Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group

1. Sen. Scott Brown's campaign requests FEC approval to buy his book

   By Ryan Sibley Jan 27, 2011 3:36 p.m.

   Republican Senator Scott Brown of Massachussetts wants to thank his campaign donors with a signed copy of his yet to be released autobiography. And in order to do so, he's asked the Federal Election Commission to allow him to buy several thousand of copies of his own book using his campaign committee's funds. 

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2. Diplomats not the only ones aiding Boeing business abroad

   By Ryan Sibley Jan 4, 2011 2:04 p.m.

   Over the weekend the New York Times ran a story highlighting the diplomatic relations used to help Boeing acquire business in foreign nations, but the informal and potentially inappropriate dealings between diplomats and foreign leaders done for Boeing's benefit is not the only thing the U.S. government  does to help the company's bottom line.

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3. RightChange.com Inc. funded by pharmaceutical industry figure

   By Ryan Sibley Oct 28, 2010 9:41 a.m.

   Fred Eshelman, CEO of North Carolina-based Pharmaceutical Product Development, has given $3.38 million to RightChange.com, an organization taking part in the onslaught of outside spending this election cycle, according to documents filed with the IRS. Almost all of the money going to RightChange comes from Eshelman; the organization is a vehicle for him to air his political views, which happen to align with the GOP's. 

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4. Surprise! The National Education Association funds the National Education Association Advocacy Fund

   By Ryan Sibley Oct 27, 2010 2:27 p.m.

   The National Education Association Advocacy Fund, a Super PAC which has spent $4.2 million to influence the 2010 election cycle so far, receives all of it's funding from the National Education Association, a labor union—or a 501c6—and also its parent organization. No individual donors are listed.

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5. Dark money: Super PACs fueled by $97.5 million that can't be traced to donors

   By Ryan Sibley Oct 20, 2010 11:31 a.m.

   Of the $189 million spent so far by Super PACs, non-profits and labor unions to influence the 2010 mid-term elections, $97.5 million has come from groups that do not disclose any donors, an analysis of Federal Election Commission contribution records shows. That is, about 52 percent of the money spent so far on everything from political ads to phone banks to fliers promoting or opposing federal candidates has come from groups that don't disclose the sources of their funds.*   

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6. Dead end disclosure: Super PAC's biggest giver is a shadowy nonprofit with links to Sarah Palin

   By Ryan Sibley Oct 20, 2010 11:29 a.m.

   Citizens for a Working America PAC, a political organization that's spent $250,000 to oppose the reelection of Rep. John Spratt, D-S.C., discloses its contributions to the Federal Election Commission. Its contributor (it has only one) is New Models, a Virginia-based non-profit organized under section 501(c)4 of the Internal Revenue Code, that doesn't disclose its donors.

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7. Contractor Super PAC Alaskans Standing Together backs Murkowski

   By Ryan Sibley Oct 13, 2010 1:46 p.m.

   Alaskans Standing Together, a Super PAC that takes unlimited contributions from any source, raised $805,000 in contributions from nine federal contractors, all of them Alaska Native corporations, and is spending its money—$595,000 so far—to support the state's incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

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8. The DCCC picks up spending as Election Day nears

   By Ryan Sibley Oct 7, 2010 5:18 p.m.

   In just three days, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has spent nearly $7 million in independent expenditures—doubling their spending in this arena to $14 million. On Monday, it was reported that the DCCC had spent only $7 million in IEs for the entire election cycle to support its party's attempt to maintain power in congress. 

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9. 'Grassroots' group grows mainly in offices of D.C. law and PR firms

   By Ryan Sibley Oct 7, 2010 11:54 a.m.

   A political committee called Citizens for Strength and Security Action Fund--usually abbreviated as CSS Action Fund--claims to be active across the country promoting the best solutions to America's problems, but the limited disclosures available about the group suggest that it's a creature of the beltway. The organization, which made its first noise in the 2010 mid-term elections by spending $640,000 supporting Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash in late September, shares a Washington, D.C. address with similar advocacy groups and lists political pros as its main players.*

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10. NRCC spends big, flexes power

    By Ryan Sibley Oct 4, 2010 11:23 a.m.

    The National Republican Congressional Committee reported spending more than $800,000 on one day, Friday Oct. 1, in opposition to 30 Democrats. The NRCC has spent almost $13.7 million in independent expenditures to oppose Democrats so far this election cycle, tops among all groups as of this writing.

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11. Outside groups spending record amounts on mid-term elections

    By Ryan Sibley Sep 23, 2010 12:06 p.m.

    Since January 2010, spending by outside organizations to influence congressional elections totals some $57 million--up more than $20 million from a comparable time period in 2006, the most recent non-presidential election cycle--according to reports collected by the Federal Election Commission. 

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12. AP report highlights lack of disclosure in campaign finance world

    By Ryan Sibley Sep 20, 2010 3:19 p.m.

    A report put out by the Asoociated Press today highlights the lack of disclosure of money spent to influence mid-term elections.  The story highlights the successful fundraising efforts by American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, two Republican-leaning organizations created by top Bush administration advisors, and notes that the two groups raised $14.5 million combined in one 30-day period that ended on Sunday. 

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13. SpeechNow now speaking

    By Ryan Sibley Sep 15, 2010 4:30 p.m.

    The nonprofit group Speechnow.org has finally established itself as an independent expenture-only committee with the Federal Elections Commission. The group waited for two months after the FEC issued advisory opinions clearly stating that groups could organize to make independent expenditures and receive unlimited contributions -- a result Speechnow's win in a federal court case againt the FEC.

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14. More political organizations declare they'll take unlimited funds

    By Ryan Sibley Sep 7, 2010 4:22 p.m.

    In the 6 weeks following an advisory opinion issued by the Federal Elections Commission allowing some political organizations—called independent expenditure-only PACs—to receive unlimited contributions from corporations and labor unions, 23 groups have registered as such. The FEC is anticipating 67 more to do so as well. To see both FEC lists click here.

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Investigations by Sunlight Foundation reporter Ryan Sibley