Overall ad spending has broken $1 billion in federal elections and state governors’ races, with the total number of ads exceeding 2.2 million. According to a new report by the Wesleyan Media Project in partnership with the Center for Responsive Politics, the total number of ads run in House, Senate and gubernatorial races has dropped… Continue Reading
This Center for Responsive Politics report is part of #Money14, a series of independent reports exposing the role of money in American politics. Join us for an event around the fifth anniversary of Citizens United to hear more about the participating organizations’ innovative research and work together for a more inclusive, transparent, and…
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In the sprint to Nov. 4, both parties are heaping mounds of cash on their state affiliates. With this election cycle shaping up to be the most expensive in history in terms of spending on congressional races, some state parties are now raising unprecedented amounts of money. In fickle Alaska, both national parties are leaving no stone unturned and…
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Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn cofounder and noted Silicon Valley investor, cut a $1 million check to MayDay PAC last week according to pre-general election filings. Hoffman’s contribution brings MayDay’s total receipts to $10.3 million. Billing itself the “super PAC to end all super PACs,” the committee’s goal is to curb the influence of money in politics…
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In just 15 months, NextGen Climate Action has grown into one of the mightiest spenders of the midterm election. And with the latest round of pocket money from founder Tom Steyer, it now has $19 million to spend within two weeks of the November 4 election. With his latest gift, Steyer’s contribution to NextGen Climate now exceeds the $50 million…
After spending record amounts on lobbying earlier this year, the troubled National Collegiate Athletic Association is now going the whole nine yards to round up support in Washington. During the second quarter, the association had hired new hands to lobby on its behalf for the first time since 1998. It paid $90,000 to Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, hiring some…
Sean Eldridge is doubling down in his bid to become a congressman. The Hudson Valley transplant, venture capitalist and husband to Facebook cofounder and New Republic publisher Chris Hughes is showing little interest in frugality during his run to unseat Republican Chris Gibson (R-N.Y.) and represent his adopted 19th Congressional District. Eldridge’s campaign spent nearly $2 million dollars during the third…
Lobbying heavyweights reasserted their dominance during the third quarter, as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Realtors built on their already sizable second quarter spending totals and remained Nos. 1 and 2 on the list of top lobbying spenders. The National Association of Realtors — a trade organization boasting more than 1.2 million members…
If you’re seeking reassurance on the Ebola threat, don’t look at the latest lobbying filings. In the third quarter spanning July through September, 17 organizations specifically referred to the hemorrhagic fever — which has already caused more than 4,500 deaths in West Africa and one in the United States — in their lobbying filings. This…
Update 10/29/14: For several reasons, including the fact that we double-counted certain party expenditures, CRP has lowered its projection of the cost of the 2014 elections to $3.67 billion. Please see our updated release. Almost $4 billion will be spent for this year’s midterm election, the Center for Responsive Politics is projecting. That figure makes this year’s…
Anti-abortion super PAC Women Speak Out is making its voice heard in several tight Senate races this cycle. But given its most recent donors, that voice might be a few octaves lower than you might expect. Women Speak Out was founded as an offshoot of the Susan B. Anthony List in 2012, joining the election season fray with an ad narrated by…
Big-dollar donations to outside spending groups in the third quarter appeared to be falling like manna from heaven. Take, for instance, the largess of Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans. He doled out at least $3.5 million to seven different super PACs in the three-month period ending Sept. 30, pumping up their reserves weeks…
Thursday evening, the Koch-affiliated Freedom Partners Action Fund reported making a seven-figure ad buy attacking Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.). With that buy, the North Carolina race passed 2012′s Virginia Senate election to claim the dubious honor of attracting the most-ever outside spending. The $55.7 million spent on the showdown between Hagan and Republican Thom Tillis…
It appears Dave Brat has given up running on a shoestring for a new pair of Air Jordans. The Republican nominee for Virginia’s 7th District congressional seat became a political celebrity overnight by defeating House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a June 10th primary — despite a multimillion dollar fundraising disadvantage. The tea party-supported Brat…
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