In the News
Campaigns and Elections: Utah governor signs disclosure bill NRA called ‘dangerous’
By Sean MillerHB 43 could face a court challenge.“It’s one of the worst written bills I’ve ever seen,” David Keating, president of the Center for Competitive Politics (CCP), a conservative advocacy group, recently told C&E. “It’s so bad I can’t imagine a court upholding it.”
CCP
Coordination is Not a Foregone Conclusion
By Sarah LeeThe whole premise presupposes that coordination between candidates and super PACs is a foregone conclusion and that the only thing we’re lacking is better regulation. All we need is better enforcement to deal with a “problem” that there’s very little proof actually exists at this point.
CCP Submits Comments on California Senate Bill that would Silence Corporate Speech
By Sarah LeeCenter for Competitive Politics’ External Relations Director Matt Nese submitted comments today to the California Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee concerning Senate Bill 121, which would require both California corporations and foreign corporations doing business in the state to notify all of their shareholders 24 hours prior to making a political contribution or independent expenditure.
Independent Groups
Washington Post: As Obama begins fundraising swing, campaign finance watchdogs growl
Washington Post: As Obama begins fundraising swing, campaign finance watchdogs growl
By David Nakamura“He’s going to be raising money to try to elect people who he believes share his agenda and his priorities,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said this week.
Politico: Anti-Keystone billionaire rattles Democrats
By Andrew Restuccia and Kenneth P. VogelBOSTON — San Francisco billionaire Tom Steyer is giving Democrats a taste of the divisive, big-spending primary battles that have caused Republicans so much heartburn over the past four years. And he says it’s for their own good.
Roll Call: Evangelicals Ramp Up Immigration Ads
By Eliza Newlin Carney“Previously they’ve heard the extreme voices on this,” said David Fleming, senior pastor of the Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston. “We’re trying to reassure them that there’s a strong middle voice in there that is a conservative voice” in favor of an immigration overhaul.
Candidates, Politicians and Parties
Boston Globe: Mass. GOP files ethics complaint against Markey; Markey campaign says it’s a political ploy
By Wesley Lowery
The state Republican party has filed an ethics complaint against US Representative Edward Markey, the leader in the race for the Democratic nomination in the US Senate special election, alleging he improperly used video recorded at a House committee hearing and in a government building, in two campaign ads.
Read more…
Roll Call: Frequent Congressional Social Media Users Are Outliers
By Emily Cahn “These mediums allow Members to communicate directly with constituents (and others) in a potentially interactive way that is not possible through mail or email,” the study concludes. “For Members and their staff, the ability to collect and transmit real time information to and from constituents could be influential for issue prioritization, policy decisions, or voting behavior.” Read more…
State and Local
Maryland –– Baltimore Sun: Campaign finance reform passes Senate
By Michael DresserAmong other things, the legislation would raise campaign donation limits that haven’t changed in two decades, curb giving through multiple corporate entities to evade those limits, increase reporting requirements and give the State Board of Elections new enforcement powers.
New York –– NY Daily News: If true, state Sen. Malcolm Smith’s scheme to buy Republican mayor ticket may be one of the most boneheaded plots in crooked New York politics
Did they imagine they could simply fix political races by passing tens of thousands of dollars in unmarked envelopes in shadowy meetings?
Virginia –– Washington Post: Virginia’s campaign finance law needs more teeth
EditorialIt’s unseemly. There’s nothing illegal or even highly unusual about corporations spending liberally to gain access to politicians. But the Williams-McDonnell symbiosis casts an unflattering light on Virginia’s anemic disclosure laws, which exempt gifts and donations of any size to a politician’s immediate family. When Mr. Williams paid $15,000 to cover the food at the wedding of Mr. McDonnell’s daughter two years ago, the governor was under no legal obligation to report it. As loopholes go, that’s a whopper; the effect is to encourage secret cash payments masquerading as “gifts” to a politician’s nearest and dearest.
