Republicans made the most of their fundraising advantage and routed Democrats in Tuesday’s midterms, but they seized the majority in the Senate and built their lead in the House even as fewer donors participated in the process and more of the dollars came from secret sources. Democrats weren’t swamped when it came to the money… Continue Reading
Complaining about about seven-figure donors to gargantuan outside spending groups has become almost as commonplace as griping about the weather. But that doesn’t mean the little guy doesn’t count. OpenSecrets Blog looked at the top 10 senators and House members who received the most money in small donations ($200 and less) as a share of the…
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Outside spending by super PACs and 501(c) groups has outpaced candidate expenditures in a quarter of the Senate races this cycle, and in 17 total congressional races. As outside spending has climbed above the numbers logged in comparable election cycles, so too has the number of races in which outside money has outpaced candidate spending. During…
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It’s official. Today, spending by “dark money” organizations on congressional elections surpassed that of all previous cycles. At $169.2 million so far, money spent by these groups that don’t disclose their donors handily outpaces 2010′s previous record for a midterm election, where dark money spending topped out at $135 million. It even, albeit barely, tops the $168.6 million spent…
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In the San Diego area’s 52nd District, tempers are running high. Republican challenger Carl DeMaio is weathering a second accusation of sexual harassment from a former campaign worker — while the latest polls indicate he is neck-and-neck with incumbent Rep. Scott Peters (D). No wonder then that Peters sought to add some last-minute fuel to…
Republican Chris Day is a longshot to defeat incumbent Democratic Rep. Nita Lowey tomorrow in New York’s 17th Congressional District, but that didn’t stop a conservative super PAC from dropping $24,000 on the race over the weekend for “mobile advertising”. Yes, there’s lots of spending, this cycle and every cycle, on lost causes. What makes this…
Six of the top 10 House candidates drawing money from Wall Street in the 2014 cycle are Republicans, showing the industry is sticking with its recent preference for the GOP. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has received more money in campaign contributions from the securities and investment industry than any other House candidate this cycle.…
Last week the Wesleyan Media Project, along with OpenSecrets.org, released its most recent summary of campaign ad spending in the closest 2014 races. By combining data on specific ad buys with our information about the types of spenders (including how much donor disclosure is available) we were able to clarify the role of outside groups…
These last days of the campaign are when person-to-person contact with voters — the famous “ground game” — is meant to help push candidates over the top. The ground game is the last refuge of every campaign trailing in the polls, since a stellar get-out-the-vote operation can close a deficit in a hurry. This cycle, Democrats, in…
Greg Orman’s detractors in the Kansas Senate race have sought to question his status as an Independent and depict him as a covert liberal. But one thing is certain: he’s independently wealthy. The entrepreneur trying to unseat Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) poured $1 million into his own campaign in October, bringing his self-funding total to…
The incumbent advantage in fundraising is undisputed — so when a challenger brings in the larger haul, that often raises red flags for the sitting lawmaker’s re-election prospects. This cycle, only 10 federal races feature an outraised incumbent. Chalk those up to a variety of scenarios: a scandal-ridden candidate; a wealthy self-funding challenger; shifting political…
This story is cross-posted at TIME.com With just a few days remaining in the first quarter of 2014, Mary Landrieu did something generous: The embattled Democratic senator from Louisiana, herself in the midst of an exceedingly tough re-election race, used her leadership PAC to give $5,000 to the campaign of Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), who…
Yes, more and more money is pouring into the 2014 midterm elections. And yes, secretive organizations are flooding the airwaves with depressingly misleading advertisements. That’s exactly why it’s more important than ever to remember that, while money can influence elections, ultimately it’s voters who decide who to send to Congress. So, get out there and…
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…
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