Sunlight Foundation Reporting Group

Political war profiteers: 20 consulting firms churn 80 percent of super PAC cash

In the three years since the Supreme Court's Jan. 21, 2010 ruling in Citizens United, the super PACs that decision helped to spawn have largely been seen as advertising machines. But an anniversary-eve analysis by the Sunlight Foundation show that they have created a class of super consultants.

Stealthy Wealthy: Donald Sussman, Rep. Pingree make strange bedfellows

In the five or so years since hedge fund manager Donald Sussman and Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, have known each other, the investment tycoon has made his mark in her state, becoming its top political donor in 2012 and a major backer to Democratic super PACs. He's also found ways to bankroll her campaign, while buying a controlling interest in the local papers that cover her district.

House freshmen faring well as incumbents

A vast majority of the freshmen swept into office two years ago on an anti-incumbency tide managed to survive their first reelection as incumbents, and while some appear to have been helped by last-minute infusions of cash from outside spenders, in many cases, independent expenditures don't appear to have made much of a difference.

More than two-thirds of outside spending backed losing candidates

Republican-leaning outside groups got trounced in Tuesday's election results, with the biggest spenders getting little return for their investment. Labor unions had a much better track record, with some directing 75 percent of their money--or more--to winning causes.

Obama campaign falls short of billion dollar goal--by $1.8 million

In the presidential fundraising race, President Obama came out on top, raking in $998.2 million to Mitt Romney's $834.5 million, an advantage of $163.7 million. But the president may need every last penny. Since Friday, outside groups gave $37.5 million to support Romney. The figure for Obama: $2.9 million.

What we learned: 10 lessons from the campaign brought to you by Citizens United

For the candidates, it's all over except for the voting, but for those of us who follow money in politics, it will take months to close the books on what will be the most expensive election in history. Meanwhile, here are a few lessons we learned in the brave new world of unlimited political money:

Chamber of Commerce funding secret but agenda public

One of the biggest “dark money” spenders in next week’s elections is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. But while the Chamber's funding sources may be murky, its aims -- unlike those of some wealthy super PAC donors -- are relatively transparent.

The $50 million couple: Adelsons lap the field of big donors

In a campaign characterized by big donors, casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, stand out. The couple's latest blizzard of political check writing -- which produced more than $15 million of donations to Republican candidates and causes in a one week period this month -- brought their total political contributions for the 2012 cycle to a whopping $52 million.

Corporate, union and nonprofit giving to super PACs tops $167 million

Approximately one-third of the money that super PACs have collected so far in the 2012 campaign come from organizations such as corporations, labor unions and other political committees.

A sketch of the Stealthy Wealthy

Here are some of the donors we've featured so far in our continuing Stealthy Wealthy series. Keep watching for more. Meanwhile, Sunlight will be watching to see what these business people are seeking as a return on their investments.

Republican groups swamping Democrats in outside spending

As the campaign heads into its final weeks, Republican outside interest groups are outspending their Democratic counterparts two-to-one, Federal Election Commission reports tracked this week by Sunlight's Follow the Unlimited Money show. 

One week's outside political spending: $100 million

The weekly total of outside spending has skyrocketed from $26.2 million in the second week of September to more than $102.3 million for the week that ended Thursday.

Twoops! Scott Brown (briefly) hails Elizabeth Warren appointment

Political Ad Sleuth debuts: Track the money behind the campaign ads

Above Las Vegas last week, the air invisibly crackled with attacks and counter-attacks by candidates for a House and a Senate seat -- not to mention President Obama, his rival Mitt Romney and their backers. In Denver, there was a clash of political fronts:  Outside groups like Planned Parenthood and Crossroads GPS competed for airtime with each other, as well as the candidates they are supporting.