
In the media
The Lever: Senators Probe Cash Funneled To Trump IRS Nominee
Issue One Research Director Michael Beckel quoted...
Senior Research Director
Money in Politics | Election Administration
Senior Research Director Michael Beckel is a nationally recognized expert on money in politics and election administration issues.
Beckel has been following money in politics for more than 15 years, including attending the oral arguments of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark campaign finance case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which ushered in a new era of big money in politics. His expertise is regularly cited by media outlets, and for more than a decade, he has trained journalists on how to follow political money and uncover donors to secretive political dark money groups.
Since joining Issue One in March 2017, Beckel has authored and overseen the production of dozens of must-read reports that have generated extensive media coverage on topics including:
He has also spearheaded crosspartisan advocacy efforts on campaign finance transparency issues, including encouraging all Democratic and Republican presidential candidates in 2020 and 2024 to voluntarily reveal information about their elite campaign fundraisers (also known as “bundlers”) and helping win the passage of a bipartisan bill, signed into law by President Trump in 2018, that required Senate candidates to join all other federal candidates in electronically filing their campaign finance reports.
Beckel previously worked as an award-winning journalist for more than a decade, with stints at OpenSecrets, the Center for Public Integrity, Mother Jones, and multiple newspapers in Colorado. He is a 2005 graduate of Colorado College. He currently lives in Colorado, where he enjoys hiking, camping, paddleboarding, and helping with the behind the scenes running of elections as a poll worker.
In the media
Issue One Research Director Michael Beckel quoted...
In the media
Issue One Senior Research Director Michael Beckel quoted...
Reports
President Trump's first 100 days have been focused on consolidating power and sidestepping anti-corruption safeguards....
Introduction The Founding Fathers rejected being ruled by a king. That’s why they crafted a system of government with three co-equal branches. At its core lies the separation of powers:…
Press releases
In the wake of the news that the six-member Federal Election Commission (FEC) — the independent federal agency that acts as the nation’s top civil campaign finance watchdog — has…
Press releases
In the wake of new campaign finance disclosures showing political donors helped former Rep. Billy Long (R-MO), President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the IRS, pay off a six-figure loan,…