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    News on Political Accountability

  • May 21, 2013 The Political Spending of 501(c)(4) Nonprofits in the 2012 Election    May 21, 2013
    The Sunlight Foundation
    by Liz Bartolomeo
    Throughout the 2012 election cycle, Sunlight followed the unlimited money. From super PACs and corporations to unions and “dark money” we collected, in real time, the political spending reported by these outside groups....    more right  

  • May 17, 2013 Shareholders Press Companies to Disclose More About Political Spending    May 17, 2013
    Washington Post
    by Dina Elboghdady
    As regulators wrestle with whether to force companies to disclose more about their political spending, an increasing number of shareholders are taking matters into their own hands, thrusting the issue before boards of directors...    more right  

  • May 16, 2013 White Says SEC Not Now Writing Political Spending Rule    May 16, 2013
    Reuters
    by Sarah N. Lynch
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission told lawmakers on Thursday that her agency, despite pressure from liberal groups, is not currently drafting a rule that would call for public companies to...    more right  

  • May 14, 2013 SEC Nears Decision on Requiring Businesses to Disclose Donations    May 14, 2013
    The Hill
    by Ben Goad
    The Securities and Exchange Commission under new chief Mary Jo White is approaching a crucial decision on whether to require publicly traded corporations to disclose their campaign spending to shareholders. If pursued, new disclosure rules...    more right  

  • May 13, 2013 Wonkbook: The Good Reasons for the IRS’s Dumb Mistake    May 13, 2013
    The Washington Post's Wonkbook
    by Ezra Klein
    Let’s try to keep two things in mind simultaneously: The IRS does need some kind of test that helps them weed out political organizations attempting to register as tax-exempt 501(c)4 social welfare groups. But that...    more right  

  • May 10, 2013 Keep Closer Tabs on Corporate Political Spending    May 10, 2013
    Tampa Bay Times
    by The Editorial Board
    Shareholders in publicly traded corporations have a right to know if their investment is being spent on political campaigns. And voters have a right to know what interests are trying to persuade them. But three years after...    more right  

  • May 10, 2013 he IRS was wrong to target the tea party. They should’ve gone after all 501(c)4s.    May 10, 2013
    The Washington Post's Wonkbook
    by Ezra Klein
    Let’s be very clear: because the Internal Revenue Service holds so much private data, and because it can make people’s lives absolutely miserable, it is of paramount importance in our political system that it both is,...    more right  

  • May 8, 2013 Why 501(c)(4)s and Big Money Still Won in 2012    May 8, 2013
    Brennan Center for Justice
    by Jonathan Backer
    “We got way too excited over money in the 2012 elections,” Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein argued at a conference on money in politics at Yale University on Monday. In the wake of the 2012 election, the...    more right  

  • May 8, 2013 SEC Should Make Companies Disclose Political Spending    May 8, 2013
    Bloomberg News
    by The Editors
    Two years ago, an idiosyncratic band of 10 law professors wrote to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission asking it to require public companies “to disclose to shareholders the use of corporate resources for political...    more right  

  • May 7, 2013 News Hour Segment on Political Disclosure    May 7,2013
    PBS News Hour
    Rob Jackson and Paul Atkins
    Rob Jackson squares off against Paul Atkins on the News Hour in a debate over corporate political disclosure. Make sure to watch, Rob did a fantastic job.    more right  

  • May 7, 2013 SEC and Political Spending    May 7, 2013
    LA Times
    by LA Times Editorial Board
    When the Supreme Court — in our view wrongly — ruled that corporations had a constitutional right to spend their money to influence elections, it also said that disclosure of such expenditures "permits citizens and...    more right  

  • May 1, 2013 Make Companies Disclose Political Spending: Our View    May 1, 2013
    USA Today
    by USA Today Editorial Board
    Three years ago, when the Supreme Court opened the door to unlimited political donations by corporations, Justice Anthony Kennedy made the case for transparency as the best way to keep politics clean. Thanks to the power of...    more right  

  • Apr 30, 2013 Springtime for Disclosure    April 30, 2013
    The Hill
    by Jonathan Backer
    With spring in full bloom, the ground isn’t the only thing beginning to thaw. Finally, more than two years after Citizens United unleashed a torrent of spending in federal elections, the rigid partisan stalemate on disclosure...    more right  

  • Apr 30, 2013 Maine Legislature Backs Resolutions Supporting Campaign Finance, Immigration Reforms    April 30, 2013
    Bangor Daily News
    by Matthew Stone
    The Maine Legislature waded into two contentious federal debates Tuesday, supporting resolutions that call for a constitutional amendment overturning the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United campaign finance ruling and urging...    more right  

  • Apr 29, 2013 The Need for Transparency in Political Donations    April 29, 2013
    U.S. News
    by Rick Newman
    Are secrets necessary to protect freedom? In a few instances they clearly are, such as when security officials must keep national vulnerabilities from becoming public or military commanders exploit intelligence in order to surprise...    more   

  • Apr 26, 2013 Why Are America's CEOs So Afraid of a Little Sunlight on Their Political Causes?    April 26, 2013
    The Atlantic
    by Andrew Cohen
    My candidate for the most revelatory story of the week came Tuesday in the New York Times. Nicholas Confessore, writing about the proposed campaign finance disclosure rule now pending at the Securities and Exchange Commission,...    more   

  • Apr 21, 2013 Obama Inauguration Fueled by Corporations, Unions    April 21, 2013
    Center for Public Integrity
    by Dave Levinthal
    Corporations, unions and special interest groups fueled President Barack Obama's second inauguration ceremonies with more than $18 million — money the commander in chief generally rejected during his first inaugural.    more   

  • Apr 16, 2013 Senate Scrutiny of Nonprofits Spurring Disclosure: Taxes    April 16, 2013
    Bloomberg
    by Jonathan Salant
    Senate hearings, lawsuits and an Internal Revenue Service questionnaire are placing new scrutiny on nonprofit groups that spend millions of dollars on political campaigns without disclosing their donors.    more   

  • Apr 12, 2013 Thousands Petition SEC to Disclose Corporate Political Spending    April 12, 2013
    NPR
    by Peter Overby
    Nearly 500,000 people have petitioned the Securities and Exchange Commission to make publicly-traded corporations disclose their political spending. The question is: How much clout do 500,000 people actually have?    more   

  • Apr 10, 2013 In Political Campaigns, Do You Get What You Pay For?    April 10, 2013
    The New York Times
    by Thomas Edsall
    Mark Hanna, the Republican Party political boss, famously declared at the outset of the McKinley-Bryan campaign of 1896: “There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money, and I can’t remember the...    more   

  • Apr 9, 2013 Senate Committee: Campaign Finance Laws Aren't Enforced    April 9, 2013
    NPR
    by Peter Overby
    Senators on a Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday heard about the hundreds of millions of dollars spent in political campaigns last year from secret donors, and why federal agencies are nearly powerless to do anything about it.    more   

  • Apr 6, 2013 Spending Mushrooms in New 'Political Ecosystem'    April 6, 2013
    Miami Herald
    by Steve Peoples
    Operating with few rules and limited oversight, outside groups spent a record $1 billion to influence last year's election. Politicians of all persuasions griped about the meddling. But few are working to change laws that...    more   

  • Apr 4, 2013 Governors' Groups Rely Increasingly on 'Dark Money' Affliates    April 4, 2013
    Center for Public Integrity
    by Paul Abowd
    The Democratic and Republican governors’ associations are increasingly relying on nonprofit affiliates to get their candidates elected and influence ballot initiatives, a move that allows them to avoid disclosing the...    more   

  • Mar 30, 2013 IRS to 'Social Welfare' Groups: Show Me the Political Ad Money    March 30, 2013
    NPR
    by Peter Overby
    There are still unanswered questions about the politically active 501(c)(4) "social welfare" groups. The anonymously funded entities' multimillion-dollar ad budgets helped to clog the airwaves last year.    more   

  • Mar 24, 2013 What Secret Emails From Enron Teach Us About Influencing Politicians    March 24, 2013
    Washington Post
    by Dan Hopkins
    In 1999, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) denounced “a campaign finance system that is nothing less than an elaborate influence-peddling scheme in which both parties conspire to stay in office by selling the country to the highest...    more   

  • Mar 19, 2013 The Politics of Corporate Campaign Disclosure: Keep an Eye on the 2013 Proxy Season    March 19, 2013
    Business Ethics Magazine
    by Robert Ludke
    Last November, I wrote about the limited benefits and reputational risks posed by unlimited corporate campaign contributions. In that piece, I noted, “[T]he Securities and Exchange Commission is giving serious...    more   

  • Mar 15, 2013 PepsiCo to Disclose Lobbying Efforts, Political Spending    March 15, 2013
    Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
    by Jessica Bakeman
    PepsiCo, the Westchester County-based beverage and food company, agreed to disclose its direct lobbying efforts and any contributions the company made to trade organizations, the state comptroller’s office...    more   

  • Mar 12, 2013 Senate Bill Pushes Online Campaign-Finance Filings    March 12, 2013
    USA Today
    by Malia Rulon
    Even though most services are now online, from bank statements to brokerage accounts, members of the U.S. Senate continue to file campaign-finance reports the old-fashioned way: on paper. This practice leads to delays in the...    more   

  • Mar 10, 2013 California Lawmakers Avoid Campaign Contribution Limits With Ballot Measure Accounts    March 10, 2013
    Sacramento Bee
    by Torey Van Oot
    Thirteen years after California instituted campaign finance limits, lawmakers at the state Capitol are making broad use of a maneuver to avoid them. In addition to their campaign accounts, legislators create "ballot measure"...    more   

  • Mar 7, 2013 In Reversal, Organizing for Action Won't Take Corporate Cash    March 7, 2013
    Washington Post
    by Rachel Weiner
    The organizing non-profit formed out of President Obama’s campaign apparatus will not take money from corporations, and will report the precise amount of contributions larger than $250 — and the names of those donors — on a...    more   

  • Mar 5, 2013 Campaign Finance Reform in the Age of Citizens United    March 5, 2013
    Salon
    by Mark Schmitt
    Last Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case challenging the century-old ban on direct corporate contributions to federal election campaigns. That counts as good news in a month that included the court’s earlier decision to hear...    more   

  • Mar 5, 2013 Study Shows Super PACs Made a Mockery of Campaign Law    March 5, 2013
    The Hill
    by Taylor Lincoln
    The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which gave rise to outside groups that could accept unlimited contributions to influence elections, was not intended to eviscerate laws limiting...    more   

  • Feb 25, 2013 Supreme Court Won't Hear Corporate Contribution Case    February 25, 2013
    Politico
    by Byron Tau
    The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case challenging a century-old prohibition on direct corporate contributions to candidates. Lawyers for the plaintiff in Danielczyk v. U.S. argued that because of the landmark 2010...    more   

  • Feb 22, 2013 Qualcomm Agrees to Reveal Donations to Tax-Exempt Groups    February 22, 2013
    The New York Times
    by Nicholas Confessore
    Qualcomm, Inc., the country’s largest maker of computer chips for mobile devices, will voluntarily disclose previously secret political contributions to tax-exempt groups under a settlement announced Friday with the...    more   

  • Feb 21, 2013 The Flawed Objections to Corporate Political-Spending Disclosures    February 21, 2013
    The Motley Fool
    by M. Joy Hayes
    Suppose one of your investments supports a candidate whose platform you abhor. How would you know? Without laws requiring corporate political-spending disclosures, you often won't know until a media firestorm breaks out,...    more   

  • Feb 20, 2013 Ban on Corporate Contributions May Be Eyed by Supreme Court, Lawyers Say    February 20, 2013
    Bloomberg BNA
    by Kenneth Doyle
    The Supreme Court is still considering whether to take up a key case challenging the century-old federal ban on corporate campaign contributions, lawyers familiar with the case said during a Feb. 20 court hearing U.S. v....    more   

  • Feb 19, 2013 Watchdog Group Sues IRS Over Policing Nonprofits    February 19, 2013
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington on Tuesday sued the IRS on the grounds that its regulations governing politically active nonprofit groups flout tax laws, as written. CREW joined with...    more   

  • Feb 15, 2013 Obama Versus Campaign Finance Laws    February 15, 2013
    Huffington Post
    by John Wonderlich
    There's a certain conventional wisdom that President Obama wants stronger campaign finance laws, and to protect our democracy from the corrupting effects of money in politics. It's a story that you should no longer...    more   

  • Feb 14, 2013 Big Corporations Put Up Seed Funding for Republican Dark Money Group    February 14, 2013
    ProPublica
    by Justin Elliott
    Some of the nation’s biggest corporations donated more than a million dollars to launch a Republican nonprofit that went on to play a key role in recent political fights. Like the nonprofit groups that poured money into last...    more...  

  • Feb 13, 2013 Increasing Shareholder Success with Environmental and Social Proposals    February 13, 2013
    Corporate Counsel
    by Catherine Dunn
    When investors want a company to change its ways on environmental or social practices, what makes shareholder proposals on these issues fare well, and when do they fall flat? Three characteristics appear to be...    more   

  • Feb 12, 2013 Why Investors Should Favor Political-Spending Disclosures    February 12, 2013
    The Motley Fool
    by M. Joy Hayes
    When 2010's Citizens United ruling expanded the scope of corporate political spending protected by the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court partially justified its argument by stating that investors could hold corporations...    more   

  • Feb 11, 2013 Resolution Seeks Disclosure of Secret Campaign Donations Made Through Nonprofits and Super PACs    February 11, 2013
    ABA Journal
    by Debra Cassens Weiss
    A resolution passed Monday by the ABA House of Delegates calls for disclosure of secret campaign contributions made through nonprofit groups donating money to super PACs. Resolution 110B urges Congress to require groups...    more   

  • Feb 11, 2013 Political Contributions: A Glass Lewis Issue Report    February 11, 2013
    Glass Lewis
    by Jaron Schneider
    For the second year in a row, resolutions related to companies’ political spending were the most common shareholder proposals put forth during the 2012 proxy season. Many of these proposals, particularly those seeking reports...    more   

  • Feb 6, 2013 Privatization Group ACEC Tied to California Dark Money Millions    February 6, 2013
    Talking Points Memo
    by Eric Lach
    An engineering trade organization that advocates for privatizing government work has been tied to the group behind the $11 million dark money donation that prompted a legal showdown in California last fall. The $400,000...    more   

  • Feb 1, 2013 RGA, DGA Reap Riches From Corporate Donors    February 1, 2013
    Center for Public Integrity
    by Michael Beckel
    The dust has barely settled on the 2012 election but the corporation-fueled fundraising engines of the Republican and Democratic governors associations continue to churn. Between late November and the end of...    more   

  • Jan 31, 2013 Can Feds Force Companies to Disclose Political Spending?    January 31, 2013
    Bloomberg Law
    by Lee Pacchia
    See also Jackson's blog http://clsbluesky.law.columbia.edu/2013/01/30/the-case-for-transparency-in-corporate-political-spending/ The SEC is considering a proposal by Robert Jackson, associate professor at Columbia Law School,...    more   

  • Jan 30, 2013 Big Money Gets In On Cabinet Nomination Fights    January 30, 2013
    Los Angeles Times
    by Matea Gold
    As former Sen. Chuck Hagel seeks to fend off critics aiming to derail his confirmation as Defense secretary, he has an incongruous ally: a Pittsburgh philanthropist who made his fortune as one of the world's top horse-race...    more   

  • Jan 28, 2013 Nonprofit Spends Big on Politics Despite IRS Limitation    January 28, 2013
    Center for Public Integrity
    by Michael Beckel
    Last fall, a cadre of wealthy business executives and conservative groups tried to sell California voters on new campaign finance reforms. Couched in lofty rhetoric about the importance of cutting off money...    more   

  • Jan 25, 2013 Barack Obama's New "Grass-Roots" Group Isn't Quite    January 25, 2013
    Politico
    by Kenneth Vogel, Tarini Parti, and Byron Tau
    When President Barack Obama rolled out his new political outfit last week, he and his allies declared it would be powered by grassroots activists and change politics from outside Washington. Not exactly.    more   

  • Jan 23, 2013 Targeting Corporate Political Donations    January 23, 2013
    Minneapolis Star-Tribune
    by Jim Spencer
    Having failed to kill political giving policies at two of Minnesota's biggest corporations last year, investors opposed to contributions of company general funds to candidates and super PACs have hit on a new strategy:...    more   

  • Jan 22, 2013 Corporations Face New Rules on Disclosing Political Donations    January 22, 2013
    The Bergen Record
    by Juliet Fletcher
    Companies seeking state economic development incentives could face new requirements to report on how much they spend on political donations, under a proposal favored by Assembly committee members and sponsored by...    more   

  • Jan 18, 2013 Obama Adopts Secret Cash Strategy    January 18, 2013
    Politico
    by Byron Tau
    When Obama for America relaunches next week as a tax-exempt organization, it will become exactly what Democrats have reviled over the last two years: a massive, powerful force in politics that doesn’t have to reveal anything about the...    more   

  • Jan 17, 2013 Did Tax-Exempt Groups Mislead the IRS on Political Spending    January 17, 2013
    Washington Post
    OF ALL THE groups that pumped hidden money into politics in recent years, the most notable and peculiar included those that claim a “social welfare” purpose and have applied to the Internal Revenue Service for designation as nonprofit and...    more   

  • Jan 16, 2013 Court Opened Door to $933 Million in New Election Spending    January 16, 2013
    Center for Public Integrity
    by Reity O'Brien and Andrea Fuller
    The Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision unleashed nearly $1 billion in new political spending in the 2012 election, with media outlets and a small number of political consulting firms raking...    more   

  • Jan 15, 2013 U.S. Chamber Opposes Proposed SEC Disclosure Rule for Political Contributions    January 15, 2013
    Corporate Counsel
    by Sue Reisinger
    The fight over whether public companies should be forced to reveal their political contributions made through third parties continues to roil on several fronts, with a coalition of 30 business associations opposing the idea...    more   

  • Jan 11, 2013 2012 Campaign Dollars Poured Into Unlimited Accounts    January 11, 2013
    Miami Herald
    by Mary Ellen Klas
    Florida’s sputtering economy did not stop interest groups and donors from spending $306 million this election cycle on state political campaigns, according to final election year tallies released Friday. The number is lower...    more   

  • Jan 8, 2013 Advocates Cheer SEC Consideration of Corporate Disclosure Rule    January 8, 2013
    Los Angeles Times
    by Matea Gold
    A decision by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to consider a new rule this year requiring companies to release information about their political spending has buoyed disclosure advocates, who say such a move could be...    more   

  • Jan 5, 2013 Outside, Secret Money Likely to Flow in 2013    January 5, 2013
    Politico
    by Tarini Parti
    Get ready for what could very well be the most expensive gubernatorial elections ever. As if the national profiles of the expected candidates in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races weren’t enough to draw bundles of cash,...    more   

  • Jan 4, 2013 Microsoft, AT&T Among Corporate Donors to Inauguration    January 4, 2013
    Washington Post
    by T.W. Farnam
    President Obama will have some major corporations such as Microsoft and AT&T to thank for the festivities surrounding his inauguration later this month, according to a list of event donors released Friday evening. Obama...    more   

  • Jan 3, 2013 States Target Politically Active Non-Profits    January 3, 2013
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    Tax-exempt groups that spent hundreds of millions on the 2012 elections without disclosing their donors have stirred no response from federal regulators but have drawn the ire of state officials who are moving aggressively to...    more   

  • Jan 2, 2013 Controversial Dark Money Group Among Five That Told IRS They Would Stay Out of Politics, Then Didn't    January 2, 2013
    ProPublica
    by Kim Barker
    Five conservative dark money groups active in 2012 elections previously told tax regulators that they would not engage in politics, filings obtained from the IRS show. The best known and most controversial of the groups is...    more   

  • Dec 31, 2012 Political Spending Sets New Records During Tumultuous Year    December 31, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    Political spending set new records in 2012, which saw the first presidential election since the Supreme Court’s landmark Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling. Unrestricted super PACs and politically active...    more   

  • Dec 29, 2012 Lawmakers Try to Curb Anonymous Political Donations in California    December 29, 2012
    Los Angeles Times
    by Michael J. Mishak
    State lawmakers are moving to curb anonymous political donations in California after a national election in which nonprofit groups secretly poured hundreds of millions of dollars into campaigns. Legislators have...    more   

  • Dec 28, 2012 Lisa Murkowski, Ron Wyden Propose Campaign Finance Reform    December 28, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Luke Johnson and Paul Blumenthal
    Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) proposed campaign finance reform on Thursday that will seek to walk back the funding possibilities opened up by the Supreme Court's Citizens...    more   

  • Dec 27, 2012 In Montana, Dark Money Helped Democrats Hold a Key Senate Seat    December 27, 2012
    ProPublica
    by Kim Barker
    In the waning days of Montana's hotly contested Senate race, a small outfit called Montana Hunters and Anglers, launched by liberal activists, tried something drastic. It didn't buy ads supporting the incumbent Democrat, Sen. Jon...    more   

  • Dec 18, 2012 Arizona Dark Money Group Gave Lavishly To Other Groups    December 18, 2012
    Talking Points Memo
    by Eric Lach
    The Center to Protect Patient Rights (CPPR), the secretive Arizona dark money group tied to the movement of millions of dollars between political nonprofits, gave almost $15 million in 2011 to a number of groups that spent...    more   

  • Dec 17, 2012 Voluntary Disclosure on Corporate Political Spending Is Not Enough    December 17, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Lucian Bebchuk and Robert Jackson Jr.
    One of the challenges that the Securities and Exchange Commission will face next year is how to address investor concerns about corporate political spending. Shareholders have grown increasingly...    more   

  • Dec 14, 2012 Karl Rove's Dark Money Group Promised IRS It Would Spend 'Limited' Money on Elections    December 14, 2012
    ProPublica
    by Kim Barker
    In a confidential 2010 filing, Crossroads GPS — the dark money group that spent more than $70 million from anonymous donors on the 2012 election — told the Internal Revenue Service that its efforts would focus on public education,...    more   

  • Dec 12, 2012 Mystery Company the Largest Corporate Donor of 2012    December 12, 2012
    USA Today
    by Fredreka Schouten and Christopher Schnaars
    A company created less than two months before Election Day was the largest corporate donor of the 2012 elections and remains shrouded in mystery weeks later. The company, Specialty Group Inc.,...    more   

  • Dec 11, 2012 New York Attorney General Seeks to Expose More Political Donors    December 11, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Nicholas Confessore
    The New York attorney general announced a a far-reaching draft regulation on Wednesday that would force broad public disclosure of millions of dollars in loosely regulated spending on elections and ballot measures...    more   

  • Dec 9, 2012 Big Money Still Had Destructive Role in 2012 Elections    December 9, 2012
    Bloomberg News
    by Albert R. Hunt
    The fears that big money would corrupt the political process in 2012 weren’t realized, the conventional wisdom says. The fat cats, unshackled by U.S. Supreme Court and lower court decisions, weren’t able to buy the presidency...    more   

  • Dec 7, 2012 Last-Minute Mega-Donations Fueled Super PAC Attacks    December 7, 2012
    Center for Public Integrity
    by Michael Beckel
    Billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson gave $1 million to a super PAC active in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race during the campaign’s final days, a fact unknown to voters until long after polls closed. Adelson...    more   

  • Dec 7, 2012 2012 Election Ended With Deluge of Donations and Spending    December 7, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Nicholas Confessore and Derek Willis
    The most expensive general election in history ended with a bang, according to new reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, with both presidential campaigns raising and spending huge...    more   

  • Dec 5, 2012 Rural Law Firm Shields $262 Million in Secret Donations    December 5, 2012
    Bloomberg News
    by Alison Fitzgerald
    About 50 miles west of Washington, in a newly developed zone between the roadside farm stands and the shops that line the Victorian Main Street of tiny Warrenton, Virginia, sits a brick office building that’s emerged as a...    more   

  • Dec 4, 2012 Record Spending in 2012 Elections Could Spur Rules Changes, Experts Say    December 4, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    The $6 billion spending record set in the 2012 elections will soon be outstripped by future campaigns, but it also opens the way for new political money restrictions, a team of election law experts said at the National Press...    more   

  • Dec 3, 2012 Americans for Job Security, A Dark Money Forerunner    December 3, 2012
    Talking Points Memo
    In late October and early November, a dramatic legal battle played out in California between the state’s campaign finance watchdog and a little-known Arizona non-profit named Americans for Responsible Leadership. It began on Oct. 15, when...    more   

  • Nov 29, 2012 Drug Lobby Gave $750,000 to Pro-Hatch Nonprofit in Utah's U.S. Senate Race    November 29, 2012
    Center for Public Integrity
    by Michael Beckel
    When six-term GOP incumbent Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah faced the prospect of a mutiny from conservative activists, his allies within the pharmaceutical industry stepped in to help defend him. New documents...    more   

  • Nov 26, 2012 States Crack Down on Campaigning Nonprofits    November 26, 2012
    Los Angeles Times
    by Matea Gold and Chris Megerian
    Tax-exempt advocacy groups that played an aggressive role in this year's election are coming under increasing scrutiny from state regulators, who are cracking down on organizations seeking to engage in...    more   

  • Nov 24, 2012 A Morning-After Constitutional?    November 24, 2012
    The Economist
    IF, AS the saying goes, “a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged by reality”, then perhaps an advocate of stricter campaign-finance laws is a newly elected congressman or senator who has weathered months of negative ads funded by...    more   

  • Nov 23, 2012 Election Over, Campaign Continues    November 23, 2012
    CBS News
    by Josh Lederman
    The election may be over, but a new campaign is being waged in the nation's capital as lobbyists, advocates and trade groups fight to shape the government's response to the looming fiscal cliff. It's a twist on the usual...    more   

  • Nov 20, 2012 Dark Money Obscures Congress    November 20, 2012
    Salon
    by Mark Schmitt
    It’s been tempting to treat the 2012 election as proof that money in politics doesn’t matter as much as commonly believed, or that Citizens United and the emergence of Super PACs and political non-profits didn’t change things as much...    more   

  • Nov 16, 2012 How the FEC Can Stop the Tidal Wave of Secret Political Cash    November 16, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Trevor Potter
    Don’t blame Citizens United for the worst excesses of this year’s election. Instead, look to the failures of the Federal Election Commission. The Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision — which created a constitutional...    more   

  • Nov 15, 2012 Watchdog Group Files FEC Complaint Against Crossroads GPS    November 15, 2012
    Washington Post
    by T.W. Farnam
    All the votes in the 2012 presidential election have been counted, but one aspect of the race will continue to linger for some time: legal challenges to the way third-party groups spent money during the campaign.    more   

  • Nov 14, 2012 Letting Shareholders Know How Their Money Is Spent    November 14, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Lucian Bebchuk
    The most expensive presidential election in history may be over, and shareholders of public companies are still in the dark about whether and how their money was spent on politics. But the Securities and Exchange...    more   

  • Nov 13, 2012 Bipartisan Group Pitches Overhaul of Political Money System    November 13, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    A bipartisan coalition that includes campaign reform advocates, academics, business leaders and tea party and Occupy Wall Street activists proposed a sweeping overhaul of the political money system Tuesday. Dubbed the...    more   

  • Nov 12, 2012 Political Spending Triggers Backlash for Mainers    November 12, 2012
    Portland Press Herald
    by John Richardson
    Sally Davis was one of many voters who felt overwhelmed by all the expensive political advertisements leading up to Tuesday's election. So, Davis, a 53-year-old musician and teacher, stood outside the polls on...    more   

  • Nov 11, 2012 Result Won't Limit Campaign Money Any More Than Ruling Did    November 11, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Nicholas Confessore
    When the votes were counted, President Obama’s campaign declared victory over the conservative “super PACs” that had sought to bury him in negative ads and win the White House and the Senate for the Republican...    more   

  • Nov 10, 2012 Private Consultants See Huge Election Profits    November 10, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Dan Eggen and Tom Hamburger
    Some of the biggest winners in the most expensive election in U.S. history weren’t the politicians, but the private consultants who brought in tens of millions of dollars in fees for advertising, fundraising...    more...  

  • Nov 9, 2012 Citizens United Is Still Worth Hating    November 9, 2012
    Slate
    by Eric Posner
    Among the election’s many losers were rich people who spent millions of dollars on donations to super PACs that supported losing Republican candidates. David Weigel says that the rich people wasted their money. Kevin Drum concludes that...    more   

  • Nov 7, 2012 Spending by Independent Groups Had Little Election Impact, Analysis Finds    November 7, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Dan Eggen and T.W. Farnam
    Record spending by independent groups largely defined how the 2012 elections were fought, but the money had no dis­cern­ible impact on the outcome of most contests, according to an early analysis of ballot results...    more   

  • Nov 5, 2012 Election's Biggest Corporate Donor an Enigma with $5.3 Million in Contributions    November 5, 2012
    NBC News
    by Michael Beckel and Reity O'Brien
    The biggest corporate contributor in the 2012 election so far doesn’t appear to make anything — other than very large contributions to a conservative super PAC. Specialty Group Inc., of Knoxville, Tenn., donated...    more   

  • Nov 4, 2012 The New Normal: $9 Million for a Rural House Seat    November 4, 2012
    Politico
    by Kenneth Vogel
    Mike McIntyre’s first congressional race in 1996 cost $450,000, which he got mostly from friends, neighbors and a loan. Then came the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision. Just two years later, nearly $9 million has been...    more   

  • Nov 2, 2012 Outside Groups Spend Over $500 Million in October    November 2, 2012
    Politico
    by Dave Levinthal
    More than half a billion dollars. That’s the monster mountain of money outside political groups collectively spent in October to fill the nation’s airwaves, scorch your phone lines and flood your mailbox with flyers that directly...    more   

  • Nov 1, 2012 Supreme Court's Theory of 'Independent' Outside Money Is No Longer Operative    November 1, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Taylor Lincoln
    The final numbers are not in yet, but we already have more than enough information to make one call in the 2012 elections: The U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission decision can be deemed a...    more   

  • Oct 31, 2012 California House Races Attracting Record Spending    October 31, 2012
    San Francisco Chronicle
    by Garance Burke and Michael R. Blood
    California, once an afterthought in the battle for control of Congress, has become a top target for deep-pocketed political action committees and other groups in an all-out effort to win districts...    more   

  • Oct 31, 2012 Lessons Learned From First Post-Citizens United Presidential Race    October 31, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    With its unrestricted super PACs, wealthy mega-donors, secret money and more than $6 billion projected price tag, this election cycle boasts more unfettered campaign spending than any in recent memory. This sea change comes...    more   

  • Oct 28, 2012 Activists Pour Cash Into Voter Turnout    October 28, 2012
    Wall Street Journal
    by Brody Mullins
    In a tight election where voter turnout could be crucial, a new force is sending people door to door to try to get conservatives to the polls. Conservative groups, most notably Americans for Prosperity, are spending...    more   

  • Oct 27, 2012 October Surprise: Shadowy Conservative Groups Dominate Outside Spending    October 27, 2012
    The Daily Beast
    by John Avlon
    The Super-PAC October Surprise is here with unprecedented negative spending – and an overwhelming advantage for conservative shadow money groups flooding the airwaves against Democratic candidates.    more   

  • Oct 25, 2012 Poll: Majority Wants Corporate Money Out of Politics    October 25, 2012
    The Hill
    by Jordy Yager
    Nearly 90 percent of people in the United States say there is too much corporate money in politics, according to a new poll from a collection of watchdog and public interest groups. The poll, released Thursday by the Corporate...    more   

  • Oct 25, 2012 Arizona Dark Money Group Spends Millions in California    October 25, 2012
    Talking Points Memo
    by Eric Lach
    A political group tied to a handful of mostly small-time Arizona Republicans has made a splash in California, by dropping $11 million into the fight over a pair of ballot initiatives in the Golden State. The Arizona group,...    more   

  • Oct 24, 2012 Campaign Finance Reform Wins in Montana    October 24, 2012
    Salon
    by Alex Seitz-Wald
    At least for this election cycle, the last shots have been fired in one of the biggest under-the-radar campaign finance battles of the post-Citizens United era — the fight over Montana’s robust campaign finance regime — when the...    more   

  • Oct 23, 2012 Amid Barrage of Attacks, Incumbents Consider Tighter Rules    October 23, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Jennifer Steinhauer and Jonathan Weisman
    An onslaught of negative political advertisements in Congressional races has left many incumbents, including some Republicans long opposed to restrictions on campaign spending, concluding that...    more   

  • Oct 22, 2012 Obscure Nonprofit Threatens Campaign Finance Limits Beyond Montana    October 22, 2012
    Center for Public Integrity
    by Paul Abowd
    Voters haven’t had a clue who is behind American Tradition Partnership — the Colorado-based group pushing to rewrite Montana’s campaign finance laws — and that’s just the way the secretive nonprofit wants it. A...    more   

  • Oct 21, 2012 Outside Groups Changing the Political Game for Good    October 21, 2012
    Los Angeles Times
    by Matea Gold
    No matter what happens on election day, it's already clear the 2012 campaign has ushered in a new political order. "Super PACs" and tax-exempt advocacy groups — on track to spend roughly $1 billion on federal races, an...    more   

  • Oct 20, 2012 The $1 Billion Presidential Campaign    October 20, 2012
    CBS News
    by Phil Hirschkorn
    This year's presidential campaigns are on pace to reach a $1 billion in spending, their latest reports to the Federal Election Commission reveal. The potential ten-figure total does not even count what the Democratic or...    more   

  • Oct 18, 2012 Democrats Used Corporate Cash to Pay for Convention, Breaking Vow    October 18, 2012
    Los Angeles Times
    by Matea Gold
    Democratic convention organizers broke their pledge to put on their quadrennial gathering in Charlotte, N.C., this year without corporate donations, using $5 million from a committee financed by companies such as Bank of...    more   

  • Oct 17, 2012 The Campaign Finance Free-for-All: How We Got to This Point    October 17, 2012
    Pro Publica
    by Justin Elliott
    In a forthcoming law review article, Richard Briffault of Columbia Law School argues that the rise of super PACs and unfettered contributions and spending this election cycle are “effectively ending the post-Watergate era of...    more   

  • Oct 15, 2012 The IRS's 'Feeble' Grip on Big Political Cash    October 15, 2012
    Politico
    by Kenneth Vogel and Tarini Parti
    The deep-pocketed conservative group Americans for Prosperity has spent $72 million on ads bashing Democrats so far this year. It spent $39.4 million on ads and organizing in 2010, when it helped deliver the...    more   

  • Oct 13, 2012 John McCain: Citizens United Is 'Worst Decision Ever'... 'Money Is Money', Not Free Speech    October 13, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Nick Wing
    Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) continued his harsh criticism of the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling this week, calling it the bench's "worst decision ever." “They said money is free speech. Since when is money free speech?”...    more   

  • Oct 11, 2012 NJ Companies Forced to Disclose Political Donations Under Legislation    October 11, 2012
    NJ 101.5
    by Kevin McArdle
    In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision rejecting bipartisan efforts to restrict campaign spending by corporations, a New Jersey legislator is introducing legislation to require corporations that receive financial help from...    more   

  • Oct 10, 2012 Appeals Court Reinstates Campaign Finance Limits    October 10, 2012
    Associated Press
    by Matt Gouras
    The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated Montana's campaign donation limits, telling the federal judge who overturned it to outline his full reasoning so the panel can review the case. The court intervened late...    more   

  • Oct 9, 2012 Casino Ad Blitz Sets Maryland Political Spending Record    October 9, 2012
    Baltimore Sun
    by Michael Dresser
    A new round of spending by Penn National Gaming and MGM Resorts International has pushed the ad war in the referendum over expanded gambling into record territory -- eclipsing the $34 million raised for the 2006 governor's...    more   

  • Oct 5, 2012 The Threat of Dark Money in Our Elections    October 5, 2012
    The Nation
    by Katrina vanden Heuvel
    With Karl Rove’s efforts to oust the president ramping up but still looking likely to come up short, some will be tempted to declare that fears of a dark money election era were overblown. Unfortunately, they couldn’t be...    more   

  • Oct 5, 2012 Canadian-Owned Firm's Mega-Donation to Super PAC Raises 'Legal Red Flags'    October 5, 2012
    Center for Public Integrity
    by Michael Beckel
    A million-dollar donation by a foreign-owned corporation to a Republican super PAC has raised legal concerns and opened up the controversial Citizens United Supreme Court decision to new criticism. Restore Our...    more   

  • Oct 4, 2012 Health Insurance PACs Have Love-Hate Relationship with Health Care Reform    October 4, 2012
    Center for Public Integrity
    by Reity O'Brien
    The health insurance industry presented itself as a key ally of President Barack Obama’s health care law while at the same time making hefty contributions to members of Congress who are trying to get rid of it,...    more   

  • Oct 2, 2012 Shining Light on Corporate Political Spending    October 2, 2012
    Harvard Forum on Corporate Governance
    by Lucian Bebchuk and Robert Jackson Jr.
    In our new paper, Shining Light on Corporate Political Spending, we put forward a comprehensive, empirically-grounded case for SEC rules requiring public companies to disclose...    more   

  • Oct 2, 2012 Shining a Light on Political 'Dark Money'    October 2, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    As secret political spending escalates in the final weeks before Election Day, it's not too early to ask: What can be done to bring "dark money" out from the shadows? Even more than super PACs, secret money may well define...    more   

  • Sep 30, 2012 'Dark Money' Flowing Back to Issue Ads    September 30, 2012
    The Hill
    by Kevin Bogardus
    Some political non-profit groups that don't disclose their donors are redirecting their spending in the wake of a decision that has shaken up campaign finance law. Outside groups such as Americans for Prosperity, Crossroads...    more   

  • Sep 28, 2012 Super Secrets of the Political Nonprofits    September 28, 2012
    U.S. News and World Report
    by Seth Cline
    In this first presidential election of the Citizens United era, spending by outside groups has gone through the roof, as expected. Less expected has been the rise of political 501(c) groups, super PACs' more...    more   

  • Sep 26, 2012 Are Shareholders Happy With Your Company's Public Spending?    September 26, 2012
    Law.com Corporate Counsel Blog
    by Michael Stocker and Matthew Moehlman
    Two years after the U.S. Supreme Court vastly expanded the scope of permissible corporate political spending with Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, evidence is mounting...    more   

  • Sep 21, 2012 Regulators Urged to Crack Down on Donations to Bond Measures    September 21, 2012
    NBC New York
    by Will Evans
    Critics of political donations to school bond campaigns from companies that profit from the bonds are urging federal regulators to take bolder steps against what they call a “pay to play” practice. The California Association...    more   

  • Sep 20, 2012 The New Price of American Politics    September 20, 2012
    The Atlantic
    by James Bennet
    You may be one of those people who believe there is too much money in politics. (Polling suggests there are many such people—­a vast majority of Americans, in fact.) You may believe that the larger the financial contribution,...    more   

  • Sep 18, 2012 Appeals Court Rejects Bid to Demand Full Campaign Finance Disclosure    September 18, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    In a blow to advocates of campaign finance disclosure, a federal appeals court today threw out a lower court's finding that the Federal Election Commission's public reporting rules are at odds with campaign finance law.    more   

  • Sep 17, 2012 Outside Groups Make Up Almost Half of All Presidential Campaign Ads    September 17, 2012
    NBC News
    by Domenico Montanaro
    Outside groups have accounted for almost half of all ad spending during this presidential general election, according to a First Read analysis of data provided by ad-buying firm SMG Delta. Groups supporting the...    more   

  • Sep 13, 2012 Study of US Campaign Ads Finds Growing Role of Outside Groups    September 13, 2012
    Reuters
    by Alina Selyukh
    Unlimited spending driven by Republican groups is responsible for an outsized share of advertising in the 2012 campaign season that feeds the markedly negative stream of ads, according to an academic analysis released on Wednesday.    more   

  • Sep 10, 2012 Campaign Disclosure in the Super PAC Era    September 10, 2012
    Georgetown Public Policy Review
    by Josh Caplan
    Executive Interview Editor Josh Caplan recently spoke with Dr. Lee Drutman of the Sunlight Foundation to talk about the DISCLOSE Act and the role financial transparency in campaigns.    more   

  • Sep 9, 2012 Corporate Contributions and Disclosure    September 9, 2012
    The New York Times
    The Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling in 2010 let loose a flood of unlimited independent spending in political campaigns. It has also inspired a wave of lawsuits seeking to overturn the reasonable campaign finance restrictions that remain...    more   

  • Sep 8, 2012 As Election Nears, Keeping Donors a Secret Is Trickier    September 8, 2012
    NPR
    by Peter Overby
    Some of the groups running ads this election season haven't been required to disclose their donors. But as Election Day draws nearer, some of the rules are changing, making campaign ads a riskier business for those who want to keep...    more   

  • Sep 7, 2012 Full 8th Circuit Backs Minnesota's Corporate Political Donation Ban    September 7, 2012
    Courthouse News Service
    by Cameron Langford
    Minnesota can ban corporations from contributing to political campaigns but its regulation of independent expenditures is unconstitutional, the full 8th Circuit ruled. Unlike direct campaign contributions,...    more   

  • Sep 6, 2012 US Banks Plan Outside Spending Group to Influence Elections    September 6, 2012
    Reuters
    by Alina Selyukh
    A major banking industry trade group is planning a foray into the U.S. elections by creating a tax-exempt organization capable of raising unlimited anonymous funds, the groups' chief operating officer said Wednesday. The board of...    more   

  • Sep 5, 2012 New Campaign to Get SEC to Require Corporate Disclosure    September 5, 2012
    Bloomberg News
    by Jonathan Salant
    A new campaign is beginning in Washington targeting the Securities and Exchange Commission over campaign finance. Yes, that’s the SEC — not the FEC (the Federal Election Commission). The SEC has been asked to...    more   

  • Sep 4, 2012 Corporate Cash Helps Fuel Democratic Convention Despite Pledges    September 4, 2012
    Center for Public Integrity
    by Michael Beckel
    While Democrats have touted their grassroots fundraising efforts for the 2012 Democratic National Convention, deep-pocketed corporate donors are helping underwrite the event. Among the corporate sponsors at...    more   

  • Sep 3, 2012 Ohio Unions Face Tough Battle with Super PACs    September 3, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Monica Davey and Steven Greenhouse
    From a line of cubicles inside a union headquarters here, phone-bank volunteers hunched over laptop computers, improvising into their headsets their own versions of an anti-Mitt Romney script, which...    more   

  • Aug 31, 2012 Inside Karl Rove's Billionaire Fundraiser    August 31, 2012
    Bloomberg Businessweek
    by Sheelah Kolhatkar
    On the final morning of the Republican National Convention, Karl Rove took the stage at the Tampa Club to provide an exclusive breakfast briefing to about 70 of the Republican party’s highest-earning and most...    more   

  • Aug 31, 2012 $119 Million and Counting: Track Groups' Spending on 2012 Race    August 31, 2012
    Los Angeles Times
    by Matea Gold
    "Super PACs" and other outside groups have reported spending more than $119 million on the presidential campaign since Mitt Romney unofficially clinched the Republican nomination in early April, a sum that underscores the...    more   

  • Aug 30, 2012 Never Mind Super PACs: How Big Business Is Buying the Election    August 30, 2012
    The Nation
    by Lee Fang
    On January 27, 2010, one year into his term, President Barack Obama used the occasion of his State of the Union address to issue a warning. The Supreme Court had just opened the “floodgates for special interests—including foreign...    more   

  • Aug 30, 2012 Union Investors Demand Aetna Disclose Political Donations    August 30, 2012
    Bloomberg Businessweek
    by Drew Armstrong
    Aetna Inc. and 19 other companies are being urged to disclose their contributions to independent political organizations by investors including unions and state pension funds with $922 billion in assets.    more   

  • Aug 29, 2012 The Hunt for Behind-Closed-Doors Money    August 29, 2012
    Politico
    by Anna Palmer
    Narc. Snitch. Whistleblower. Tattletale. None of these monikers bothers the Sunlight Foundation’s Keenan Steiner and Liz Bartolomeo. The pair are self-described “party-crashers” for this year’s Republican and Democratic...    more   

  • Aug 28, 2012 Unleashing the Campaign Contributions of Corporations    August 28, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Eduardo Porter
    Way back in February of this year, more than two-thirds of Californians believed raising more money from tobacco companies to finance cancer research was a good idea. That was before industry money kicked in.    more   

  • Aug 25, 2012 For Big Givers, Cash and Clout Arrive Together    August 25, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Nicholas Confessore
    The railway giant CSX, which has spent $2 million this year lobbying on issues like greenhouse-gas regulation and hazardous-waste transportation rules, will park special train cars near the Tampa Bay Times Forum to...    more   

  • Aug 24, 2012 You Are Who You Fund: What Todd Akin Teaches Us About Campaign Contributions    August 24, 2012
    Fast Company
    by Richard Levick
    When we examine the Todd Akin saga from a crisis communications perspective, the lessons are as obvious as they are numerous. Avoid inflammatory messaging. Do what’s necessary to keep allies by your side. Understand that...    more   

  • Aug 23, 2012 Flood of Secret Campaign Cash: It's Not All Citizens United    August 23, 2012
    Pro Publica
    by Stephen Engelberg and Kim Barker
    The emergence of nonprofits as the leading conduit for anonymous spending in this year's presidential campaign is often attributed to the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United ruling, which opened the money...    more   

  • Aug 22, 2012 Super PAC Contributions Top $300 Million, Most Goes to GOP Groups    August 22, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Paul Blumenthal
    The Republican presidential campaign of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan got another boost from big donors in July. Republican super PACs, particularly the pro-Mitt Romney Restore Our Future and the Karl Rove-founded American...    more   

  • Aug 21, 2012 Campaign Contribution Totals Reveal Complex Picture    August 21, 2012
    NPR
    by Peter Overby
    Monday night was the deadline for reporting July's contributions and expenses for the presidential candidates and the superPACS supporting them. While GOP presidential challenger Mitt Romney widened his cash advantage over President Obama,...    more   

  • Aug 19, 2012 How Nonprofits Spend Millions on Elections and Call It Public Welfare    August 19, 2012
    Pro Publica
    by Kim Barker
    Matt Brooks describes the mission of the Republican Jewish Coalition as educating the Jewish community about critical domestic and foreign policy issues. But the well-dressed crowd that gathered in May for a luncheon on the 24th...    more   

  • Aug 17, 2012 Conservative Groups Change Tactics to Keep Donors Secret    August 17, 2012
    Politico
    by Dave Levinthal
    Three of the nation’s most powerful conservative groups have spent more than $30 million on direct political ads since late July, a marked shift in tactics that allows them to keep their donors secret. Americans for Prosperity,...    more   

  • Aug 16, 2012 In Elections, Donor Size Matters    August 16, 2012
    Nonprofit Quarterly
    by Rick Cohen
    This year’s national elections—for members of Congress and the president of the United States—may have relatively less to do with ideas, platforms, and policies than money. In fact, we’re sure of it. Due to Buckley v. Valeo...    more   

  • Aug 15, 2012 Political Ad Spending for US Presidential Election to Reach $2.9B    August 15, 2012
    International Business Times
    by Benjamin Reeves
    Local television ad spending skyrocketed in the second quarter of 2012, largely due to astronomical spending by Republican and Democratic political campaigns and Super PACs. Spending is expected to reach $2.9...    more   

  • Aug 14, 2012 New York's A.G. Probes Nonprofits' Political Spending    August 14, 2012
    Bloomberg Businessweek
    by David Voreacos and David McLaughlin
    New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating whether non-profit groups known to be active in politics are spending more than permitted by tax rules to influence the elections in...    more   

  • Aug 13, 2012 Two Dark Money Groups Outspending All Super PACs Combined    August 13, 2012
    Pro Publica
    by Kim Barker
    Two conservative nonprofits, Crossroads GPS and Americans for Prosperity, have poured almost $60 million into TV ads to influence the presidential race so far, outgunning all super PACs put together, new spending estimates show.    more   

  • Aug 13, 2012 Corporate Shareholders Deserve Equal Rights on Campaign Finance    August 13, 2012
    The Atlantic Wire
    by Benjamin Sachs
    As the 2012 election season rolls forward, campaign cash is taking center stage. And when it comes to money in politics, the debate seems inevitably to end in a fight over the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision. Many...    more   

  • Aug 10, 2012 Unlimited Corporate Money in Fla. Political Races 'Worries Political Scientists'    August 10, 2012
    WFSU
    by Jessica Palombo
    Tuesday’s Florida primary and the upcoming general election in November are the first since the highly controversial Citizens United Supreme Court decision, which removed all limits on how much corporations can spend to help federal...    more   

  • Aug 10, 2012 Super PACs Bring 'Nuclear' Power to Presidential Races    August 10, 2012
    Orange County Register
    by Ronald Campbell
    A television ad airing last week suggested that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney had cost a man his health insurance, leading to the death of the man's wife from cancer. The ad – which brought an...    more   

  • Aug 8, 2012 Drug-makers Fund Birth Control-Cutting Lawmakers, Investors Say    August 8, 2012
    Bloomberg News
    by Jonathan Salant
    Investors that manage about $155 billion in assets have written to four drug companies that market contraception,complaining about their indirect support of U.S. lawmakers who have voted to end federal support for birth control.    more   

  • Aug 8, 2012 Scotts Miracle-Gro Goes Out on a Limb with Political Donation    August 8, 2012
    Washington Post
    by T.W. Farnam
    In an election year filled with secret campaign money, the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has made the unlikely choice to go public with a big political donation. The Ohio-based company, familiar as the producer of a ubiquitous...    more   

  • Aug 7, 2012 Myth of the Small Donor    August 7, 2012
    Politico
    by Kenneth P. Vogel
    Susan Daole last month gave $100 to President Barack Obama because she wanted to fight the flood of million-dollar checks supporting Mitt Romney. “I think my contribution in its own way has just as much worth as the millions...    more   

  • Aug 6, 2012 Guess Who's Profiting Most From Super PACs?    August 6, 2012
    Rolling Stone
    by Tim Dickinson
    Candidates may raise the unprecedented sums of political cash being funneled through Super PACs this year, and media strategists may decide how to spend them – but the people who actually wind up pocketing much of the money are...    more   

  • Aug 5, 2012 Campaign Funding Rules Slide Back to Watergate Era, Says Colby Professor    August 5, 2012
    The Kennebec Journal
    by John Richardson
    Most summers, you wouldn't find Colby College Professor Anthony Corrado in his office, staring at the computer.But this isn't most summers. Corrado is a nationally known expert on money in politics. He is a senior...    more   

  • Aug 3, 2012 FCC Political Ad Database Reveals Little    August 3, 2012
    USA Today
    by Catalina Camia
    The debut of a public database charting political ad buys has revealed … not much. Broadcast TV stations in the top 50 markets are now required to post information about their political ad sales on a Federal Communications...    more   

  • Aug 2, 2012 Small Group Makes Big Dent on Super PAC Individual Donations, Study Says    August 2, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Bill Turque
    It’s no secret that some very rich people support the super PACs and other groups that have inundated the 2012 campaign with unlimited sums of cash. But a study to be released Thursday details the extent to which this kind of...    more   

  • Aug 2, 2012 Estimate: Nearly $6 Billion Will Be Spent on Elections This Cycle    August 2, 2012
    ABC News
    by Chris Moody
    Total political spending on elections this cycle is estimated to reach nearly $6 billion, according to an analysis by the Center for Competitive Politics, a non-partisan group that tracks the influence of money in politics.    more   

  • Aug 1, 2012 Crossroads GPS Tries to Squeak Past Disclosure Window    August 1, 2012
    Los Angeles Times
    by Matea Gold
    A hard-hitting new TV spot by the conservative advocacy group Crossroads GPS is scheduled to air within 30 days before the Democratic National Convention, a buy that should force it to disclose its donors. But the organization...    more   

  • Jul 30, 2012 Super PACs: $125 Million Spent -- And Counting    July 30, 2012
    CBS News
    by Phil Hirschkorn
    With less than 100 days to go in the presidential race, nine single-candidate "super" PACs -- political action committees that can raise and spend unlimited sums on political expression - have spent $125 million advocating and...    more   

  • Jul 29, 2012 Big Campaign Donors Can Remain a Big Secret    July 29, 2012
    Indianapolis Star
    by Jon Murray and Mary Beth Schneider
    A $1 million check given to U.S. Rep. Mike Pence's campaign for governor this spring is fueling questions about influence over Indiana elections.    more   

  • Jul 27, 2012 FEC Says It Will Enforce Nonprofit Disclosure Rules    July 27, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Dan Eggen
    The Federal Election Commission told political advocacy groups Friday that it would enforce new disclosure rules for some nonprofits under a recent court ruling, but many key groups have taken steps to evade the requirements.    more   

  • Jul 26, 2012 Million-Dollar Donation in Indiana Race May Skirt Limits on Corporate Giving    July 26, 2012
    iWatch News
    by Paul Abowd
    The RGA Right Direction PAC is a Washington, D.C.-based super PAC, registered with federal regulators to make independent expenditures supporting or opposing candidates. So what is it doing giving $1 million directly to the Republican...    more   

  • Jul 25, 2012 IRS May Consider Tightening Rules for Nonprofits that Influence Elections    July 25, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Dan Eggen
    Campaign watchdog groups see a glimmer of hope in a new letter from the Internal Revenue Service, which suggests that the agency might consider changes to the rules governing tax exemptions for politically active groups.    more   

  • Jul 24, 2012 State Treasurer Takes on Nike Over Political Contribution Disclosures    July 24, 2012
    Triangle Business Journal
    by Lee Weisbecker
    The North Carolina pension system, which owns 587,813 (class B) shares in athletic apparel giant Nike Inc., wants the Portland-based company to release detailed information on its political contributions. Treasurer...    more   

  • Jul 23, 2012 Citizens United? Don't Worry Your Pretty Heads About It    July 23, 2012
    The New Republic
    by Alec MacGillis
    Everyone loves a good counter-intuitive story, but Washington loves one sort in particular: the kind that assures us all that something we’ve been led to believe was a worrisome problem is, in fact, not all that big a deal...    more   

  • Jul 19, 2012 Campaign Finance After Citizens United Is Worse Than Watergate    July 19, 2012
    Slate
    by Rick Hasen
    How does the brave new world of campaign financing created by the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision stack up against Watergate? The short answer is: Things are even worse now than they were then.    more   

  • Jul 17, 2012 Poll: Most Know Freedom of Speech, Oppose Unlimited Campaign Spending by Corporations, Unions    July 17, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Brett Zongker
    Most Americans know they have a constitutional right to freedom of speech, and for a clear majority, that does not translate into allowing unlimited spending by corporations or labor unions on political campaigns, according to a...    more   

  • Jul 16, 2012 U.S. Voters: Congress Is Selfish About Campaign Finance    July 16, 2012
    The Atlantic
    by Ron Faucheux
    A new nationwide poll finds that 57 percent of American voters think the current system of financing political campaigns doesn't work. No surprise, really. But here's the kicker: 80 percent don't trust Congress to make changes.    more   

  • Jul 14, 2012 Super PACs Swamp Unions in Campaign Spending    July 14, 2012
    Washington Examiner
    by Hayley Peterson
    The army of labor organizations that helped President Obama win the White House in 2008 have seen their spending power drop off dramatically since then, not only because of the unions' shrinking membership but because so...    more   

  • Jul 11, 2012 Misleading Data on Outside Spending    July 11, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Jonathan Backer
    A recent article by Jim Geraghty in the National Review purported to debunk the narrative that the Obama campaign is struggling to keep pace with outside groups -- largely, super PACs -- supporting Mitt Romney. Geraghty...    more   

  • Jul 9, 2012 Debate Over Corporate Spending Spans Parallel Universes    July 9, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    Are big corporations taking over American elections? It depends whether you ask liberals or conservatives, who can’t even agree on the basic facts. In the liberal universe, big corporations have swallowed politics. Common...    more   

  • Jul 6, 2012 Are Contributions Limits the Next to Go?    July 6, 2012
    Campaigns and Elections
    by Jeff Brindle
    Another major challenge to campaign finance law has suddenly appeared on the horizon. The latest target: federal contribution limits. The new challenge was filed just three days before the U.S. Supreme Court...    more   

  • Jul 3, 2012 Update on Corporate Political Activity    July 3, 2012
    Harvard Forum on Corporate Governance
    by John Coates
    Corporate politics continue to generate controversy. Recent items of note include (1) the US Supreme Court’s decision to expand the reach of Citizens United in Western Tradition Partnership; (2) the continued...    more   

  • Jun 30, 2012 A Window on Campaign Abuse    June 30, 2012
    The New York Times
    The secret world of undisclosed political contributions is in desperate need of sunlight. Public corporations are giving money in support of political candidates without any accountability to shareholders or consumers. Charities are taking...    more   

  • Jun 27, 2012 Campaign Money Case Could Propel More Deregulation    June 27, 2012
    CBS News
    by Jack Gillum
    If you thought the money race in the presidential campaign was already the Wild West, you haven't seen anything yet. The Supreme Court's decision to uphold limitless political donations from corporations sets the stage for campaigns...    more   

  • Jun 27, 2012 GOP Lawsuit Challenges Campaign Contribution Caps    June 27, 2012
    Washington Post
    by T.W Farnam
    The Republican National Committee filed a lawsuit last week challenging campaign contribution limits set by the federal government, continuing the party’s efforts to dismantle the laws restricting money in political campaigns.    more   

  • Jun 26, 2012 After Winning Right to Spend, Political Groups Fight for Secrecy    June 26, 2012
    Los Angeles Times
    by Joseph Tanfani and Melanie Mason
    During their long campaign to loosen rules on campaign money, conservatives argued that there was a simpler way to prevent corruption: transparency. Get rid of limits on contributions and spending, they...    more   

  • Jun 25, 2012 A Constitutional Amendment to Fix Campaign Finance Can't Pass Congress. But it Could Start a Movement    June 25, 2012
    The New Republic
    by Michael Kazin
    To paraphrase Mark Twain, nearly everybody (everybody except conservative ideologues, of course) complains about rich people and big corporations bankrolling our campaigns, but hardly anybody seems to be doing anything about...    more   

  • Jun 25, 2012 Supreme Court Re-Affirms Citizens United    June 25, 2012
    U.S. News and World Report
    by Seth Cline
    The United States Supreme Court Monday struck down a Montana law that limited outside spending by corporations in elections. The summary reversal means the Court will not reconsider its decision in the Citizens United...    more   

  • Jun 22, 2012 With Elections Awash in Cash, Looking for Culprits    June 22, 2012
    The New York Times
    by John Harwood
    David Axelrod, President Obama’s political strategist, recently invoked a common perception about the 2012 campaign by blaming the Supreme Court for empowering 21st-century “robber barons trying to take over the government.”    more   

  • Jun 21, 2012 U.S. Chamber, GOP Block Election Ad Transparency Bill    June 21, 2012
    iWatch News
    by Rachel Marcus
    Alexi Giannoulias “can’t be trusted,” the 2010 election ad said. His family’s bank loaned money to mobsters, he accepted an illegal tax break and he even squandered money that families were saving for college.    more   

  • Jun 20, 2012 More Compliance Seen for Politically Active Nonprofits    June 20, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    Nonprofit groups that spend big money on campaign-style ads will face growing pressure to comply with tax and campaign finance laws in the wake of a federal court ruling last month, Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said in a speech...    more   

  • Jun 18, 2012 Nonprofits Outspent Super PACs in 2010, Trend May Continue    June 18, 2012
    iWatch News
    by Michael Beckel
    While super PACs were cast as the big, bad wolves during the last election, the groups were outspent by “social welfare” organizations by a 3-2 margin, a trend that may continue amid reports that major donors are giving tens of...    more   

  • Jun 16, 2012 Post-Watergate Campaign Finance Limits Undercut by Changes    June 16, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Dan Eggen
    The money poured into Richard M. Nixon’s reelection campaign from all corners: Six-figure checks flown by corporate jet from Texas; bundles of payments handed over at an Illinois game preserve; a battered brown attaché case stuffed...    more   

  • Jun 15, 2012 Oops! Aetna Discloses Political Donations    June 15, 2012
    CNN Money
    by Charles Riley
    Insurance giant Aetna inadvertently disclosed more than $7 million in donations to conservative political groups in a regulatory filing made earlier this year, according to a Washington-based advocacy group.    more   

  • Jun 14, 2012 Chamber Democratic Attack Ads Outpacing Political Parties    June 14, 2012
    Bloomberg News
    by Heidi Przybyla
    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s advertising is outpacing both political parties in close Senate races, adding volume to attack ads -- some of which have been questioned by fact-checkers -- being aired against Democrats.    more   

  • Jun 14, 2012 Corporate Cas in State Elections Gets U.S. High Court Scrutiny    June 14, 2012
    BusinessWeek
    by Julie Bykowicz
    The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to reopen the debate over a 2010 ruling that unleashed super-PACs and left federal elections awash in money from big spenders.    more   

  • Jun 13, 2012 Activists Target Boardrooms in Push to Limit Citizens United    June 13, 2012
    Talking Points Memo
    by Benjy Sarlin
    Activists hoping to stanch the flow of outside cash into political campaigns are bypassing Congress and making a new appeal: to donors’ bottom lines. Resigned to the fact that legislative checks on spending are a pipe...    more   

  • Jun 12, 2012 Corporate Political Efforts Don't Guarantee Returns: Study    June 12, 2012
    Reuters
    by Alina Selyukh
    Despite a popular belief that spending on lobbyists and political gifts yield fat dividends for business, a study has found just the opposite - that in general higher corporate spending in Washington is linked to worse market performance.    more   

  • Jun 11, 2012 Outside Spending: The Big Picture (So Far)    June 11, 2012
    Open Secrets Blog
    by Bob Biersack
    Mitt Romney wrapped up the Republican presidential nomination with a good bit of help from Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting him. But just how big a role has outside spending overall played in the election so far?    more   

  • Jun 10, 2012 Super PACs Often Personal Campaign Fundraising Affairs    June 10, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Dan Eggen
    The Committee to Elect an Effective Valley Congressman has one particular congressman in mind: Howard L. Berman, a 15-term California Democrat who is struggling to hold on to his redistricted San Fernando Valley seat. The...    more   

  • Jun 7, 2012 Once-Reticent Investors Join Shareholder Revolts    June 7, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Ben Protess and Katherine Reynolds Lewis
    Every spring, corporate chieftains and their boards squash uprisings from a familiar batch of pugnacious investors, a ritual that shields many companies from major change. This proxy season was...    more   

  • Jun 6, 2012 In the Age of Super PACs, Campaign Dollars Are Becoming Harder to Trace    June 6, 2012
    The Christian Science Monitor
    by Robert Reich
    JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, BP, Chevron, WalMart, and billionaires Charles and David Koch are launching a multi-million dollar TV ad buy Tuesday blasting President Obama over the national debt. Actually, I...    more   

  • Jun 6, 2012 Institutional Investors Demand Disclosure on Companies' Political Spending    June 6, 2012
    Institutional Investor
    by Katie Gilbert
    On January 21, 2010, the day the Supreme Court delivered its landmark decision on Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission that it would overturn most of a century’s worth of regulations on corporate political...    more   

  • Jun 3, 2012 Mining for Influence in Montana    June 3, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Brian Schweitzer
    IN Montana’s frontier days, we learned a hard lesson about money in politics, one that’s shaped our campaign-finance laws for a century and made our political system one of the country’s most transparent.    more   

  • Jun 1, 2012 Worried About 'Intimidation', U.S. Chamber Lobbies for More Campaign Secrecy    June 1, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Robert Weissman
    Well, the big business guys are transparent about one thing: They can't stand the idea of the public holding them to account for their attempts to buy elections and influence policy, or even that they be prevented from...    more   

  • May 31, 2012 Merck, Pfizer Back Lawmakers Who Oppose Company Products    May 31, 2012
    Bloomberg News
    by Jonathan Salant
    There was plenty of debate about the new health-care law in the 2010 congressional elections while little, if any, on birth control. Today, the drug industry’s trade group is finding that it helped elect Republican lawmakers...    more   

  • May 30, 2012 Corporate Donations Compete With Climate Stance, Group Says    May 30, 2012
    Bloomberg Businessweek
    by Jim Snyder
    Companies that express concern about global climate change are more likely to donate to campaigns of U.S. lawmakers who oppose caps on carbon dioxide than to supporters of emission curbs, according to a study.    more   

  • May 30, 2012 Chamber Says It Will Evade Disclosure by Tweaking Ads    May 30, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Dan Eggen
    Watchdog groups cheered a federal court ruling earlier this year aimed at revealing the secret donors behind many political interest groups, calling it a bold step in favor of disclosure.    more   

  • May 29, 2012 New Disclosure Rules for Political Ads Could Take Months    May 29, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Justin Elliott
    After years of consideration, the Federal Communications Commission finally voted last month to require broadcasters to post online political ad data currently kept only on paper at the stations. Yet it's unclear when the data...    more   

  • May 28, 2012 End of the Charade    May 28, 2012
    The New York Times
    The airwaves are already filled with blaring political attacks masquerading as “issue ads,” such as the one in Missouri in the United States Senate race that ends with: “Call Claire McCaskill. Tell her Missouri doesn’t need government-run health...    more   

  • May 28, 2012 $55 Million for Conservative Campaigns - But Where Did It Come From?    May 28, 2012
    Los Angeles Times
    by Matea Gold and Joseph Tanfani
    The financial firepower that fueled the rise of a network of conservative advocacy groups now pummeling Democrats with television ads can be traced, in part, to Box 72465 in the Boulder Hills post office, on a...    more   

  • May 24, 2012 Most Americans Think Campaign Money Aids the Rich    May 24, 2012
    Reuters
    by Patricia Zengerle
    Most Americans, no matter what their political party, believe there is too much money in politics and reject the idea that people should be allowed to spend what they want, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Thursday. Seventy-five...    more   

  • May 23, 2012 Contribution Clarity    May 23, 2012
    Corporate Responsibility Magazine
    by Dan Bross and Trevor Potter
    Corporate participation in the public policy process is beneficial to free and democratic societies, as well as providing a means of appropriately enhancing shareholder value through improved...    more   

  • May 22, 2012 Political Spending in the Boardroom: The Role of Boards and Shareholders    May 22, 2012
    Gibson Dunn
       more   

  • May 21, 2012 An Investor Perspective: WellPoint's Political Disclosure Controversy    May 21, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Jack Ucciferri
    On May 16, Dow Jones Newswires ran an article titled "Push For More WellPoint Political Disclosure Falls Short." And while it is true that WellPoint shareholders rejected my firm's call for more disclosure about the health...    more   

  • May 21, 2012 Chamber of Commerce: We Won't Disclose Donors    May 21, 2012
    Politico
    by Anna Palmer
    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is not backing down on its promise to engage in the most aggressive campaign operation in its 100 year history, despite a recent court decision that would require disclosure of secret donors behind issue ads....    more   

  • May 20, 2012 22 States Back Montana's Fight Against Corporate Campaign Spending    May 20, 2012
    Missoulian
    by Matt Gouras
    Twenty-two states and the District of Columbia are backing Montana in its fight to prevent the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision from being used to strike down state laws restricting corporate campaign spending. The...    more   

  • May 18, 2012 Political Advocacy Piques Shareholders' Interest    May 18, 2012
    Chicago Tribune
    by Ameet Sachdev
    In this presidential election year, shareholders are increasingly curious about the political agendas of public companies. Investors filed more than 100 resolutions this year asking companies to disclose what they spend on...    more   

  • May 16, 2012 Protesters Seeking More Political Disclosure Disrupt Insurer WellPoint's Annual Meeting    May 16, 2012
    Washington Post
    WellPoint Inc. shareholders rejected a call for more disclosure about the health insurer’s political contributions Wednesday during a shout-filled, contentious annual meeting. Union representatives and other protesters repeatedly interrupted...    more   

  • May 16, 2012 New Corporate Foe: The Shame Lobby    May 16, 2012
    Politico
    by Anna Palmer and Robin Bravender
    Corporations have a new foe to watch: the shame lobby. Consumer activists and others have chalked up a string of stunning victories recently that would have been unthinkable even just a few years ago.    more   

  • May 14, 2012 Money Unlimited    May 14, 2012
    The New Yorker
    by Jeffrey Toobin
    When Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission was first argued before the Supreme Court, on March 24, 2009, it seemed like a case of modest importance. The issue before the Justices was a narrow one. The McCain-Feingold...    more   

  • May 13, 2012 2012 Election Drowning in Secret Money    May 13, 2012
    United Press International
    by Michael Kirkland
    The 2012 elections are awash in secret money, with donors accountable to no one, while the national media sleeps and few voters seem to care. If money has an impact in U.S. elections, the race for the White...    more   

  • May 10, 2012 Super PAC Spending Teeters at $100 Million Mark    May 10, 2012
    OpenSecrets.org
    by Russ Choma
    Expenditures by super PACs were expected to hit the $100 million mark today, further proof that outside spending will far outstrip anything seen in previous election cycles.    more   

  • May 9, 2012 Campaign Finance Bill Targets Nonprofits    May 9, 2012
    New Hampshire Union Leader
    by Ted Siefer
    The Senate is set to vote today on a bill that would require nonprofit organizations and other groups to report the money they spend on state and national political races. Both liberal and conservative-oriented groups...    more   

  • May 7, 2012 Shareholders United    May 7, 2012
    The Daily Beast
    by Rob Cox
    It’s worrying to think that shareholder democracy is needed to rectify shortcomings in the real thing, yet this week two of the nation’s biggest corporations will give their investors precisely that opportunity. Motions on the ballots...    more   

  • May 5, 2012 'Super PAC' Rethinks Certain Donations    May 5, 2012
    Miami Herald
    by Matea Gold
    Anxiety about the effect of a ban on political spending by federal contractors is prompting new caution by a company connected to such donations and a "super PAC" that accepted them.    more   

  • May 4, 2012 Show Me the Money    May 4, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Bob Burnett
    Six months before the November 6th presidential election, Barack Obama leads Mitt Romney by three percentage points. The most common explanation for the closeness of a race that should be Obama's to lose is the weak economy. Another...    more   

  • May 2, 2012 Cracks in Citizens United    May 2, 2012
    California Lawyer
    by Thomas Brom
    Last December, Second Circuit Judge Guido Calabresi opened his concurring opinion upholding limits on local campaign contributions in New York City by citing the New Testament. Luke 21:1-4 recounts Jesus's parable of the rich...    more   

  • May 1, 2012 Conservative Group Seeks FEC Approval to Keep Donors Secret    May 1, 2012
    Chicago Tribune
    by Matea Gold
    A conservative group that plans to run a barrage of television ads attacking President Obama has asked the Federal Election Commission if it can avoid disclosing its donors by not naming him explicitly in its commercials.    more   

  • Apr 30, 2012 Study: Big Corporate Donors Are Bad Investments    April 30, 2012
    Time
    by Gary Belsky
    How about this for a new investing strategy: Avoid the stock of companies that make big political contributions. The more they give, it seems, the worse their share prices perform.    more   

  • Apr 26, 2012 Corporate Campaign Contributions Show Some Industries Giving Up Appearance of Bipartisanship    April 26, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Dan Froomkin
    Money traditionally follows power in the nation's capital. As a result, corporate campaign contributions have historically been split among incumbents of both political parties, with a decided advantage for whichever controls...    more   

  • Apr 24, 2012 Most Independent Ads for 2012 Election Are From Groups That Don't Disclose Donors    April 24, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Dan Eggen
    Nearly all of the independent advertising being aired for the 2012 general-election campaign has come from interest groups that do not disclose their donors, suggesting that much of the political spending over the next six months...    more   

  • Apr 22, 2012 Reports Show Hard-to-Track Donors Dominate Outside Giving    April 22, 2012
    USA Today
    by Fredreka Schouten and Christopher Schnaars
    Millions of dollars flowing to independent political groups dominating this year's presidential and congressional contests have come from mystery and hard-to-find donors, newly filed campaign reports show.    more   

  • Apr 21, 2012 Vast Mexico Bribery Case Hushed Up by Wal-Mart    April 21, 2012
    The New York Times
    by David Barstow
    In September 2005, a senior Wal-Mart lawyer received an alarming e-mail from a former executive at the company’s largest foreign subsidiary, Wal-Mart de Mexico. In the e-mail and follow-up conversations, the former executive...    more   

  • Apr 20, 2012 Investors Want Disclosure of Corporate Political Contributions and Lobbying Expenditures    April 20, 2012
    Forbes
    by Christopher Skroupa
    The U.S. Supreme Court has brought front and center the debate on the role of the public corporation in our democracy with its recent decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.    more   

  • Apr 17, 2012 Secret Donors Pour Millions of Dollars Into Crossroads GPS    April 17, 2012
    Los Angeles Times
    by Matea Gold
    Crossroads GPS, a conservative nonprofit group that is one of the most prominent critics of President Obama, raised nearly $77 million in its first 19 months from a small cadre of secret donors, including two dozen who wrote...    more   

  • Apr 15, 2012 A Surprisingly Effective New Path to Neutralizing the Political Influence of Big Business    April 15, 2012
    The New Republic
    by Mark Schmitt
    Every four or five years, it seems, progressives and the media discover ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, anew. I’m old enough that the latest “OMG!” reaction to the existence of the conservative legislative...    more   

  • Apr 13, 2012 Corporations Under Pressure on Political Spending    April 13, 2012
    USA Today
    by Fredreka Schouten and Martha T. Moore
    American companies are discovering the perils of politics as activists and public pension fund officials apply new pressure on corporations to disclose their political spending — or cease it entirely....    more   

  • Apr 13, 2012 Mystery Donor Gives $10 Million to Crossroads GPS Group to Run Anti-Obama Ads    April 13, 2012
    Washington Post
    by T.W. Farnam
    An anonymous donor gave $10 million late last year to run ads attacking President Obama and Democratic policies, escalating the money race that is defining the 2012 presidential campaign. And in the new, free-wheeling environment...    more   

  • Apr 12, 2012 Ban on Political Ads on Public TV Struck Down    April 12, 2012
    Reuters
    by Jonathan Stempel, Terry Baynes, and Jasmin Melvin
    A divided U.S. appeals court struck down a federal ban on political advertising on public TV and radio stations, a decision that could open the public airwaves to a heavy dose of campaign ads leading...    more   

  • Apr 11, 2012 Presidential Election 2012 to Play Out on New Campaign Finance Field    April 11, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Paul Blumenthal
    As Rick Santorum exits the Republican presidential primary campaign stage right and Newt Gingrich wallows in a sea of debt, the general election match-up between President Barack Obama and presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney...    more   

  • Apr 11, 2012 Super PACs Largely Free to Spend Remaining Cash    April 11, 2012
    BusinessWeek
    by Jack Gillum
    When a presidential candidate throws in the towel, what can a "super" PAC that once supported the campaign spend its money on? Pretty much anything it wants.    more   

  • Apr 11, 2012 Montana Pushes Back on High Court Campaign Finance Case    April 11, 2012
    Law.com
    by Marcia Coyle
    By the end of this month, Montana's attorney general will have made his best case to the U.S. Supreme Court against reversing a state court decision upholding Montana's ban on corporate independent campaign expenditures.    more...  

  • Apr 9, 2012 FEC Ruling Leaves Ad Uncertainty    April 9, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    A court ruling rejecting Federal Election Commission disclosure requirements as too lax has left political players unsure how much they need to report about the financing of issue ads, making the agency a battleground in the...    more   

  • Apr 5, 2012 Efforts Broaden to Overturn Citizens United Court Case on Super PACs    April 5, 2012
    The Salt Lake Tribune
    by Cathy Mckitrick
    A coalition of 11 state attorneys general has sent a letter to Congress, urging support for a constitutional amendment to overturn a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows corporations and labor unions to pour unlimited...    more   

  • Apr 4, 2012 Democrats Make Headway in Push for Transparency on 'Issue Ads'    April 4, 2012
    Washington Post
    by T.W. Farnam
    Democrats finally caught a break on their effort to increase regulation of money in politics last week when a federal judge in Washington threw out a loophole in disclosure requirements.    more   

  • Apr 3, 2012 Shareholders Have a Right to Know About Political Contributions    April 3, 2012
    USA Today
    by Drew F. Cohen
    As the 2012 election season heats up, campaigns have been soliciting donations to fuel what many expect to be the most expensive election cycle in U.S. history. Unbridled by the 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United, which...    more   

  • Apr 3, 2012 Super PACs Can Be Thwarted, Even With 'Citizens United'    April 3, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Fred Wertheimer
    Here is the only good news about the super PACs flooding the 2012 presidential race with negative ads funded by huge contributions from the super rich: These vehicles for corruption can be eliminated. Congress can pass...    more   

  • Apr 2, 2012 A Judge Turns on the Light    April 2, 2012
    The New York Times
    A federal judge took an important step toward ending secret donations to big-spending political groups, striking down regulations that permitted some groups to hide their donors. Unfortunately, the ruling probably came too late to flush this...    more   

  • Mar 31, 2012 Koch Brothers, Chamber of Commerce Face Possible Campaign Donation Disclosure After Ruling    March 31, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Paul Blumenthal
    On Friday evening, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a ruling that could begin the process of revealing the identities of secret donors to groups connected to Karl Rove and the Koch brothers.    more   

  • Mar 29, 2012 Outside Political Spending Four Times Greater Than in 2008    March 29, 2012
    The Florida Independent
    by Ashley Lopez
    Super PACs and other outside groups are already spending four times as much money on this upcoming presidential than in 2008, the Sunlight Foundation reports.    more   

  • Mar 28, 2012 Campaign Spending Shows Political Ties, Self-Dealing    March 28, 2012
    ProPublica
    by Kim Barker and Al Shaw
    For an example of the fluidity of campaign finance rules, as well as the tangled web of connections between candidates and super PACs, look no further than the digital consulting firm Targeted Victory.    more   

  • Mar 28, 2012 Beware of the Super-PAC: More Lawmakers Are Fearing an Ad Ambush    March 28, 2012
    The Hill
    by Joe Picard
    The proliferation of super-PACs has come in a presidential election year, and their attacks have mostly been aimed at White House hopefuls. But members of Congress should not rest easy, according to Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.).    more   

  • Mar 27, 2012 McCain Rips Super PACs    March 27, 2012
    The Daily Beast
    by Howard Kurtz
    Any notion that John McCain might be abandoning his longtime crusade for campaign-finance reform vanished on Tuesday as he sprayed a variety of targets, from the Supreme Court to super PACs to his fellow Republicans.    more   

  • Mar 24, 2012 New Arguments Filed in Campaign Finance Case    March 24, 2012
    Great Falls Tribune
    by Matt Gouras
    The Montana attorney general's office filed new arguments Friday in the ongoing court battle over Montana's political spending restrictions, saying the state's ban on corporate campaign contributions is constitutional. The...    more   

  • Mar 24, 2012 Campaign Disclosure Loophole Worries Iowans    March 24, 2012
    Quad-City Times
    by Rod Boshart
    State election watchdogs are worried that a loophole in Iowa’s campaign finance disclosure law, if left unchecked this legislative session, could release a flood of contributions from secret donors. The fear is that nonprofit...    more   

  • Mar 20, 2012 Dialing Up the Dollars: Telecommunications Interests Donated Heavily to NC Lawmakers    March 20, 2012
    Follow the Money
    by Denise Roth Barber
    In the spring of 2011, North Carolina became became 19th state to restrict local governments from building publicly-owned broadband networks. North Carolina's two biggest cable providers, Time Warner Cable and...    more   

  • Mar 20, 2012 Rules of the Game: Bad News for Nation's Nonprofits    March 20, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    In an election that until lately has been dominated by super PACs, politically active nonprofits are the new bad guys, drawing ethics complaints, letters to the IRS and legislative action. That is bad news for the nation’s...    more   

  • Mar 19, 2012 Could Corporations Take Tax Breaks on Political 'Dark Money'?    March 19, 2012
    Pro Publica
    by Justin Elliott
    The Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision opened the way for unlimited corporate spending on politics and has led to the proliferation of nonprofit political groups that do not have to disclose the identities of their...    more   

  • Mar 17, 2012 Post Citizens-United Money May Swamp Congressional Candidates    March 17, 2012
    Huffington Post
    by Dan Froomkin
    Political spending by deep-pocketed donors and cash-rich corporations threatens to sow chaos in this year's congressional races, political consultants warn. A billionaire or corporation writing a check for $1 million -- or...    more   

  • Mar 16, 2012 California Gets Top Marks for Public Disclosure of Political Spending    March 16, 2012
    San Diego Union-Tribune
    by Will Evans
    California has some of the best public disclosure of independent political spending in the country, according to a report released yesterday, but the state ethics watchdog wants to go further. The National Institute on...    more   

  • Mar 16, 2012 Buying a Political Ad? Let a SuperPAC Foot the Bill    March 16, 2012
    NPR
    by Brian Naylor
    There has been one constant throughout the GOP campaign — Mitt Romney and the superPAC that supports him have vastly outspent his rivals. An NPR analysis of various campaign data finds a new trend is now apparent — most of the TV ads...    more   

  • Mar 15, 2012 GOP Super PAC Men Seek to Overturn Donation Limits    March 15, 2012
    iWatch News
    by Michael Beckel
    As unlimited contributions flow into super PACs this year, one man is at the center of a new effort to allow people to donate more money, to more candidates, at the national stage. “I don’t believe government is there to limit...    more   

  • Mar 14, 2012 Since Citizens United, Outside Political Spending in Elections Has Doubled    March 14, 2012
    International Business Times
    by Ashley Portero
    Independent, free-spending "super PACs" have become a troubling but accepted part of the American political landscape since the U.S. Supreme Court opened the door to their formation in 2010....    more   

  • Mar 13, 2012 Poll: Voters Want Super PACs to Be Illegal    March 13, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Chris Cilizza and Aaron Blake
    Nearly seven in 10 registered voters would like super PACs to be illegal, including more than half who feel that way strongly, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.    more   

  • Mar 12, 2012 Congress Moves to Turn Back SOX, Dodd-Frank Compliance    March 12, 2012
    Compliance Week
    Only in the rarified world of Washington could lawmakers push legislation dubbed a “jobs bill” to help small business that actually does almost nothing to help small business—and imposes more risks on investors, and throws more money to Wall Street...    more   

  • Mar 9, 2012 The Numbers Don't Lie    March 9, 2012
    Slate
    by Richard L. Hasen
    Most of what you hear about Citizens United v. FEC is negative. By opening the door for corporations to spend unlimited sums in elections and to allow for the creation of super PACs, the Supreme Court has made a campaign finance system...    more   

  • Mar 8, 2012 Super PACs Ramp Up Spending on Races Where Control of Congress Is at Stake    March 8, 2012
    Bloomberg News
    by Laura Litvan
    Redistricting obliterated his House seat serving central Iowa. Still, Republican Representative Tom Latham has something going for him: a 4-1 cash edge in his re- election race against Democratic Representative Leonard Boswell in...    more   

  • Mar 8, 2012 Corporations Don't Pony Up for Super PACs    March 8, 2012
    Politico
    by Anna Palmer and Abby Phillip
    When super PACs emerged two years ago, critics howled that corporations would take advantage of a newfound tool to flex their muscle in politics. But so far this campaign season, publicly traded companies have shied...    more   

  • Mar 6, 2012 Scrutiny of Political Nonprofits Sets Off Claim of Harassment    March 6, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Jonathan Weisman
    The Internal Revenue Service is caught in an election-year struggle between Democratic lawmakers pressing for a crackdown on nonprofit political groups and conservative organizations accusing the tax agency of conducting a...    more   

  • Mar 5, 2012 Super PACs Target Congressional Races    March 5, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    Super PACs and other unrestricted groups have moved beyond the presidential campaign trail to target key House and Senate races, and Congressional candidates don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Several candidates have asked...    more   

  • Mar 4, 2012 Super Tuesday Ad Spending Nearly Tops $10 Million    March 4, 2012
    Seattle Times
    by Beth Fouhy and Jack Gillum
    The Republican candidates and a few independent groups have spent nearly $10 million on television and radio ads in seven states that vote on Super Tuesday, and more than half of that total comes from the Mitt...    more   

  • Mar 2, 2012 Secret Donors to 'C4s' Play Behind-the-Scenes Politics    March 2, 2012
    Los Angeles Times
    by Michael Hitzik
    There's no mystery about why a business or industry group might be shy about how it spends money on election campaigns. Just ask department store chain Target. In 2010, Target, which had been known for its progressive...    more   

  • Mar 1, 2012 Super PACs, Candidate Blur Line Ahead of November 6    March 1, 2012
    USA Today
    by Fredreka Schouten
    Presidential candidates and the super PACs accepting unlimited donations to help their campaigns cannot coordinate their activity, yet they are sharing consultants, donors and even advertising footage, raising new questions about...    more   

  • Feb 29, 2012 Evil Lurks in Super PACs    February 29, 2012
    Los Angeles Times
    by Steve Lopez
    You and I have been here before, with me recommending something you don't want to hear about, even though it'll be good for you. No, I didn't get another colonoscopy. I'm talking about those three dreaded words: Campaign...    more   

  • Feb 27, 2012 Drug Lobby Gave $9.4 Million to Nonprofits That Spent Big on 2010 Election    February 27, 2012
    iWatch News
    by Michael Beckel
    The drug lobby's trade association was a multimillion-dollar donor to nonprofit groups that were actively working to elect federal candidates during the 2010 election, an iWatch News analysis of documents filed with the...    more   

  • Feb 27, 2012 Corporate Political Spending Tops List of Resolutions in 2012, Report Says    February 27, 2012
    Financial Advisor
    by Jim McConville
    Companies will face a bevvy of social and environmental shareholder resolutions during this year's corporate annual meeting season on topics ranging from corporate political spending and mortgage foreclosures to coal use...    more   

  • Feb 26, 2012 Romney Camp, Super PAC Share High Level Aides    February 26, 2012
    Washington Times
    by Luke Rosiak
    Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign and the super PAC accepting million-dollar contributions to support him are barred by law from coordinating, yet they share many of the same top-level workers, a fact both groups have...    more   

  • Feb 23, 2012 DiNapoli gets three CA-based companies to disclose political donation system    February 23, 2012
    WNYC.org
    by Colby Hamilton
    Not too long before Governor Andrew Cuomo went on Fred Dicker’s radio program to declare “you are either with the special interests or your with the people” on pension reform, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli put out a statement that...    more   

  • Feb 22, 2012 'Super PAC' leaders profit from lack of oversight    February 22, 2012
    Los Angeles Times
    by Melanie Mason and Matea Gold
    The Red White and Blue Fund, a "super PAC" backing the presidential bid of Republican Rick Santorum, paid more than half a million dollars last month to a newly formed direct mail firm. The owner of that...    more   

  • Feb 21, 2012 Super PAC Money Getting More Scrutiny, Complaints    February 21, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum is drawing more scrutiny as his poll numbers rise, and so is the increasingly lucrative super PAC backing the former Pennsylvania Senator.    more   

  • Feb 20, 2012 G.O.P. Campaigns Grow More Dependent on ‘Super PAC’ Aid    February 20, 2012
    The New York Times
    by Nicholas Confessore
    Weeks of intense campaigning in the early nominating states have left the leading Republican presidential candidates increasingly dependent on millions of dollars spent on their behalf by outside “super PACs,”...    more   

  • Feb 17, 2012 Two Justices Suggest Citizens United Ruling Should Be Reconsidered in Montana Case    February 17, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Robert Barnes
    Two Supreme Court justices suggested Friday that the court reconsider its controversial 2010 decision that allowed unlimited corporate and union spending in elections. The suggestion came as the court blocked a Montana...    more   

  • Feb 16, 2012 Super PACs Play Growing Role in Congressional Races    February 16, 2012
    Real Clear Politics
    by Caitlin Huey-Burns
    A press release was recently sent out in Ohio, West Virginia and Montana accusing the recipients' respective Democratic U.S. senators, all of whom are up for re-election, of embracing "the Washington insider...    more   

  • Feb 16, 2012 Campaign Hits Corporation Donation    February 16, 2012
    Politico
    by Anna Palmer
    California utility PG&E’s decision to give money to a super PAC may be a cautionary tale for corporations thinking about ponying up — and to super PACs willing to take the money. PG&E, under scrutiny after a pipeline explosion...    more   

  • Feb 13, 2012 New Mexico Legislature to Congress: Amend Against Citizens United    February 13, 2012
    The Nation
    by John Nichols
    The Constitution of the United States can be amended in two formal ways: from the top down and from the bottom up. But New Mexico legislators have found a third way and, hopefully, other state legislators around the country...    more   

  • Feb 10, 2012 Dueling pledges face off in Montana race    February 10, 2012
    Politico
    by Robin Bravender
    Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg has challenged Sen. Jon Tester to keep all out-of-state money out of their battle for the Senate seat, rejecting an earlier proposal from Tester that sought to limit third-party cash.    more   

  • Feb 9, 2012 Chamber Of Commerce Makes $10 Million Ad Buy for Congressional Races    February 9, 2012
    Talking Points Memo
    by Eric Kleefeld
    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is making a big-time money drop into the 2012 Congressional races, with a big buy of ads across the country. The Chamber’s press release announces ads in 16 states and 40 total media...    more   

  • Feb 8, 2012 Some Super PAC Money    February 8, 2012
    Roll Call
    by Eliza Newlin Carney
    Six of the top 10 super PACs active in the 2012 elections have received money from untraceable sources, including nonprofits and shell corporations, according to a report released today by two progressive advocacy groups.    more   

  • Feb 6, 2012 Secret Money Is Funding More Election Ads    February 6, 2012
    Washington Post
    by Dan Eggen
    More than a third of the advertising tied to the presidential race has been funded by nonprofit groups that will never have to reveal their donors, suggesting that a significant portion of the 2012 elections will be wrapped in a...    more   

  • Feb 3, 2012 With Spotlight on Super PAC Dollars, Nonprofits Escape Scrutiny    February 3, 2012
    Pro Publica
    by Kim Barker, Al Shaw and Ariel Wittenberg
    When super PACs announced their 2011 fundraising numbers earlier this week, it provided an early glimpse into how the new way of financing political campaigns may work in the upcoming election. 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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,” is at the vanguard of political entities that are taking advantage of the new campaign finance landscape in the wake of January’s...    more right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

  • 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 right  

 
   
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