Analysis
Things to Watch Out For: Weakening the Office of Congressional Ethics
You probably remember that the Monday before the 115th Congress was sworn in, in the dead of the night on a holiday, House Republicans tried (and failed) to pass rules…
Analysis
On Friday night, presidential candidates were required to file new campaign finance reports that detailed the money they raised and spent in February — a time before the spread of coronavirus upended the lives of Americans across the country.
Here are some of the most crucial numbers to know from the latest reports.
$2.1 billion: Total amount of money spent by all current and former presidential candidates combined through Feb. 29. President Donald Trump’s campaign alone spent about $160 million. Republicans who challenged Trump combined to spend $2.6 million. And Democratic presidential candidates combined to spend $1.9 billion, with billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spending $875 million.
$678 million: Total spending by presidential candidates in the month of February, when President Donald Trump spent $12 million, and the Democratic presidential candidates combined to spend $666 million. In February, billionaire Democratic presidential candidates Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer respectively spent $466 million and $86 million.
$350 million: Amount of money that small-dollar donors giving $200 or less collectively contributed to Democratic presidential candidates through Feb. 29 — including $65 million in February.
46%: Percentage of the total $755 million raised through Feb. 29 by the Democratic presidential candidates not primarily self-funding that came from small-dollar donors giving $200 or less. In February, such grassroots donors were responsible for 49% of the $130 million raised by the Democratic candidates who were not primarily self-funding their campaigns.
$92 million: Amount of money that small-dollar donors giving $200 or less collectively contributed to Trump’s campaign through Feb. 29 — about 38% of the $240 million he’s raised.
$49 million: Total amount of money spent in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary by outside groups, such as super PACs and dark money groups.
2: Number of super PACs that accounted for more than half of this spending, the pro-Elizabeth Warren Persist PAC (which spent $15 million) and the pro-Joe Biden Unite the Country super PAC (which spent $12 million).
100%: Percentage of spending by the pro-Elizabeth Warren Persist PAC super PAC that occurred before it revealed any of its donors. Because of its late formation in the Democratic primary, the group was not required to disclose its funders until March 20 — more than two weeks after Warren ended her presidential campaign.
11%: Percentage of outside spending in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from dark money groups — a total of $5.2 million, nearly all of it from the Big Tent Project Fund, which has spent $4.8 million opposing Bernie Sanders.
Amisa Ratliff contributed to this report.
Just two super PACs have accounted for 55% of the outside spending in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.
The pro-Elizabeth Warren Persist PAC (which spent $15 million) & the pro-Joe Biden Unite the Country super PAC (which spent $12 million)
h/t @IssueOneReform https://t.co/MuTFuzWFSF
— Michael Beckel (@mjbeckel) March 20, 2020
Analysis
You probably remember that the Monday before the 115th Congress was sworn in, in the dead of the night on a holiday, House Republicans tried (and failed) to pass rules…
Analysis
It’s time to reset our congressional fundraising counter! In July 2016, we launched a counter presenting a rough running estimate of how much time members of Congress collectively spent raising…
Analysis
Today in a wide-ranging interview with the New York Times, President-elect Donald Trump made the spurious claim that, “The law is totally on my side, the president can’t have a…