Super PAC

Super PACs Already Spending Big On State Level Races

Ryan J. Reilly | May 7, 2012, 5:50AM

Six months ahead of the election, super PACs have already spend more than $12 million in congressional races, according to data compiled for TPM by the Center for Responsive Politics.

While super PACs have already had a major impact in the Republican presidential primary, observers expect state-level super PAC spending in Senate and House races to have an even bigger impact than it has in the presidential race. A total of 24 separate races have already received an influx of more than $100,000 in super PAC funds, money with much more potential to swing local races than it does national.

So far, the race for Indiana Sen. Dick Lugar's seat has seen the most super PAC money, with $2.5 million in the race, most of it against the Indiana Republican or in support of his primary opponent. Tea Party Republicans are backing state treasurer Richard Mourdock, and FreedomWorks alone has spent over half a million in the race.

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Super PAC

Romney Super PAC Accepts Legally Dubious Contributions From Federal Contractors

Ryan J. Reilly | March 19, 2012, 12:45PM

Restore Our Future, the "super PAC" supporting Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, doesn't have language on its website warning federal contractors not to make donations but has accepted $890,000 from companies that receive taxpayer money, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The U.S. has had a prohibition on donations from individuals and corporations with federal contracts since 1940, but the question of whether such a ban is constitutional has been up in the air since the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision. The Los Angeles Times reports that other "super PACs" like American Crossroads and Priorities USA Action (which supports President Obama) have warnings on their websites that say federal contractors cannot make donations.

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Mark Block

Accused Of Campaign Finance Violations, Mark Block Named Treasurer Of Herman Cain Super PAC

Ryan J. Reilly | February 27, 2012, 2:40PM

Former Herman Cain chief-of-staff Mark Block, accused of breaking campaign finance laws by having a corporation he founded cover the Cain campaign's early expenses, has been named the treasurer of the Cain "super PAC" Cain Connections.

Federal Election Commission (FEC) records show that Block replaced Anthony Holm as custodian of records and treasurer for Cain Connections on Friday. The group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has a pending complaint with the FEC that alleges Block "personally violated the Federal Election Campaign Act by authorizing the illegal corporate contributions as president of Prosperity USA, and then by accepting the illegal contributions as treasurer of Friends of Herman Cain." Prosperity USA allegedly footed the bill for everything from iPads for Cain staffers to travel costs in the early days fo the campaign.

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Super PAC

The $100K Club: Presidential Super PACs Almost Entirely Funded By Six Figure Contributions (CHART)

Ryan J. Reilly | February 2, 2012, 5:47AM

Mitt Romney

Six major "super PACs" backing former and current Republican presidential candidates were almost entirely funded by massive contributions from individuals and corporations of at least $100,000, according to a TPM analysis of campaign finance data.

Take Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting but totally not coordinating with Mitt Romney: 58 donations of over $100,000 given to the super PAC made up 82.59 percent of its intake during the second half of 2011.

It shouldn't come as much of a shock that big donations as opposed to a large number of small or medium-sized donations are really what matter most to independent expenditure-only political action committees. But the numbers really demonstrate just how little moderate donations -- the kind typically touted by political campaigns proud of their grassroots support -- are playing a part in the new age of unlimited campaign cash.

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Herman Cain

Former New York Post Publisher Funded Herman Cain Super PAC

Ryan J. Reilly | January 26, 2012, 10:50PM

Herman Cain announces 'suspension' of his presidential campaign, in Atlanta, Georgia. December 3, 2011 (Associated Press)

The "super PAC" formed by former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain after he dropped out of the presidential race was fueled by just one $50,000 donation from a top Republican donor who used to own and publish the New York Post, according to a just disclosed Federal Election Commission report.

Peter S. Kalikow is a New York city real estate magnate and the former chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He said he "[hadn't] been [as] excited about a presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan ran in 1980" when he endorsed Cain's presidential campaign last year.

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Stephen Colbert

Blues Harp Player And His Occupy-Inspired Super PAC 'Riding The Coattails' Of Stephen Colbert

Ryan J. Reilly | December 14, 2011, 8:55AM

Updated: Dec. 14, 6:07PM

Why put off till tomorrow what you can do today?

Perhaps that's what individuals seeking to donate to Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert's political action committee Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow will be asking themselves if they stumble upon a newly formed -- and similarly named -- super PAC called Americans For A Better Tomorrow, Today.

There's no actual connection between Colbert's 'super PAC' -- which the comedian has used as a means to sarcastically advocate for fewer restrictions on money in politics -- and Americans For A Better Tomorrow Today, which filed its paperwork with the Federal Election Commission last week. But Todd Bailey, custodian of records and treasurer for the new group, said Colbert had "raised a lot of awareness around the issue" and provided his (mostly anonymous) clients with an opportunity.

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Norm Coleman

Norm Coleman: Let's Just See How This Super PAC Thing Plays Out

Ryan J. Reilly | November 30, 2011, 9:47AM

Former Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN)

Does the introduction of so-called "super PACs" drastically change the political landscape or is it just the next logical step of increasing the impact of money in politics? One person who's not sure: former Republican Senator and current super PAC chairman Norm Coleman.

"So is it a continuum? Is it an ebb and flow? Or is it -- from a little different perspective -- a fundamental paradigm shift in the way American elections are conducted? Because I feel it's a little of that too, even though it's an ebb and flow, because the level of coordination that outside groups can do among themselves but not with candidates and not with parties is pretty incredible," Coleman said at a breakfast with reporters hosted by the Christian Science Monitor on Tuesday.

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Mike Lee

FEC To Tell Mike Lee He Can't Form His Very Own Super PAC

Ryan J. Reilly | November 23, 2011, 5:02PM

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)

The Federal Election Commission is set to tell Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), a member of the Tea Party Caucus, that he can't become the first politician in the country to form his very own "super PAC" during their public meeting next week.

A draft ruling posted by the FEC on Wednesday in response to a request for an advisory opinion Lee filed last month would deny the Utah Republican and his leadership PAC, the Constitutional Conservatives Fund PAC, the ability to create a separate account for unlimited contributions -- or "soft money" -- used to fuel independent expenditure ads.

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Campaign Finance

Post-Citizens United, SEC Should Force Political Disclosure, Report Argues

Susan Crabtree | September 7, 2011, 6:05AM

With the 2012 political money machine now in full post-Labor Day gear, watchdog groups are trying to turn up the pressure on businesses and unions to disclose every dollar they spend on behalf of candidates, even though that kind of transparency isn't required by law.

This is the first presidential campaign after the Supreme Court's Citizen's United decision, which unlocked the floodgates for unlimited corporate and union donations, and the candidates and their supporters are already pushing fundraising to new limits with the creation of the first Super PACs -- super-sized organizations full of unlimited corporate and union cash that is not required to be disclosed to the Federal Election Commission or anyone else.

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PACs

Behold The 'Hybrid PAC': All The Benefits Of A Regular PAC With The 'Super' Bonuses

Ryan J. Reilly | August 25, 2011, 6:15AM

Until now, there's been two kinds of political action committees. There's your classic PAC, capable of making contributions to federal candidates, but which only runs on donations from individual donors capped at $5,000. Than there are "super" PACs, fueled by unlimited donations from corporations and capable of making independent expenditures, but unable to donate directly to candidates.

Now, thanks to a lawsuit against the Federal Election Commission, you can have the best of both worlds with what the campaign finance world has already dubbed a "hybrid PAC." If you're stuck with a regular old PAC, it's super easy to upgrade. All you have to do is open a separate bank account.

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