Since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision opened the floodgates to unlimited election spending, big-money groups like super PACs and dark money organizations have had an alarming and growing influence. These groups routinely flout anti-corruption laws designed to prevent them from coordinating with candidates. All the while, secretive dark money groups — and even some super PACs — keep their donors hidden, preventing the public from knowing who is trying to curry favor with candidates through their big-money spending. Such secretive groups may even be conduits for foreigners trying to illegally influence U.S. elections.
Issue One Research Director Michael Beckel quoted...
Cites Issue One analysis of PhRMA's contributions to a dark money group...
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Former Republican Congressman and ReFormer Caucus member Jim Leach appeared on Sioux City’s NBC’s affiliate KITV last Friday to address how skyrocketing campaign spending has distorted the process in the…
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In Politico this morning, reporter Ken Vogel makes this disturbing observation about the state of transparency and disclosure in U.S. elections: “Big-money outside groups have spent more than $143 million…
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Montana took a big step in the reform world today by shining a light on money in state politics. Residents can now view state campaign contribution reports immediately after publication,…
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According to data from the Center for Responsive Politics, as reported by the New York Times, one-in-five political ads this election have been financed by untraceable dark money. While the…
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Americans on both sides of the aisle readily point to the excessive power of money in politics as an obstacle that keeps the government from addressing the country’s most pressing…
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New reporting from the Washington Post today explores potential coordination between Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and a super PAC that can take in unlimited donations from the types of…
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California’s campaign finance enforcement agency on Thursday announced new rules governing coordination between campaigns and outside groups making political expenditures. Under the rules, the Sacramento Bee reports, campaigns and independent…
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Check out this great video infographic from the New York Times about how candidates and Super PACs get around anti-coordination laws. What’s the solution to this blatant rulebreaking? For starters,…
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The Internal Revenue Service is unlikely to take steps to shine a light on dark money spending in the run-up to the 2016 elections, the New York Times reports today.…
