CCP
Center for Competitive Politics Expands Litigation Team
By Sarah LeeThe Center for Competitive Politics (CCP) today announced the expansion of its legal department with the recent hiring of Anna Mackin and David Silvers and promotion of legal intern Zac Morgan.
Independent groups
The Hill: PACs losing in Ohio
By Markos MoulitsasNo non-presidential candidate has been on the receiving end of more super-PAC sludge than Brown. Yet Brown’s numbers haven’t exactly suffered. In January, the Ohio senator had a polling average, as compiled by Talking Points Memo’s poll tracker, of 46.9 percent (his Republican opponent, Josh Mandel, trailed at 33.2 percent).
National Journal: Gibbs Won’t Back Down on Obama Super PAC Ad
By Matt VasilogambrosRobert Gibbs, a senior advisor to President Obama, refused to criticize an ad by a pro-Obama super PAC that suggested Mitt Romney was responsible in part for a woman’s death.
Contribution Limits
Palm Beach Post: Boca Raton teen wins battle for campaign contribution rights
By Dara KamTALLAHASSEE — A tenacious Boca Raton 17-year-old has helped other kids gain equal footing with adults in the political arena, after a federal judge sided with her and blocked a state law capping political contributions by minors at $100.
Disclosure
Washington Post: Obama campaign app concerns some privacy advocates
By Hayley TsukayamaPresident Obama’s reelection team has taken canvassing to the next technological level, introducing a free iPhone app that maps the location of nearby Democrats, identifying them by first name, last initial and home address.
Candidates and parties
Washington Examiner: Obama quotes super PAC, but his team ‘can’t speak’ to ad that backfires
By Joel GehrkePresident Obama and his campaign revealed their policy on his favorite super PAC today: When his super PAC supporters coin clever phrases, he’ll adopt their joke as his own; when his super PAC supporters blame Mitt Romney for a woman’s death by cancer, then the campaign doesn’t know anything about anything.
Fox: Obama campaign no stranger to steelworker in disputed ad
Further, the Obama campaign certainly is familiar with the story of Soptic, despite claims by top campaign aides that they’re not as they tried to make the case Wednesday that the super PAC ad had nothing to do with the campaign’s work.Soptic appeared in a pair of Obama campaign videos in May which hammered Romney over his former company Bain Capital’s role before GST filed for bankruptcy.
Reuters: Romney and Obama campaigns trade barbs, fight for key states
By Sam Youngman and Jeff MasonDES MOINES/DENVER (Reuters) – President Barack Obama and his Republican rival Mitt Romney traded barbs over welfare and women’s rights from the campaign trail on Wednesday, each seeking an edge in critical states that could tip the November 6 election result.
Real Clear Politics: No end in sight for campaigns’ negative focus
By Scott ConroyBoth presidential candidates and their allies have for months bombarded the airwaves with an escalating series of charges and countercharges, and as any swing state voter with a television set can attest, the onslaught has only picked up during the so-called summer doldrums.
