Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group

1. Hybrid committee is both Super PAC, traditional PAC

   By Aaron Bycoffe Aug 5, 2011 10:44 a.m.

   A new type of Super PAC has filed registration papers with the Federal Election Commission, saying it plans both to accept unlimited contributions for independent expenditures and, using a separate bank account, to take in limited donations to be used for direct contributions to candidates.

   Read all about it

2. Super PACs raise a combined $26 million in first half of year

   By Aaron Bycoffe Aug 1, 2011 10:27 a.m.

   Six months in to the first full election cycle in which Super PACs will play a role, the groups have combined to raise more than $26 million and are entering the second half of the year with about $23 million on hand.

   Read all about it

3. Sharron Angle's campaign committee is biggest contributor to her Super PAC

   By Aaron Bycoffe Jul 12, 2011 11:07 a.m.

   A Super PAC launched by former U.S. Senate candidate Sharron Angle reported nearly $13,000 in contributions for the first six months of the year, with more than half -- $7,500 -- coming from Angle's campaign committee.

   Read all about it

4. FEC allows candidates to solicit limited contributions for Super PACs

   By Aaron Bycoffe Jun 30, 2011 11:26 a.m.

   The Federal Election Commission voted unanimously Thursday to allow federal candidates and party officials to solicit limited contributions for Super PACs, groups that have changed the campaign-finance landscape in the past year by raising and spending unlimited amounts from indivuals, corporations and labor unions.

   Read all about it

5. FEC set to vote on Super PAC fundraising by candidates

   By Aaron Bycoffe Jun 29, 2011 10:32 a.m.

   Two new draft Advisory Opinions from the FEC's legal staff leave open the possibility that the commission will allow candidates and party officers to raise money — possibly without limits — for Super PACs.

   Read all about it

6. American Crossroads reports contributions of $3.8 million this year

   By Aaron Bycoffe Jun 24, 2011 10:10 a.m.

   American Crossroads, the Republican group that spent more than any other Super PAC in the 2010 elections, has raised $3.8 million since January for the 2012 election cycle, according to a report submitted to the FEC on Thursday.

   Read all about it

7. Plaintiff in Citizens United case forms a Super PAC

   By Aaron Bycoffe Jun 14, 2011 10:52 a.m.

   Citizens United, whose court challenge to rules barring political spending by corporations has led to far-reaching changes in the campaign finance landscape, has formed its own Super PAC, allowing it to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence elections.

   Read all about it

8. A history of discipline in the House

   By Aaron Bycoffe Nov 18, 2010 11:29 a.m.

   According to the Congressional Research Service, 35 members have been censured, reprimanded or expelled in the history of the House of Representatives. Here's a breakdown, according to a 2005 report:

   Read all about it

9. Did outside money pay off?

   By Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group Nov 4, 2010 11:12 a.m.

   More than $400 million in outside money was spent in the general elections for House and Senate this year. Here's a look at the top outside spenders and how much they spent in races where each party won.

   Read all about it

10. Paper trail shows ties between newly registered 'Super PAC,' other groups

    By Aaron Bycoffe Oct 15, 2010 3:14 p.m.

    Earlier this month, Partnership for America's Future filed a letter with the Federal Election Commission declaring that it will take contributions of unlimited amounts and spend them on independent expenditures. According to its website, the organization is "dedicated to supporting efforts designed to elect Republican candidates to office during the 2010 election cycle." In the process, the recently-minted Super PAC is supporting and supported by a web of Republican operatives and institutions that have played an outsized role in the 2010 elections.

    Read all about it

Investigations by Sunlight Foundation reporter Aaron Bycoffe