Campaign Finance
GOP money buoys McCain campaign
Despite accepting $84 million in public financing for his Presidential campaign, John McCain “has found a way to work around these limits. The Republican Party — and not his campaign committee — has paid for more than half of his campaign ads and outspent Obama on television in the first week following the conventions,” reports…
Read MoreLobbyist money flowing freely at convention in Denver
Brian Ross, Rhonda Schwartz and Avni Patel of ABCNews.com report that lobbyist money is flowing freely at the Democratic National Convention despite Barack Obama’s position to ban lobbyist and special interest contributions to his campaign. A spokesman for the Obama campaign stated the drawn out primary prevented Senator Obama from making changes to the handling of…
Read MoreBig donors, bundlers boost Obama’s fundraising
Records show that one-third of Barack Obama’s campaign donors have made donations over $1,000, reports Michael Luo and Christopher Drew of The New York Times. While Obama claimed to forgo public financing due to his lucrative grassroots fundraising from small donors, he has a robust stable of “bundlers” — more than 500 — who have…
Read MoreOil industry donations poured in after McCain’s reversal on drilling
An article by Washington Post reporter Matthew Mosk revealed that the oil industry made large contributions to the McCain campaign in June following his policy statement calling for an end to the federal ban on offshore drilling. “Oil and gas industry executives and employees donated $1.1 million to McCain last month — three-quarters of which…
Read MoreMillions in debt for fraud, Oregon businessman still generous to GOP
Nigel Jaquiss of Willamette Week reported that Craig Berkman, a former Oregon Republican Party chairman, was found in a civil lawsuit to have defrauded some of Portland’s wealthiest investors out of millions of dollars and was ordered to repay $28 million. Despite the lawsuit and ailing personal finances, Berkman continued to give generous political contributions…
Read MoreSupreme Court struck down portion of campaign finance law
Adam Liptak of The New York Times reports that the “millionaire’s amendment” was struck down by the Supreme Court in a 5-to-4 decision on Thursday. “The law at issue in Thursday’s decision imposed special rules in races with candidates who finance their own campaigns. Those candidates are required to disclose more information, and their opponents…
Read MoreNonprofits work to wield influence on 2008 elections
In a joint effort by NPR and the Center for Investigative Reporting, Peter Overby and Will Evans report on the efforts of nonprofits to influence the 2008 elections. “One network of liberal activist groups, Progress Now and its eight affiliates, is trying to shape the debate with a streamlined operation of small staff, low budgets…
Read MoreConventions accept millions in corporate donations
“John McCain, who wrote the law banning corporate donations to the political parties, and Barack Obama, who refuses lobbyist money, will be nominated for president at conventions largely funded by industries whose Washington clout they’ve railed against on the campaign trail.” reports Bloomberg‘s Jonathan D. Salant. The corporate donations undermine both candidate’s interest in curbing…
Read MoreObscure public agency lines pockets of private businesses
Brian Joseph of the Orange County Register investigated the California Statewide Communities Development Authority, a public agency founded to finance “projects of public value.” The agency “issued about $4.2 billion in tax free bonds in 2007, ranking behind only the states of California, Ohio and New York.” Analysis of financial documents showed that much of…
Read MorePAC spends millions on fundraising, little on candidates
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution‘s Cameron McWhirter and Megan Clarke report that former Congressman Bob Barr’s political action committee has raised $4.3 million since 2003 to promote conservative candidates and causes, primarily at the national level. But the PAC gave only $125,200 — about three cents of every dollar raised — to federal candidates and other campaign…
Read More