Candidates, Politicians and Parties
Washington Post: Democratic super PAC hits Sanford as he goes after Colbert Busch
By Sean SullivanThe buy comes as Sanford has taken to the airwaves with his first general election ad, a spot that attacks Colbert Busch for taking money from labor unions. The Hotline reports that Sanford is spending just under $100,000 to air the ad.
By Alex IsenstadtNational Republicans are pulling the plug on Mark Sanford’s suddenly besieged congressional campaign, POLITICO has learned — a potentially fatal blow to the former South Carolina governor’s dramatic comeback bid.Blindsided by news that Sanford’s ex-wife has accused him of trespassing and concluding he has no plausible path to victory, the National Republican Congressional Committee has decided not to spend more money on Sanford’s behalf ahead of the May 7 special election.
State and Local
District of Columbia –– Washington Post: D.C. Council candidate had contract to solicit his 2008 donors for ‘consulting fee’
By Tim Craig
According to a copy of the agreement, which was obtained by The Washington Post, Mara agreed to send fundraising letters on his letterhead to “all of his donors from his 2008 campaign.” Mara, who raised $250,000 from about 550 donors in the 2008 council race, also agreed to accompany DC Progress’s president, Christian Robey, on follow-up visits with his donors.
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By Jeff PatchMurphy’s actions aren’t a violation of campaign finance law because the contributions to Murphy’s congressional campaign fall under federal law (which allows lobbyist contributions to candidates at any time). Murphy, though, must follow Iowa law dealing with his state-level campaign account. His practice clashes with the spirit of Iowa’s law—misguided as it may be—to curb donations from lobbyists to legislatures while the statehouse is open for business. Murphy doesn’t just accept lobbyist contributions: he’s renting office space from his brother’s lobbying firm. Murphy’s brother donated $625 to Murphy’s campaign, including a $125 in-kind contribution for office space, according to Murphy’s quarterly filing with the FEC. Read more…
By BENJAMIN WEISERThe defendants — a former treasurer, Jia Hou, who goes by Jenny; and a former fund-raiser, Xing Wu Pan — “conspired to hide the true sources of campaign contributions and to obtain thousands of dollars in improper matching contributions” from the city, a federal prosecutor, Brian A. Jacobs, said.The case against Ms. Hou and Mr. Pan in Federal District Court in Manhattan grew out of a federal inquiry into Mr. Liu’s campaign finances that began in 2009.
By Richard LockerNASHVILLE — The House of Representative handed its Republican Caucus chairman a rare defeat Wednesday, falling two votes sort of approving his bill to allow insurance companies to make political campaign contributions and increasing campaign contribution limits by corporations to political parties.
The House vote on HB 643 was 48-41 in favor of the bill but that was two votes short of the 50 votes required to pass a bill in the 99-member House. The bill is sponsored by by Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, who argued that the contributions would be reported by the candidates who received them.
By David RaufSenate Bill 346, would require 501(c)4 groups that spend $25,000 or more on politicking to disclose to the public contributors who pony up more than $1,000. Labor unions are exempt. 501(c)4s have become the main target of campaign watchdogs and even the IRS. The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United v the Federal Election Commission allowed for unlimited political spending and opened the door for super PACs.
By Terri HallenbeckMONTPELIER — Did Sen. Peter Galbraith, the former diplomat, make a strategic miscalculation just as his effort to ban corporate campaign contributions was about to pass the Senate?“Possibly,” Galbraith conceded.
