campaign finance news stories on Newser

22 States Back Montana's Citizens United Challenge

Rob Quinn — Tue, 22 May 2012 07:00:00 CDT

Montana's attorney general is fighting to preserve his state's ability to curb corporate political spending, and almost half of America's states are backing him. Some 22 states and the District of Columbia have filed a brief urging the Supreme Court not to use its Citizens United decision to strike down...

Time to Make Souter Dissent on Citizens United Public

Matt Cantor — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:21:50 CDT

The Supreme Court could soon revisit the issue of campaign finance, and it's time we heard David Souter's opinion on the matter. Souter wrote an unpublished draft dissent against Citizens United, the case that opened the door to super PACs; it was an issue dear to his heart, notes Richard...

John Edwards Trial Begins: What to Watch

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 09:20:05 CDT

It's not a great day for John Edwards: As his trial begins, a CBS News poll finds that just 3% have a favorable view of the former politician, and the New York Post reports that even his romance with Rielle Hunter—who will likely be called to testify—has petered...

Scott Brown Backed by (Gasp!) Yankees Honcho

Kevin Spak — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:08:05 CDT

Scott Brown has a deal with a devil—the devil who wears pinstripes. The Massachusetts senator, who has touted his Red Sox fandom in radio and TV ads, last month got a $2,500 donation from Randy Levine, the president of the New York Yankees, the Boston Herald reports, in...

Broke Gingrich Renting Out Donor List

Evann Gastaldo — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 07:29:48 CDT

Newt Gingrich has reached new levels of desperation: To raise cash, he's started renting out his campaign's donor list for up to $26,000. Gingrich's campaign is $4.5 million in debt, and apparently those $50-a-pop pictures with Newt weren't helping to close the gap. Insiders tell Politico that Gingrich...

Is John Edwards a Criminal?

Kevin Spak — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 07:15:43 CDT

Jury selection begins today in the trial of John Edwards, and if it were a crime to be a sleazeball, he'd be going away for life. But what he's actually charged with—failing to report gifts of almost $1 million, hiding them as campaign contributions, and using them to keep...

Supreme Court Agrees to Reconsider Citizens United

Kevin Spak — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:32:58 CDT

The Supreme Court has agreed to take a case that justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer say will give it a chance to rethink its infamous Citizens United v. FEC decision. The court is being asked to look into a Montana Supreme Court decision stating that its law restricting...

Treasurer 'Fleeced Calif. Dems Out of $7M'

Rob Quinn — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 02:19:00 CDT

The woman California's Democrats once considered their most reliable treasurer scammed dozens of candidates, officeholders, and organizations out of at least $7 million over a decade, prosecutors say. Kinde Durkee—who was dubbed the "Madoff of campaign treasurers" after her arrest in September —is expected to plead guilty this week...

Super PAC Leaders Paying Themselves Handsomely

Kevin Spak — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:29:46 CST

Super PAC leaders have found a great use for all the unbridled cash pouring into their campaigns: paying themselves. The pro-Rick Santorum Red White and Blue Fund may be the most egregious offender; according to the LA Times , it paid $570,000 last month—a third of its total expenditures—...