campaign finance

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Cain's Campaign Buys $86K of His Own Books

Campaign paying own foundation for autobiography

(Newser) - Herman Cain’s campaign has spent $86,523 buying copies of the candidate’s autobiography and other books—and it’s buying them from Herman Cain THE New Voice, Cain’s own motivational speaking company. “They are buying my books and my pamphlets,” Cain confirmed for Bloomberg, but...

Bachmann, Gingrich, Huntsman All Broke

Romney, Perry pull in combined $30M in Q3

(Newser) - Campaign reports reveal a GOP presidential field whose members are on vastly different financial footing. While Mitt Romney and Rick Perry raised a combined $30 million in Q3, three of their competitors are deep in debt, WNYC reports. Michele Bachmann raised $3.9 million between July and September, but currently...

Politicians Should Swear Off Wall Street Cash
Politicians Should Swear Off Wall Street Cash
OPINION
Oct 12, 2011 12:33 PM CDT

Politicians Should Swear Off Wall Street Cash

Harold Meyerson says going clean could be deceptively brilliant

(Newser) - Washington is too dysfunctional to pass any laws in response to Occupy Wall Street, but if Democrats want to stand with the protesters, Harold Meyerson has a modest proposal: Refuse all campaign contributions “from the whole financial sector,” he suggests in the Washington Post . “Sign a pledge...

Rick Perry's Texas Donors Living Large

'Los Angeles Times' analysis finds dozens of examples

(Newser) - Rick Perry has raised $102 million as Texas governor over the last 10 years, and $37 million of that comes from just 150 individuals and couples—nearly half of whom have enjoyed business contracts, appointments, or tax breaks under Perry. A Los Angeles Times analysis found dozens of examples, from...

Gingrich Closed Tiffany Account

Sorry, Callista

(Newser) - Newt Gingrich's much-derided interest-free credit line at Tiffany & Co is no more, reports the Washington Post, citing personal finance records that were released today. In May, financial disclosure forms for his wife, Callista, indicated the family had a credit line between $250,000 and $500,000 with the...

Colbert&#39;s PAC Less Silly Than Real Ones
 Colbert's PAC 
 Less Silly Than 
 Real Ones 
Dana Milbank
Jul 1, 2011 1:52 PM CDT

Colbert's PAC Less Silly Than Real Ones

Dana Milbank on just how ridiculous campaign finance is now

(Newser) - Stephen Colbert went to some lengths to create a SuperPAC parodying the nation’s campaign-finance laws. “But there was a flaw in his plan,” writes Dana Milbank in the Washington Post : “The campaign-finance system already is a parody.” Indeed, as ridiculous as Colbert’s unlimited donations...

High Court Strikes Campaign Finance Reform Law

Arizona law violates First Amendment, says ruling

(Newser) - The Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law today in a decision that advocates for stricter campaign finance regulation see as a blow, the National Journal reports. The law allowed the state to give additional subsidies to publicly financed candidates for every dollar their wealthier, privately financed opponents raised over...

Fatcat Obama Bundlers Score Gov't Jobs, Contracts

About 80% of those who gave $500k or more now in administration

(Newser) - President Obama’s White House is packed with his top campaign fundraisers, which probably shouldn’t be too surprising—because mega-bundler Donald Gips was in charge of hiring them, according to a new investigation from iWatch News . Gips, the former head of Level 3 Communications, bundled $500,000 for Obama....

Edwards May Be Nailed by Own Emails

Sources say candidate acknowledged payments to pregnant mistress

(Newser) - Prosecutors possess evidence from John Edwards' own emails that help prove a key part of the case against him and make his decision to opt for a trial instead of a plea bargain look even riskier, sources tell AP . In the emails, Edwards and his former speechwriter, Wendy Button, discuss...

Edwards Scorned Plea Because of Prison

Rolls dice on jury trial once again

(Newser) - The near-certainty of six months behind bars led John Edwards to scotch a plea bargain and take his very significant chances on a jury, reports the News & Observer in a look at the last-minute wrangling that took place behind the scenes. Prosecutors put on the table a deal in...

Edwards Charges Likely Today

Former candidate expected to be indicted or forge plea deal

(Newser) - The two-year federal investigation into John Edwards has reached a critical point and criminal charges against him are expected to be filed today. Edwards' attorney has traveled to North Carolina to meet with prosecutors, and the former Democratic presidential candidate is likely to either be indicted or reach a plea...

Mitt Romney Raises $10M in One Day

Donors hope to intimidate rivals with show of financial muscle

(Newser) - Mitt Romney flexed his financial muscle yesterday, raising $10.25 million in a one-day call-a-thon. “That’s a terrific start,” Romney told reporters, adding, “Actually, it’s more than just a start—it really gives us the boost that we need.” It’s also the kind...

Time to Stem Tide of Special Interest Campaign Cash
Time to Stem Tide of Special Interest Campaign Cash
alan simpson
Apr 25, 2011 12:44 PM CDT

Time to Stem Tide of Special Interest Campaign Cash

Special interest groups 'distort elections': Alan Simpson

(Newser) - In 2010, special interest groups and lobbyists in Washington alone gave nearly $300 million to political candidates—"more than the donations of 32 states combined," notes Alan Simpson, writing for Politico . And 2012 is sure to be worse, unless we do something about it—now. Special interest money...

John Edwards Hires Obama Legal Eagle

Not that he's expecting an indictment or anything...

(Newser) - In case crossing his fingers isn't enough to avoid an indictment, John Edwards has brought in former White House counsel Greg Craig to help convince feds he didn't do anything untoward—or at least illegal—with his campaign funds. "We have consistently said we don't think he violated any...

Clinton Donors Caught Up in Criminal Cases

Four cases, six defendants, $1.1M in contributions

(Newser) - A number of Hillary Clinton’s top fundraisers are now caught up in criminal cases, including Galen Capital Group Chairman William P. Danielczyk Jr., who was indicted last week. There are now four major federal cases involving six defendants who raised a total of more than $1.1 million for...

Bushies Illegally Billed Taxpayer for Political Trips

Office of Special Counsel finds widespread violations

(Newser) - A three-year Office of Special Counsel investigation has found that members of George W. Bush’s administration—including at least seven Cabinet secretaries—campaigned on the taxpayer dime. In the run-up to the 2006 elections, Cabinet members took many politically motivated trips, falsely claiming they were on official business, investigators...

Supreme Court Takes New Campaign-Finance Brouhaha

Arizona law seeks to level playing field

(Newser) - In a potential revisit to Citizens United, the Supreme Court will take on an Arizona law that tries to level the playing field in campaign spending, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Arizona's Citizens Clean Elections Act provides state funding for candidates who agree to a certain spending limit—and more...

Supreme Court Refuses to Hear 'Citizens United' for Nonprofits

Won't consider looser donation rules on PACs

(Newser) - The Supreme Court today declined without comment a case that sought to extend Citizens United's lax spending rules to nonprofits, the Christian Science Monitor reports. SpeechNow.org, a conservative advocacy group, had sued the Federal Election Commission in an attempt to loosen restrictions on political action committees, which it likens...

Dems Slam 'Front Groups'—Then Use Them

Nonprofits' secret donors help fund negative ads

(Newser) - Democrats have hammered Republican “front groups” for paying for negative ads with secret cash—but they themselves are employing a similar maneuver, using money from nonprofits who don’t release their donors’ names to fund their own advertising, reports MSNBC . Dems are thus following Republicans’ lead in using a...

Votes Cost an Average of $7
 Votes Cost an Average of $7 
Oct 28, 2010 2:35 PM CDT

Votes Cost an Average of $7

Though calculations differ

(Newser) - How much does a vote cost? Estimates vary wildly, from $5 to $175, Slate reports in its Explainer column. In 2008, winners spent an average of $1.3 million to win roughly 185,000 votes, meaning each vote cost around $7, while losers spent an average $493,000 for 91,...

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