second nominee to the Supreme Court, Samuel Alito. By replacing Justice Sandra...    more   


• Sep 26, 2011 Business Executives Call for End to Anonymous Cash    September 26, 2011
  Politico
  by Dave Levinthal
  An alliance of business executives is posing a challenge to its corporate brethren: stop giving out anonymous cash. The nonpartisan Committee on Economic Development wants companies to be upfront about their political...    more   


• Sep 17, 2011 The Deregulated Campaign    September 17, 2011
  National Journal
  by Eliza Newlin Carney
  When comedian Stephen Colbert won the Federal Election Commission’s approval in June to run his own so-called super political action committee, he lost no time soliciting money for it.    more   


• Sep 15, 2011 Suit: State Farm covered up donations to justice who voted in its favor    September 15, 2011
  McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
  Lawyers in a class-action case accuse insurance giant State Farm of defrauding the Illinois Supreme Court by covering up its support of the Republican candidate in the most expensive state judicial race in U.S. history.    more   


• Sep 13, 2011 Rick Perry and HPV vaccine-maker have deep financial ties    September 13, 2011
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen
  Texas Gov. Rick Perry, whose bid for the White House depends heavily on support from religious conservatives, finds himself confronting an issue that is a flash point for that part of his base: his attempt to order schoolgirls...    more   


• Sep 8, 2011 Barbour Adds More Financial Heft to Crossroads Super PAC    September 8, 2011
  Roll Call
  by Shira Toeplitz
  Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour signed on to aid the fundraising efforts of American Crossroads, the conservative group that is expected to spend millions to boost Republicans in the 2012 cycle.    more   


• Aug 27, 2011 Amazon Spends Millions to Fight Internet Sales Tax    August 27, 2011
  New York Times
  by Aaron Glantz
  When it comes to avoiding the requirement of collecting sales tax from its consumers, Amazon is not afraid to open its wallet. More than nine months before a proposed June 2012 referendum asking that California's new Internet...    more   


• Aug 24, 2011 'Candidate super PACs' surge ahead in the 2012 money race    August 24, 2011
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen
  Until this month, Steven C. Roche was one of Mitt Romney's most trusted advisers, helping the former Massachusetts governor raise tens of millions of dollars in his long quest for the White House. Now Roche has jumped ship to...    more   


• Aug 24, 2011 100+ CEOs promise no campaign donations    August 24, 2011
  CNNMoney
  by Charles Riley
  NEW YORK (CNNMoney) --You know who's really mad at Washington? Corporate America. Led by Howard Schultz of Starbucks (SBUX, Fortune 500), more than 100 CEOs have signed a pledge to halt all political campaign contributions until...    more   


• Aug 18, 2011 Super PACs Changing 2012 Landscape    August 18, 2011
  U.S. News and World Report
  by Susan Milligan
  Sen. John McCain worked tirelessly a decade ago to achieve a long-desired reform of campaign finance law, working with another Republican and two Democrats to win approval of one of the last, big bipartisan policy...    more   


• Aug 10, 2011 Super PACs new playground: 2012    August 10, 2011
  Politico
  by Kenneth P. Vogel
  First came American Crossroads, Commonsense Ten and their ilk - so-called super PACs set up with unlimited cash that poured millions of dollars into ads benefiting multiple candidates and attacking their opponents. Now comes...    more   


• Aug 10, 2011 New Balance distances itself from donation to Romney supporting 'super PAC'    August 10, 2011
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen
  A Boston-based sneaker manufacturer under fire from gay rights activists is seeking to distance itself from a political donation by its chairman, who gave $500,000 to an independent group supporting Republican Mitt Romney for...    more   


• Aug 10, 2011 GOP Feels the Influence of Outside Money Groups    August 10, 2011
  NPR
  by Peter Overby
  Even as Republicans have made their presence felt this summer in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail, some party leaders have begun to feel their own control of Republican activism slipping away.    more   


• Aug 9, 2011 Serving Shareholders and Democracy    August 9, 2011
  New York Times
  When the Supreme Court ruled that the government may not ban campaign spending by corporations in the landmark Citizens United decision last year, it argued that disclosure of contributions would protect American democracy from hidden corporate...    more   


• Aug 9, 2011 Both sides dash for anonymous cash    August 9, 2011
  Politico
  by Kenneth P. Vogel
  If anyone had doubts about the role that anonymous and untraceable money will play in the 2012 campaign ad wars, a flurry of recent reports and voluntary disclosures should put them to rest.    more   


• Aug 5, 2011 SEC urged to make companies list political spending    August 5, 2011
  Reuters
  by Karey Wutkowski
  (Reuters) - A group of securities law experts are pushing for federal regulations forcing companies to reveal how much they spend on political activities. The 10 professors have formally petitioned the Securities and Exchange...    more   


• Aug 5, 2011 Law Professors Ask SEC to Require Disclosure of Campaign Donations    August 5, 2011
  Wall Street Journal
  by Danny Yadron and Andrew Ackerman
  A group of 10 corporate law professors asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to require corporations to disclose to shareholders most political spending. In a petition filed Thursday with the SEC,...    more   


• Aug 4, 2011 Firm gives $1 million to pro-Romney group, then dissolves    August 4, 2011
  MSNBC
  by Michael Isikoff
  A mystery company that pumped $1 million into a political committee backing Mitt Romney has been dissolved just months after it was formed, leaving few clues as to who was behind one of the biggest contributions yet of the 2012...    more   


• Aug 4, 2011 $30 Million Pouring In to Influence Wisconsin Recall Elections    August 4, 2011
  ABC News
  by Shushannah Walshe
  Months have passed since protests snared the Wisconsin state capital and a collective bargaining argument shut down the state government. But the anger has not died away, and legislators from both parties face recall elections. It...    more   


• Jul 29, 2011 Wisconsin recall ad deluge may presage 2012 election    July 29, 2011
  Reuters
  by James B. Kelleher
  (Reuters) - A deluge of political advertising in Wisconsin this summer to sway the largest wave of special state elections in U.S. history may be a harbinger of the partisan onslaught expected in the 2012 national elections.    more   


• Jul 28, 2011 Shareholders Press on CSR Risks    July 28, 2011
  Directorship
  by Steve Starbuck and Ann Brockett
  As proxy season comes to a close, an analysis of shareholder proposals continues to indicate a growing belief on the part of institutional investors that a company's social and environmental policies correlate...    more   


• Jul 28, 2011 Shareholders Press on CSR Risks    July 28, 2011
  Directorship
  by Steve Starbuck and Ann Brockett
  As proxy season comes to a close, an analysis of shareholder proposals continues to indicate a growing belief on the part of institutional investors that a company's social and environmental policies correlate...    more   


• Jul 5, 2011 New breed of 'super PACs,' other independent groups could define 2012 campaign    July 5, 2011
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen
  One commercial accuses the president of worsening the deficit and says, "It's time to take away Obama's blank check." Another attacks Republican tax and Medicare policies, saying, "We can't rebuild America if they tear down the...    more   


• Jun 15, 2011 U.S. Federal Election Commision Deadlocks on Greater '12 Donor Disclosure    June 16, 2011
  Bloomberg
  by Jonathan Salant
  The U.S. Federal Election Commission failed to approve a proposal that could lead to greater disclosure of donors to independent groups poised to spend millions on attack ads in the 2012 presidential race. The FEC deadlocked...    more   


• Jun 2, 2011 California presses for disclosure of political donations    June 2, 2011
  Financial Times
  by Dan McCrum and Nicole Bullock
  Bill Lockyer, the state treasurer for California, has asked the state’s leading public pension funds, the two largest such asset managers in the US, to use their influence to press for full disclosure of political...    more   


• Jun 1, 2011 California pensions may target firms' political outlays    June 1, 2011
  Reuters
  by Jim Christie
  (Reuters) - California's treasurer on Wednesday urged state pension funds to back shareholders pressing companies to disclose political spending, which many of his fellow Democrats expect to rise and be used against them in the 2012...    more   


• Jun 1, 2011 Citizens United: The Shareholders Strike Back    June 1, 2011
  Mother Jones
  by Andy Kroll
  The battle against the effects of the Supreme Court's game-changing Citizens United decision, the ruling that ripped down the wall between corporations and American elections, is gathering steam among an unlikely group: investors. With...    more   


• May 23, 2011 Minnesota upholds disclosure law    May 23, 2011
  Inside Investor Relations
  by Brad Allen
  Appeals court votes to keep law requiring disclosure of political contributions that was brought in following the Citizens United decision    more   


• May 22, 2011 Transparency vs. Free Speech    May 22, 2011
  National Journal
  by Eliza Newlin Carney
  It's become popular in certain circles to assail political transparency as a nefarious threat to free speech. Once a bipartisan touchstone, campaign finance disclosure rules are now the target of court challenges,...    more   


• May 21, 2011 Political groups, now free of limits, spending heavily in 2012    May 21, 2011
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen
  A contentious special election in Upstate New York has quickly become a test run of sorts for 2012 as outside political groups pump more than $2 million into an obscure three-way House contest. Republican and conservative groups,...    more   


• May 19, 2011 Secret Donors Multiply in U.S. Election Spending    May 19, 2011
  Washington Post
  by John Crewdson, Alison Fitzgerald, Jonathan Salant and Charles Babcock
  In the weeks before last November's election, television viewers in South Carolina were treated to an animated caricature of Representative John Spratt high- kicking in a...    more   


• May 14, 2011 News Corporation Will Disclose its Political Donations    May 14, 2011
  New York Times
  by Brian Stelter
  Beginning this summer, the News Corporation, the media company controlled by Rupert Murdoch, will announce each year all the political contributions it has made.    more   


• May 12, 2011 IRS Moves to Tax Gifts to Groups Active in Politics    May 12, 2011
  New York Times
  by Stephanie Strum
  Big donors like David H. Koch and George Soros could owe taxes on their millions of dollars in contributions to nonprofit advocacy groups that are playing an increasing role in American politics. Invoking a provision that had...    more   


• Apr 29, 2011 Exclusive: New Dem money group to take on GOP    April 29, 2011
  Politico
  by Jeanne Cummings
  Democrats with ties to the Obama White House on Friday are launching a two-pronged fundraising effort aimed at countering deep-pocketed GOP groups in 2012 - and adopting some of the same policies on unlimited, secret donations that...    more   


• Apr 29, 2011 Groups Form to Aid Democrats With Anonymous Money    April 29, 2011
  New York Times
  by Jim Rutenberg
  MANCHESTER, N.H. - A group including former White House officials, union leaders and one of Hollywood’s biggest producers have joined forces to start an outside effort to help President Obama and Congressional Democrats in 2012...    more   


• Apr 12, 2011 Adapting to campaign finace rulings, Democrats build big-spending network    April 12, 2011
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen
  The first sign that the ground had shifted in political fundraising came last year, when conservative groups quickly took advantage of new court rulings to dramatically outspend their liberal rivals. Now comes the next tremor,...    more   


• Apr 7, 2011 Democrats following Republicans into field of undisclosed donors    April 7, 2011
  Los Angeles Times
  by Matea Gold and Tom Hamburger
  Democrats putting together new independent political organizations for the 2012 campaign are embracing a model that will allow them to conceal their donors - the very tactic for which they criticized Republicans...    more   


• Apr 4, 2011 Big money, union fight shape Wisconsin court race    April 4, 2011
  Politico by Kenneth P. Vogel
  A conservative judge's campaign for reelection to the Wisconsin Supreme Court has become the next front in a growing multistate Republican effort to limit the power of organized labor. The once-obscure judicial race, which will be...    more   


• Apr 1, 2011 Former Obama aides likely to start independent fundraising group    April 1, 2011
  Los Angeles Times
  by Matea Gold and Christi Parsons
  As President Obama prepares to kick off his reelection campaign, two former key White House aides are likely to launch an independent political group in support of his bid, a direct response to the pent-up...    more   


• Mar 24, 2011 Haley Barbour known for fundraising talent and tactics    March 24, 2011
  Los Angeles Times
  by Matea Gold
  As he ponders a run for president, Haley Barbour would not seem a natural fit for the anti-establishment political mood now brewing: The governor of Mississippi is a longtime inside-the-Beltway operator who lobbied for the...    more   


• Mar 4, 2011 Duking it out: The pitfalls of corporate political activity    March 4, 2011
  Fortune
  by Eleanor Bloxham
  As Duke Energy takes heat over private meetings it had with its regulator, corporate boards should expect tough questions from shareholders on political activities this proxy season.    more   


• Feb 4, 2011 Investors Target Political Spending    February 4, 2011
  Inside Investor Relations
  by Jeff Cossette
  Doling out corporate cash to support political campaigns is not winning any votes with shareholders    more   


• Dec 14, 2010 Crossroads GPS prepares offensive    December 14, 2010
  Politico
  by Alex Isenstadt
  Crossroads GPS—the conservative group that carpet-bombed Democrats with a wave of attack ads during the 2010 midterm election-is about to launch its first offensive of the 2012 election cycle.    more   


• Dec 14, 2010 Group Behind Election Ads Weigh in On Tax Deal    December 14, 2010
  NPR
  by Peter Overby
  A new voice is weighing in on the congressional tax debate: Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, an outside group that spent millions to create a Republican majority in the House.    more   


• Dec 13, 2010 A look back at 2010 spending    December 13, 2010
  Politico
  by Kenneth P. Vogel
  The Service Employees International Union made a mistake in targeting Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) during her Democratic primary in September, but won’t rule out backing 2012 primary challengers to White House-backed lawmakers,...    more   


• Dec 10, 2010 Anonymous donors $132 million on 2010 campaign ads    December 10, 2010
  Wall Street Journal
  NEW YORK — Independent groups that do not disclose the identity of their donors spent $132.5 million to influence elections nationwide this year, accounting for about a third of all spending by outside groups in the 2010 election cycle, a...    more   


• Dec 7, 2010 Angry member groups shun Chamber    December 7, 2010
  Politico
  by Jeanne Cummings
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is under fire from some local chambers over its hard-hitting $75 million ad campaign to elect a Republican House, with dozens of hometown groups distancing themselves from the effort and a handful even...    more   


• Dec 3, 2010 72 super PACs spent $83.7 million on election, financial disclosure reports say    December 3, 2010
  Washington Post
  by T.W. Farnam
  The newly created independent political groups known as super PACs, which raised and spent millions of dollars on last month's elections, drew much of their funding from private-equity partners and others in the financial...    more   


• Dec 2, 2010 Pair of conservative groups raised $70 million in midterm campaign    December 2, 2010
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen and T.W. Farnam
  A pair of conservative groups founded with the help of Republican political guru Karl Rove raised more than $70 million since their inception last spring, making them the undisputed leaders of an onslaught of...    more   


• Nov 23, 2010 Effort for Liberal Balance to G.O.P. Gropus Begins    November 23, 2010
  New York Times
  by Michael Luo
  In what may prove a significant development for the 2012 elections, David Brock, a prominent Democratic political operative, says he has amassed $4 million in pledges over the last few weeks and is moving quickly to hire a...    more   


• Nov 20, 2010 Democrats strategists ready to take page from GOP playbook in 2012    November 20, 2010
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen and T.W. Farnam Major Democratic strategists, still reeling from a barrage of midterm spending by conservative groups, are planning a similarly well-funded campaign by liberal organizations aimed at reelecting President Obama in 2012.    more   


• Nov 17, 2010 Insurers Gave U.S. Chamber $86 Million Used to Oppose Obama's Health Care Law    November 17, 2010
  Bloomberg
  by Drew Armstrong
  Health insurers last year gave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce $86.2 million that was used to oppose the health-care overhaul law, according to tax records and people familiar with the donation.    more   


• Nov 17, 2010 Settlement discloses $1.2 million in donations    November 17, 2010
  Billings Gazette
  by Mike Dennison
  HELENA - A Montana group that financed three conservative ballot measures in 2006 has settled a long-running dispute with the state's chief campaign cop, agreeing to disclose the source of $1.2 million used to support the...    more   


• Nov 9, 2010 White House open to Democratic outside groups in 2012    November 9, 2010
  Politico
  by Jeanne Cummings
  The White House is bracing for an onslaught of $500 million or more in spending by outside Republican groups opposed to President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election, prompting Obama advisers to give the green light to big Democratic...    more   


• Nov 2, 2010 On eve of election, companies want more political disclosure    November 2, 2010
  MarketWatch
  by Ron Orol
  On the cusp of one of the most expensive mid-term elections in history, company leaders are saying they want more disclosure in political spending. Specifically, two-thirds of 301 business leaders surveyed by pollster Zogby...    more   


• Nov 1, 2010 Conservative Donor Groups Lay a Base for 2012 Elections    November 1, 2010
  New York Times
  by Jim Rutenberg
  WASHINGTON DC - The midterm election campaign will end Tuesday, but one of its most marked developments - the emergence of outside groups, often backed by anonymous donations, that can direct waves of advertising into...    more   


• Oct 30, 2010 WellPoint gave $1.4 million to elect Republicans    October 30, 2010
  Indianapolis Star
  by Maureen Groppe
  WASHINGTON --Indianapolis-based WellPoint has given nearly $1.4 million in contributions to help put Republicans in governors' mansions and in other state offices around the country, according to campaign disclosure reports.    more   


• Oct 28, 2010 Southwest Ambulance keeps funding campaigns    October 28, 2010
  Arizona Republic
  by Beth Duckett
  Southwest Ambulance continues to spend tens of thousands of dollars in support of local candidates in Tuesday's election. The donations were made in City Council races taking place in Scottsdale and Chandler, bringing...    more   


• Oct 28, 2010 3M, Pentair take heat for political gifts    October 28, 2010
  Star Tribune
  by Jackie Crosby
  Several socially responsible investment companies that already have taken Target and Best Buy to task for political donations to MN Forward, have now added 3M and Pentair to their lists.    more   


• Oct 27, 2010 Corporate campaign ads haven't followed Supreme Court's prediction    October 27, 2010
  Los Angeles Times
  by David G. Savage
  The Supreme Court sent a wave of corporate and union money flooding into campaign ads this year, but it did so with the promise that the public would know - almost instantly - who was paying for them. "With the advent...    more   


• Oct 27, 2010 'Independent' Groups Behind Ads Not So Independent    October 27, 2010
  NPR
  by Peter Overby and Andrea Searbrook
  These are the final frantic days of the campaign season. From Missouri to Hawaii, New York to California, political groups are jamming in their last attacks. It's a banner year for attack ads - and the organizations...    more   


• Oct 24, 2010 What's legal? Ruling on corporate political spending in Montana leaves uncertainty    October 24, 2010
  Associated Press
  by John Gouras
  HELENA - A judge's recent decision to toss Montana's century-old ban on corporate political spending has left observers and enforcers alike trying to figure out exactly what is now legal. Some experts feel Judge Jeffrey...    more   


• Oct 23, 2010 Aiona violated campaign gift rules, Dems say    October 23, 2010
  Honolulu Star-Advertiser
  by Derrick DePledge
  Hawaii Democrats filed a complaint yesterday with the state Campaign Spending Commission alleging that Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona's campaign for governor and the Republican Governors Association coordinated...    more   


• Oct 22, 2010 A Cautionary Tale of Corporate Political Spending Emerges in Minnesota    October 22, 2010
  ABA Journal
  by John Gibeaut
  Long regarded as a leader in campaign finance reform, Minnesota until this year had some of the nation’s toughest laws on political spending by corporations. With the federal government and many other states, Minnesota for...    more   


• Oct 22, 2010 Secret Spending Defines Midterm    October 22, 2010
  National Journal
  by Eliza Newlin Carney
  By now, the two defining trends of this midterm are clear: Big money and unprecedented secrecy. It’s a toxic combination, arguably tailor-made to usher in a new generation of scandals and fresh calls for reform.    more   


• Oct 21, 2010 Top Corporations Aid U.S. Chamber of Commerce Campaign    October 21, 2010
  New York Times
  by Eric Lipton, Mike McIntire, and Don Van Natta, Jr.
  Prudential Financial sent in a $2 million donation last year as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce kicked off a national advertising campaign to weaken the historic rewrite of the nation's...    more   


• Oct 18, 2010 Judge Strikes Down Montana's Ban on Corporate Political Expenditures    October 18, 2010
  Wall Street Journal
  by Jess Bravin
  A state judge Monday struck down Montana's 98-year-old ban on corporate political expenditures, ruling that it conflicts with the U.S. Supreme Court's January decision voiding similar provisions of federal law.    more   


• Oct 18, 2010 National cash fuels campaigns in state    October 18, 2010
  Star Tribune
  by Kevin Diaz and Pat Doyle
  WASHINGTON - National political groups are funneling millions of dollars into Minnesota's governor race as part of a massive infusion of cash generated by interest groups across the country.    more   


• Oct 14, 2010 'Nonpolitical' Groups Target Dems in Ad Blitz    October 14, 2010
  National Public Radio
  by Peter Overby and Andrea Seabrook
  This election season, more money than ever is flowing from supposedly nonpolitical groups into TV ad campaigns. Most of the ads are negative, sponsored by ambiguously named organizations like...    more   


• Oct 8, 2010 Union disclosure unlike other groups'    October 8, 2010
  Politico
  by Ben Smith
  Defenders of the outside Republican groups that don't disclose their donors -- the Chamber of Commerce and Crossroads GPS are the biggest this year -- have sometimes made the argument that Democrats have no right to gripe about this,...    more   


• Oct 7, 2010 Money Talks Louder Than Ever in Midterms    October 7, 2010
  New York Times
  by Michael Luo
  The dominant story line of this year's midterm elections is increasingly becoming the torrents of money, much of it anonymous, gushing into House and Senate races across the country.    more   


• Oct 6, 2010 Battle Escalates Over Undisclosed Campaign Cash    October 16, 2010
  CQPolitics
  by Steven T. Dennis
  Democrats and Republicans ratcheted up their battle Wednesday over private nonprofit groups that are spending millions of dollars on advertisements in campaigns across the country, largely favoring the GOP, without disclosing...    more   


• Oct 5, 2010 Secret donors fuel American Crossroads media buy    October 5, 2010
  Politico
  by Kenneth P. Vogel
  A massive $4.2 million ad buy announced Tuesday by American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS erases any doubts that the groups, conceived by veteran GOP operatives Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie, have the cash to be major players in next...    more   


• Sep 21, 2010 Donor Names Remain Secret as Rules Shift    September 21, 2010
  New York Times
  by Michael Luo and Stephanie Strom
  Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies would certainly seem to the casual observer to be a political organization: Karl Rove, a political adviser to President George W. Bush, helped raise money for it;...    more   


• Sep 16, 2010 The New GOP Money Stampede    September 16, 2010
  Time
  by Michael Crowley
  In recent days, Ohio voters have probably seen a TV spot ripping Democratic "stimulus and debt" policies, courtesy of a group calling itself Crossroads GPS. They may also have caught an ad by an outfit called the American Action...    more   


• Sep 15, 2010 Oil companies split on bid to suspend global warming law    September 15, 2010
  Los Angeles Times
  by Margot Roosevelt
  Is Big Oil really backing Proposition 23? Maybe not. Among California's major oil refiners, Shell Oil opposes the November ballot initiative to suspend the state's global warming law. Chevron Corp. is officially...    more   


• Sep 15, 2010 Despite Supreme Court support, disclosure of funding for 'issue ads' has decreased    September 15, 2010
  Washington Post
  by T.W. Farnum
  A Supreme Court decision this year dramatically altered the regulation of money in politics, and a recent vote by the Federal Election Commission could change one area of the law that the court left intact: rules governing...    more   


• Sep 15, 2010 Fading Away: Increasing Number of Electioneering Groups Keeps Donors' Identies Secret    September 15, 2010
  Public Citizen
  by Taylor Lincoln and Craig Holmen
  In his 2010 majority opinion in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Justice Anthony Kennedy justified lifting restrictions on corporate and union electioneering activities in part because of...    more   


• Sep 14, 2010 Groups' Spending for GOP on the Rise    September 14, 2010
  Wall Street Journal
  by Brody Mullins
  Conservative and business groups, fueled by newly legal large donations from corporations, are mounting an effort to elect Republican candidates that could rival political spending by labor unions and liberal...    more   


• Sep 13, 2010 G.O.P. Allies Drive Ad Spending Disparity    September 13, 2010
  New York Times
  by Michael Luo
  Outside groups supporting Republican candidates in House and Senate races across the country have been swamping their Democratic-leaning counterparts on television since early August as the midterm election season has begun...    more   


• Sep 9, 2010 U.S. Chamber of Commerce launches ad attack on Boxer    September 9, 2010
  Los Angeles Times
  by Tom Hamburger
  Reporting from Washington - The nation's largest business organization launched a multimillion-dollar advertising attack in California on Wednesday night on U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, part of a nationwide effort targeting...    more   


• Sep 8, 2010 Companies spend indirectly on politics    September, 8, 2010
  USA Today
  by Fredreka Schouten
  WASHINGTON — Some of the nation's largest publicly traded companies said they will not channel corporate funds directly into political advertising that targets candidates, even though it is legal for them to do so.    more   


• Sep 8, 2010 Right pours cash into Senate races    September 8, 2010
  Politico
  by Manu Raju
  Spending by conservative third-party organizations surged in August, as Republican-aligned groups plunged millions of dollars into key Senate races, potentially neutralizing the strong financial advantage Democrats have enjoyed this...    more   


• Sep 7, 2010 Judge tosses Wash. limit on late campaign spending    September 7, 2010
  Seattle Post Intelligencer
  by Curt Woodward
  OLYMPIA, Wash. -- State officials are mulling their next steps after a federal judge overturned a state law limiting campaign contributions in the final weeks of ballot measure campaigns.    more   


• Sep 4, 2010 Bid to suspend CA globa-warming law gets $1 million from billionaire brothers' firm    September 4, 2010
  LA Times<
  by Margot Roosevelt
  The fight over a November ballot initiative to suspend California's global warming law has escalated sharply with the Koch brothers, oil billionaires and "tea party" backers, making a million-dollar entry into the fray. The...    more   


• Sep 2, 2010 Americans United for Life Targets Pro-Abortion Democrats in Three States    September 2, 2010
  LifeNews
  by Steven Ertelt
  Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Americans United for Life is targeting three pro-abortion Democrats in tight election contests with radio ads talking about abortion issues. The ads are also meant to be the first by the group...    more   


• Sep 1, 2010 Texas: Bell Gets $2 Million in Lawsuit Against RGA    September 1, 2010
  CQPolitics
  by Tricia Miller
  Former Rep. Chris Bell (D) was awarded a $2 million settlement from the Republican Governors Association in the resolution of a campaign finance issue from the 2006 Texas gubernatorial race, the Houston Chronicle reported on...    more   


• Aug 29, 2010 Big money taints judicial elections    August 29, 2010
  Seattle Times
  by Neil Peirce
  It's tough to underestimate the peril to impartial American justice that's been highlighted in a new report on the big-time campaign money flowing into elections for justices on state Supreme Courts.    more   


• Aug 26, 2010 GOP bringing in the bucks for House midterms    August 26, 2010
  Washington Post
  by T.W. Farnum and Dan Eggen
  This week, the top Republican in the House, Minority Leader John A. Boehner (Ohio), pledged that the party would spend $50 million assisting House candidates in the midterm elections. The National Republican...    more   


• Aug 25, 2010 Citizens United Aftershocks    August 25, 2010
  Washington Post
  by Katrina vanden Heuvel
  What are the consequences of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision allowing corporations "unlimited spending in pursuit of political ends"? The world of campaign finance is new, confusing -- and very alarming.    more   


• Aug 24, 2010 Political groups set up for ad blitz    August 24, 1010
  USA Today
  by Fredreka Schouten
  WASHINGTON More than a dozen political groups have organized in recent weeks to spend large amounts of money on attack ads against House and Senate candidates as special interests on the left and right play a larger role in...    more   


• Aug 22, 2010 Secret money flows through election loophole    August 22
  Detroit Free Press
  by Jennifer Dixon and M.L. Elrick
  Michigan's campaign finance laws are designed to let voters know whose money is trying to influence them. Yet it's virtually impossible to tell where more than $4 million -- nearly 40% -- of the money...    more   


• Aug 22, 2010 U.S. Chamber of Commerce amplifies political spending    August 22, 2010
  Associated Press
  by Jim Kuhnhehn
  WASHINGTON - At times subtle, at times loud, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is spending record amounts on lobbying and in election battlegrounds, elbowing into the nation's politics in unprecedented ways for the business community.    more   


• Aug 20, 2010 Target feels backlash from shareholders    August 20, 2010
  Los Angeles Times
  by Jennifer Martinez and Tom Hamburger
  After weeks of public protest over its financial support of an organization that backed a GOP gubernatorial candidate opposed to gay rights, Target Corp. now faces a new form of pressure: demands from...    more   


• Aug 20, 2010 Judge asked to overturn state law on disclosing corporate donations    August 20, 2010
  Star Tribune
  by Pat Doyle
  In the wake of the uproar over Target's spending on politics, a federal judge was asked Friday by abortion opponents and other backers of GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer to block a state law that requires such disclosures by...    more   


• Aug 19, 2010 Exercising new ability to spend on campaigns, Target finds itself a bulls-eye    August 19, 2010
  Washington Post
  by Jia Lynn Yang and Dan Eggen
  When Target gave money in July to a pro-business group in Minnesota, the company thought it was helping its bottom line by backing candidates in its home state who support lower taxes. Instead, the retailer has...    more   


• Aug 19, 2010 Ads Go After Ohio Democrats    August 19, 2010
  CQPolitics
  by John McArdle
  A shadowy Republican-leaning 501(c)4 group that goes by the name of the Committee for Truth in Politics shelled out more than $320,000 this week for ads in the Cleveland market targeting Democrats in tough races and appears set to...    more   


• Aug 19, 2010 Karl Rove-Linked Conservative Group, American Crossroads, Adapts to New Campaign Finance Landscape    August 19, 2010
  OpenSecretsBlog
  by Michael Beckel
  American Crossroads, which some have dubbed the “shadow Republican National Committee,â€� is at the vanguard of political entities that are taking advantage of the new campaign finance landscape in the wake of January’s...    more   


• Aug 19, 2010 GOP outside cash worries Dems    August 19, 2010
  Politico
  by Kenneth P. Vogel
  With less than three months until Election Day, Democrats are becoming increasingly concerned that the independent groups they are counting on for support won't have the money to counter what they fear will be an unprecedented...    more   


• Aug 18, 2010 Voter (and Customer) Beware    August 19, 2010
  New York Times
  The Target Corporation has a well-earned reputation for hiring and advancing the rights of people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. But a controversial political donation has stirred the nationwide wrath of gay and lesbian groups that...    more   


• Aug 17, 2010 News Corp. donates $1 million to GOP Governors    August 17, 2010
  New York Times
  by Brian Stelter
  The News Corporation, controlled by Rupert Murdoch, contributed $1 million to the Republican Governors Association this summer, the Bloomberg news service reported this week.    more   


• Aug 17, 2010 Rulings Cover Political Donors in Veil of Secrecy    August 17, 2010
  National Public Radio
  by Peter Overby
  In the first 17 days of August - not normally a time of major campaign activity - independent groups spent $2.4 million to promote or attack candidates in the midterm elections. The spenders included unions and...    more   


• Aug 16, 2010 Conservative group kicks off $4.1 million election ad campaign    August 16, 2010
  Los Angeles Times
  by Michael A. Memoli and Tom Hamburger
  The ads decrying Washington policies will run in markets including 24 competitive congressional races. The midterm election appears likely to be the most expensive on record.    more   


• Aug 16, 2010 Fox parent gives $1 million to RGA    August 16, 2010
  Politico
  by Ben Smith
  News Corp., which owns Fox News and the New York Post, gave $1 million to Haley Barbour's Republican Governors Association this year, according to the RGA's most recent filing.    more   


• Aug 16, 2010 Target: No equality in donations    August 16, 2010
  Politico
  by Jeanne Cummings
  Target Corp., for now, has rejected demand from the Human Rights Campaign that the retailer donate to pro-gay rights candidates in order to balance its contribution to a group backing Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate...    more   


• Aug 16, 2010 The Real Lesson in Target's Campaign Cash Trouble    August 16, 2010
  National Public Radio
  by Peter Overby
  During this election season, there's likely to be a lot more corporate cash in politics, following a Supreme Court ruling last winter that lifted restraints on companies and labor unions.    more   


• Aug 13, 2010 Court halts rule on political ads    August 13, 2010
  Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
  by Jason Stein
  Madison- Piling on to an agreement already reached in a federal lawsuit, a divided state Supreme Court put a freeze late Friday on a state rule regulating political ads and messages in the run-up to elections.    more   


• Aug 13, 2010 Donation Backlash still haunts Target    August 13, 2010
  Minneapolis Star Tribune
  by Jackie Crosby
  The controversy surrounding Target Corp.'s $150,000 donation to an organization backing Republican Tom Emmer for governor continues to smolder, despite an apology last week from the CEO.    more   


• Aug 13, 2010 Target stores negotiate with gay/lesbian group over political spending    August 13, 2010
  Los Angeles Times
  by Tom Hamburger and Jennifer Martinez
  Last week, faced with waves of protests, retailer Target Corp. apologized for its $150,000 donation to an organization backing a Republican candidate with a long record of opposing gay rights.    more   


• Aug 12, 2010 Political ads, brought to you by Goldman Sachs?    August 12, 2010
  Fortune
  by Tory Newmyer
  FORTUNE -- More than seven months after it was handed down, the Supreme Court's ruling that rolled back limits on corporate participation in elections remains mired in controversy.    more   


• Aug 10, 2010 Firms think twice about political ads    August 10, 2010
  Politico
  by Jeanne Cummings
  As the Minnesota primary for governor draws to a close Tuesday, the controversy over corporate-backed political ads for Republican candidate Tom Emmer is far from over.    more   


• Aug 9, 2010 Google Urged to be more open about political spending    August 9, 2010
  DailyTech
  by Shane McGlaun
  Google is the biggest search engine in the U.S. and one of the largest search engines in the world. The company has the most lucrative online advertising program around which fills its coffers with money and allows the company to...    more   


• Aug 7, 2010 Target Discovers Downside to Political Contributions    August 7, 2010
  Wall Street Journal
  by Brody Mullins and Ann Zimmerman
  arget Corp. sought to take advantage of new campaign-finance rules, but ended up putting a bull's eye on its back. The Minneapolis retailer recently donated $150,000 to a political group, Minnesota...    more   


• Aug 6, 2010 Target could have avoided Emmer woe, experts say    August 6, 2010
  Minneapolis Business Journal
  by John Vomhof, Jr.
  When Target Corp. became the first corporate supporter of MN Forward, the new business-focused political action committee, the retailer likely didn't think its $150,000 contribution would generate much attention.    more   


• Aug 6, 2010 Outside groups unleash late ads in Colorado's Senate race    August 6, 2010
  Denver Post
  by Michael Booth and Allison Sherry
  A late round of Senate ads, one a harsh attack on Sen. Michael Bennet and the other a bold boost for Republican Jane Norton, will test the ability of wealthy outside groups to reach ballot procrastinators in...    more   


• Aug 6, 2010 Wall St. cuts political donations, shuns ad campaigns    August 6, 2010
  The Economic Times
  WASHINGTON/NEW YORK: Major Wall Street firms have cut back sharply on political contributions for November's mid-term US elections and are pledging to avoid direct sponsorship of political advertising campaigns. Donations by leading Wall Street...    more   


• Aug 5, 2010 A guide to the 'shadow GOP': the groups that may define the 2010 and 2012 elections    August 5, 2010
  Yahoo! News
  by Holly Bailey
  It's a nondescript office building just two blocks from the White House — but in politics, it's ground zero for what many are referring to as the "shadow GOP." On the 12th floor of this New York Avenue office complex, four separate...    more   


• Aug 5, 2010 Corporate money helping legislative candidates too    August 5, 2010
  Minnesota Public Radio
  by Tim Pugmire
  MN Forward, a new business-backed group that's using corporate donations to support political candidates, has announced its first list of favored state legislative candidates.    more   


• Aug 5, 2010 Target CEO apologizes to employees for MN Forward donation    August 5, 2010
  Minneapolis Business Journal
  Target Corp. CEO Gregg Steinhafel on Thursday apologized to the retailer’s employees for a corporate political donation that had drawn criticism from both inside and outside the company. Read more: Target CEO apologizes to employees...    more   


• Aug 2, 2010 Political ads off limites, Goldman promises    August 2, 2010
  New York Times
  by Javier C. Hernandez
  Facing pressure from critics of Wall Street to limit its role in elections, Goldman Sachs has pledged not to spend any of its vast corporate reserves on political advertising.    more   


• Aug 2, 2010 Corporate Campaign spending picks up speed    August 2, 2010
  LA Times
  by Tom Hamburger
  Reporting from Washington — Driven by increasing anger at Democratic policies and by recent Supreme Court decisions unshackling corporate contributions, business and conservative groups are preparing a flood of campaign money to try...    more   


• Aug 1, 2010 Political opposites protest ad rules    August 1, 2010
  Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
  by Jason Stein
  Madison — An unlikely duo of a conservative group and a liberal organization together have brought a lawsuit to block a new state rule regulating political issue ads and messages that took effect Sunday.    more   


• Jul 28, 2010 Will Coal Bosses Band Together to Influence Elections    August 28, 2010
  ABC News
  by Hanna Seigel
  Top officials at the country's major coal companies, including Massey Energy, owner of the West Virginia mine where 29 died earlier this year, apparently want to take advantage of looser campaign finance laws and use corporate money...    more   


• Jul 28, 2010 New business plan: crushing Dems    July 28, 2010>br> Politico
  by Jeanne Cummings and Chris Frates
  Democrats may be going out of their way to say they aren’t anti-business, but business is gearing up to demonstrate that it’s anti-Democrats — at least when it comes to members of the party’s liberal wing.    more   


• Jul 28, 2010 Coal execs hope to spend big to defeat Conway and Chandler    July 28, 2010
  Lexington Herald-Leader
  by John Cheves
  Several major coal companies hope to use newly loosened campaign-finance laws to pool their money and defeat Democratic congressional candidates they consider "anti-coal," including U.S. Senate nominee Jack Conway and U.S....    more   


• Jul 27, 2010 After political gift, Target feels backlash    July 27, 2010
  Star Tribune
  by Jackie Crosby and Baird Helgesen
  Target Corp. is discovering that a new era of political giving presents a double-edged sword. A January Supreme Court ruling allows companies to donate directly to campaigns. But the Minneapolis-based retailer...    more   


• Jul 27, 2010 Target Corp. defends Minnesota political donation    July 27, 2010
  Associated Press
  by Martiga Lohn
  ST. PAUL, Minn. — Target Corp. on Tuesday defended the use of its new freedom to spend money on political campaigns as employees and gay organizations criticized a $150,000 donation that will help a Minnesota GOP gubernatorial...    more   


• Jul 25, 2010 10 states add campaign finance laws    July 25, 2010
  USA Today
  by Fredreka Schouten
  WASHINGTON — Ten states have swiftly passed new laws requiring additional disclosure of political spending, following a Supreme Court ruling that lets corporations and unions pump unlimited amounts of money into certain campaign...    more   


• Jul 24, 2010 Initiatives backed by corporate funds    July 24, 2010
  TriCity Herald
  by Michelle Dupler
  OLYMPIA -- A Public Disclosure Commission report released Friday shows corporate, union and special interest group money has paid for the lion's share of efforts to get initiatives on the November general election ballot.    more   


• Jul 23, 2010 "Grassroots" Rove-linked group funded almost entirely by billionaires    July 23, 2010
  Salon
  by Justin Elliott
  Virtually all of the $4.7 million raised by Karl Rove's new conservative outfit was contributed by just four billionaires, three of whom are based in Dallas, Texas, and two of whom made their fortune in the oil and gas industry.    more   


• Jul 21, 2010 15 year-old Alabama law on donations to judicial candidates never enforced    July 21, 2010
  Birmingham News
  by Mary Orndorff
  A 15-year-old Alabama law that says judges should not hear cases in which one of the parties donated at least $2,000 to their campaigns has never been enforced, locked in a stalemate over whether it first needs to be reviewed by...    more   


• Jul 21, 2010 Corporate campaign cash: CU and raise you    July 21, 2010
  Politics in Minnesota
  by Charley Shaw
  For the past six months there has been no shortage of speculation about the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's January ruling in the Citizens United case, but many observers failed to note one of the likeliest consequences...    more   


• Jul 20, 2010 Rove-linked group uses secret donors to fund attacks    July 20, 2010
  Politico
  by Kenneth P. Vogel
  A new political operation conceived by Republican operatives Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie formed a spinoff group last month that - thanks in part to its ability to promise donors anonymity - has brought in more money in its first...    more   


• Jul 7, 2010 Show Him the Money    July 7, 2010
  Washington Monthly
  by James Verini
  Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has a well-developed talent for self-promotion. He makes a point of being the last person on any stage, and he leaves no detail to chance. The Chamber’s...    more   


• Jun 17, 2010 Corporate cash ready to flow into Minnesota elections    June 17, 2010
  Minneapolis Star Tribune
  by Baird Helgeson and Pat Doyle
  A new political organization, backed by two of the state's most powerful business interests and led by one of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's top deputies, could result in a powerful wave of corporate cash in this...    more   


• Jun 9, 2010 Arizona Blocked from Subsidizing State Candidates Facing Privately-funded foes    June 9, 2010
  Washington Post
  by Robert Barnes
  The Supreme Court stepped into another campaign finance controversy on Tuesday when it blocked Arizona from distributing campaign subsidies to publicly funded candidates facing big-spending opponents.    more   


• Jun 4, 2010 Court Issues Injunction Against FEC in Speechnow case    June 4, 2010
  Blog of Legal Times
  by Marcia Coyle
  The federal district court in Washington yesterday issued an injunction barring the Federal Election Commission from enforcing contribution limits against SpeechNow.org and its donors.    more   


• Jun 3, 2010 Interest Groups Prepared to Spend Record Amounts in 2010 Elections    June 3, 2010
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen
  Interest groups are gearing up to spend record amounts of money on this year's congressional and state elections, as liberals seek to shore up Democratic defenses and conservative and business groups plan a well-funded push on behalf...    more   


• Jun 2, 2010 Consumer Report: Insurance Industry Spending Over $17 Million to Influence Outcome of June 8th Election    June 2, 2010
  PRNewswire-USNewswire
  SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Insurers and the political action committees they fund have spent more than $17 million dollars on candidates and one ballot initiative to quietly influence the outcome of Tuesday's...    more   


• Jun 1, 2010 Another Year, More Secret Spending    June 1, 2010
  National Journal
  by Eliza Newlin Carney
  Critics have found a lot to hate about the so-called Disclose Act, the new campaign finance bill that congressional Democrats are pushing to enact by July 4.    more   


• May 14, 2010 Norfolk Southern Investors Reject More Disclosure    May 15, 2010
  Virginian Pilot
  A majority of Norfolk Southern Corp. shareholders rejected a proposal Thursday that pushed for greater disclosure of company spending on political campaigns. At the railroad's annual meeting in Williamsburg, 67 percent of shareholder votes cast...    more   


• May 4, 2010 GOP Governors Group Swings Into Action    May 4, 2010
  Wall Street Journal
  by Douglas A. Blackmon
  EDGARTOWN, Mass.—A week ago, Massachusetts state treasurer Timothy Cahill, a conservative onetime Democrat now running for governor as an independent, thought he had just two serious opponents: Democratic incumbent Gov....    more   


• May 2, 2010 Money Talks Loudly in California Election    May 2, 2010
  Los Angeles Times
  by Michael Hiltzik
  Now that the "Money Talks" California election of 2010 is in full swing, it's timely to examine just how loudly the millions of dollars being spent by major corporations at the ballot box are speaking, and what they're saying.    more   


• Apr 27, 2010 Riding Herd on Company Management    April 27, 2010
  Wall Street Journal
  by Roger Ferguson
  In his speech last Thursday at New York City's Cooper Union, just a few blocks from Wall Street, President Obama called for reforms to provide shareholders a stronger say in the governance of companies in which they invest.    more   


• Apr 17, 2010 Party Allies Raising Millions    April 17, 2010
  National Journal
  by Peter H. Stone
  In the next month or so, the American Action Network, a self-styled "action tank," plans to launch a pricey political blitz with television and other ads in several states to boost the fortunes of Republican members who...    more   


• Apr 9, 2010 Complaints from Jerry Brown prompt California Chamber of Commerce to pull ad    April 9, 2010
  Los Angeles Times
  by Anthony York and Michael Rothfeld
  The California Chamber of Commerce on Thursday said it would stop airing an ad attacking Jerry Brown amid objections from members of the organization, some of whom received calls from Brown and his wife...    more   


• Apr 8, 2010 Mining Interests are Heavily Invested on Capitol Hill    April 9, 2010
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen
  The mining industry, which finds itself under renewed scrutiny this week after dozens of fatalities at a West Virginia coal mine, wields major political clout in Washington thanks to hefty campaign contributions to GOP lawmakers...    more   


• Apr 7, 2010 Secert Funding of U.S. Chamber's Political Ads May be Outlawed    April 7, 2010
  Bloomberg
  by Jonathan D. Salent and Mark Drajem
  April 7 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. companies would lose their ability to secretly finance political advertising run by organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce under a bill being considered by Democratic...    more   


• Apr 5, 2010 Big Money Flows to State Races    April 5, 2010
  Wall Street Journal
  by Brody Mullins
  WASHINGTON—Labor unions, corporations and wealthy individuals are preparing to break spending records to influence the November elections. But more than in recent years, they will be focusing on races for governor and state...    more   


• Mar 28, 2010 Business Bids to Shape Health Changes- Chamber of Commerce Plans Effort to Challenge New Regulations    March 28, 2010
  Wall Street Journal
  by Janet Adamy
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is planning a broad effort to blunt the health overhaul by trying to shape its regulatory language and spending heavily to unseat vulnerable Democrats who voted for it.    more   


• Mar 28, 2010 Pro-Business Lobbying Blitz Takes on Obama's Plan for Wall Street Overhaul    March 28, 2010
  New York Times
  by Eric Lichtblau and Edward Wyatt
  WASHINGTON — With the Obama administration looking to score another major legislative victory, an array of pro-business groups and fiscal conservatives are mounting a well-financed campaign to scale back or...    more   


• Mar 27, 2010 Rulings Split on Campaign Fundraising    March 27, 2010
  Los Angeles Times
  by David G. Savage
  A three-judge panel rejects a GOP challenge to limits on direct contributions to candidates or political parties. A D.C. appeals court rules that independent groups may spend as much as they wish.    more   


• Mar 27, 2010 Courts Ruling on Funding of Campaigns    March 27, 2010
  Wall Street Journal
  by Jess Bravin
  Federal courts began reshaping campaign-finance law in light of a January Supreme Court decision lifting some political-spending limits. The rulings Friday set the stage for future court action that Republicans hope will...    more   


• Mar 26, 2010 After victory, conservatives mount new challenges to campaign finance limits    March 26, 2010
  Washington Post
  by Tomoeh Murakami Tse
  In a small office overlooking Indiana's Highway 40, James Bopp Jr. is preparing a nationwide assault on campaign finance regulations...    more   


• Mar 25, 2010 Political Non-Profits Ramp up Rhetoric    March 25, 2010
  USA Today
  by Fredreka Schouten
  WASHINGTON — A little-known group, the Committee for Truth in Politics, recently made a big splash: It spent $5 million on television ads denouncing Democratic efforts in Congress to impose new regulations on the financial...    more   


• Mar 25, 2010 States try to adapt to Supreme Court's campaign finance ruling    March 25, 2010
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen
  Many states are scrambling to react to the Supreme Court's landmark ruling this year that loosened restrictions on corporate and union spending in elections.    more   


• Mar 24, 2010 The First Corporate Ad    March 24, 2010
  The Texas Tribune
  by Ross Ramsey
  The first political ads bought by a corporation in Texas appeared in East Texas newspapers just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court effectively ended the state's ban on that kind of spending.    more   


• Mar 9, 2010 U.S. Chamber Grows into Major Poltiical Force    March 8, 2010
  Los Angeles Times
  by Tom Hamburger
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is building a large-scale grass-roots political operation that has begun to rival those of the major political parties, funded by record-setting amounts of money raised from corporations and...    more   


• Feb 27, 2010 Decision Could Allow Anonymous Political Contributions by Businesses    February 27, 2010
  New York Times
  by Griff Palmer
  The Supreme Court decision last month allowing corporations to spend unlimited money on behalf of political candidates left a loophole that campaign finance lawyers say could allow companies to pay for extensive political...    more   


• Feb 17, 2010 Lobby Firm Tells Clients How to Sway Elections While Avoiding 'Public Scrutiny'    February 17, 2010
  Talking Points Memo
  by Zachary Roth
  Last Month's Citizens U In the wake of last month’s Citizens United ruling, a powerhouse Washington lobbying firm is informing its corporate clients on how they can use middlemen like the Chamber of Commerce to pour...    more   


• Feb 10, 2010 PG&E Amps up Bid for Power    February 10, 2010
  Los Angeles Times
  by Michael Hiltzik
  The utility's initiative has become Proposition 16, which is written broadly to apply to all public power systems. By undermining all competition from public power agencies, it will benefit no one except...    more   


• Feb 1, 2010 The Corporations Already Outspend the Parties    February 1, 2010
  The Atlantic
  by Marc Ambinder
  For the first time in recent history, the lobbying, grassroots and advertising budget of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has surpassed the spending of the national committees of BOTH the Republican National Committee and Democratic...    more   


• Jan 23, 2010 Campaign Finance ruling leaves Democrats with few options    January 23, 2010
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen and Ben Pershing
  Frustrated Democrats began laying plans Friday to chip away at a landmark Supreme Court decision unleashing corporate expenditures in political campaigns, but the ruling's broad sweep will make it difficult to...    more   


• Jan 22, 2010 High Court Decision May Bring 'Cascade' of Election Spending    January 22, 2010
  Bloomberg
  by Jonathan D. Salant and Lorraine Woellert
  Jan. 22 (Bloomberg) -- A U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down federal restrictions on corporate political spending may pump millions of dollars into the 2010 campaign from companies with stakes in...    more   


• Jan 12, 2010 Chamber of Commerce Warns Lawmakers it Will Play Election Hardball    January 12, 2010
  CQ Today
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said Tuesday that it will try to stop several bills that it views as trouble for the economy, and the group warned lawmakers that it will involve itself in House and Senate races this year. Thomas J. Donohue, president and...    more   


• Jan 12, 2010 Health Insurers Funded Chamber Attack Ads    January 12, 2010
  National Journal - Under the Influence
  by Peter H. Stone
  Just as dealings with the Obama administration and congressional Democrats soured last summer, six of the nation's biggest health insurers began quietly pumping big money into third-party television...    more   


• Jan 9, 2010 Courts Roll Back Election Spending Limits    January 9, 2010
  New York Times
  by David D. Kirkpatrick
  WASHINGTON- Even before a landmark Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance law expected within days, a series of other court decisions is reshaping the political battlefield by freeing corporations, unions and other...    more   


• Jan 7, 2010 How Interest Groups Behind Health Care Legislation are Financed is Often Unclear    January 7, 2010
  Washington Post
  by Dan Eggen
  Many of the Washington interest groups that are seeking to shape final health-care legislation in the coming weeks operate with opaque financing, often receiving hidden support from insurers, drugmakers or unions.    more   


• Nov 24, 2009 Tiny Group of Deep-Pocketed Contributors Fueling U.S. Chamber's Advocacy    November 24, 2009
  New York Times-Greenwire
  by Anne C. Mulkern
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce often says it speaks for 3 million members, businesses both large and small. What it doesn't promote as readily is that 19 supporters last year provided a third of the trade group's...    more   


• Nov 19, 2009 Storm Over the Chamber    November 19, 2009
  New York Times
  by John Broder
  BACK in the 1990s when Thomas J. Donohue was president of the American Trucking Associations, a subordinate raised a question at a staff meeting. Some of the association’s members, the aide said, wondered whether it was...    more   


• Nov 18, 2009 Chamber spent $1.6 million in last week    November 18, 2009
  Politico
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has spent at least $1.6 million in the last ten days targeting nine House battleground Democrats who voted for the passage of the health reform package, according to a list of ad buys obtained by POLITICO.    more   


• Nov 17, 2009 Supreme Court Ruling Could Play Role in 2010 Governor's Races    November 17, 2009
  USA Today
  by Fredreka Schouten
  If the Supreme Court opens the door to more corporate money in political campaigns, it could affect laws in nearly two dozen states and a host of governor's races next year, including high-profile contests in Texas and...    more   


• Nov 12, 2009 Chamber's Donohue Keeps Cash Coming After PG&E, Apple Defect    November 12, 2009
  Bloomberg
  By Mark Drajem and Daniel Whitten
  Nov. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. and three other members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce quit over its opposition to climate-change legislation. President Barack Obama denounced the group for “spending...    more   


• Oct 22, 2009 Drug Makers are Advocacy Group's Biggest Donors    October 22, 2009
  New York Times
  by Gardiner Harris
  WASHINGTON A majority of the donations made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one of the nation's most influential disease advocacy groups, have come from drug makers in recent years, according to Congressional...    more   


• Oct 19, 2009 Exit Through Lobby    October 19, 2009
  The New Yorker
  by James Surowiecki
  Resigning in protest is not in the American grain. Robert McNamara stuck around as Secretary of Defense even after he decided that the Vietnam War was a disaster; Colin Powell did the same during the Bush Administration's...    more   


• Oct 18, 2009 Chamber Divided on Climate Change    October 18, 2009
  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  by Len Boselovic
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has lost a handful of influential members over its opposition to climate change legislation being considered by Congress.    more   


• Oct 15, 2009 Chamber Defections Cast Shadow Over Latest Effort    October 15. 2009
  Roll Call
  by Anna Palmer
  As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce rolled out its multimillion-dollar Campaign for Free Enterprise on Wednesday with all the pomp and circumstance of a political campaign rally, the business group was still dogged by questions...    more   


• Oct 15, 2009 Some companies cool to chambers' stance on climate change legislation    October 15, 2009
  Finance and Commerce
  by Bob Geiger
  Minnesota businesses increasingly are saying that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which opposes a U.S. Senate energy bill that could cap greenhouse gas emissions, does not speak for them.    more   


• Oct 14, 2009 Businesses Clash with U.S. Chamber over Climate Change    October 14, 2009
  Minnesota Public Radio
  by Stephanie Hemphill
  Businesses clash with U.S. chamber over climate change legislation by Stephanie Hemphill, Minnesota Public Radio October 14, 2009 St. Paul, Minn. — Some Minnesota businesses are opposing the U.S. Chamber of...    more   


• Oct 14, 2009 Shareholders Urge Companies to Challenge U.S. Chamber, NAM Over Climate Change Position    October 14, 2009
  North American Windpower
  by NAW Staff
  In letters to 14 top companies, 43 investors and investment-focused organizations encouraged the companies to end the contradiction between their own policies and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's and National Association...    more   


• Oct 14, 2009 Coalition Calls on 14 CEOs to Drop Chamber Memberships    October 14,
  Pension & Investments
  The CEOs of Air Products & Chemicals, Alcoa, American Electric Power and 11 other companies were urged to withdraw their memberships from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Associations of Manufacturers over disagreements on...    more   


• Oct 13, 2009 Campaign Finance Laws Face a Reset    October 13, 2009
  Politico
  by Jeanne Cummings
  A series of court decisions expected this fall could put the nation on track to return to turn-of-the-century campaign finance laws.    more   


• Oct 7, 2009 Does the U.S. Chamber Speak for Big Business?    October 7, 2009
  Business Week
  by Jane Sasseen
  There aren't many who would willingly take on Apple (AAPL) icon Steve Jobs—and lecture him on technology. But Thomas J. Donohue, the combative head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, isn't one to step away from a fight.    more   


• Oct 6, 2009 'Hot Button' Climate Issue Spotlights How U.S. Chamber Sets Policy    October 6, 2009
  Greenwire
  by Anne C. Mulkern
  U.S. Chamber of Commerce staff decides the trade group's climate and energy policy positions without approval from the board of directors, Nike Inc. charged as it formulated a plan to call for greater chamber openness.    more   


• Oct 3, 2009 Chamber of Overstated Horrors    October 3, 2009
  Boston Globe
  Globe Editorial
  IT IS refreshing to see three energy companies - the nuclear power operator Exelon; Pacific Gas and Electric; and New Mexico’s largest electricity provider, PNM - quitting the US Chamber of Commerce over that organization’s...    more   


• Sep 29, 2009 Exelon Quits U.S. Chamber Over Rift on Climate Bill    September 29
  Wall Street Journal
  By Cassandra Sweet
  Exelon Corp. on Monday became the third big utility in the past week to quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over the influential business group's stance against federal climate-change legislation.    more   


• Sep 29, 2009 P&E, Duke Energy Walkout Show U.S. Splits on Climate    September 29, 2009
  Bloomberg News
  By Daniel Whitten
  Sept. 29 (Bloomberg) -- PG&E Corp. quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Nike Inc. and Johnson & Johnson criticized the group for its stance. Duke Energy Corp. resigned from the National Association of Manufacturers.    more   


• Sep 27, 2009 Armey's Army Marches against Obama    September 27, 2009
  Washington Post
  By Ben Pershing
  Richard K. Armey has been an economics professor, House leader, corporate lobbyist and a blunt-talking critic of his fellow Republicans. Now, at the vanguard of a looselyknit band of opponents of President Obama's agenda,...    more   


• Sep 23, 2009 Utility Quits Alliance Over Climate Change    September 23, 2009
  New York Times
  By Kate Galbraith
  Amid a growing split in the business community over climate policy, Pacific Gas and Electric, a major California utility, is withdrawing from the United States Chamber of Commerce, citing “fundamental differences” with...    more   


• Sep 18, 2009 Court Backs Outside Groups Political Spending    September 19, 2009
  New York Times
  by David D. Kirkpatrick
  WASHINGTON — The federal appeals court for the District of Columbia ruled Friday that the government cannot restrict independent political spending by nonprofit groups or political committees, accelerating the...    more