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Inside spending: super PACs, dark money groups dominated by political insiders
By Bill Allison Jan 23, 2013 9:38 a.m.By suppressing the speech of manifold corporations, both for-profit and nonprofit, the Government prevents their voices and viewpoints from reaching the public and advising voters on which persons or entities are hostile to their interests.
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Who benefited most from dark money in the 2012 election?
By Keenan Steiner Dec 5, 2012 3:42 p.m.Eighteen incoming members of Congress each got more than $1 million in dark money donations during their recent campaigns, but many more have reason to resent the stealthiest of campaign contributions, a Sunlight Foundation analysis has found. Dark money represents campaign contributions whose sources never have to be publicly reported. That's because the money is funneled through non-profit entities organized under a section of the tax code that protects them from having to name their donors. These kind of groups -- such as the pro-GOP Crossroads GPS and the pro-Democrat League of Conservation Voters -- have increased their electoral role in the wake of a series of court rulings that opened the door for unlimited corporate and union spending on campaigns. Nonprofit groups made more than $300 million of such donations during the course of the 2012 election cycle, the vast majority to influence the fall races.
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Karl Rove's super PAC breaks $100 million in spending
By Jacob Fenton Nov 6, 2012 11:02 a.m.American Crossroads, the super PAC run by Karl Rove, has spent more than $100 million.
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What we learned: 10 lessons from the campaign brought to you by Citizens United
By Sunlight Reporting Group Nov 6, 2012 7:45 a.m.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:
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More guns of October: FSA PAC drops $600,000 in final days of election
By Keenan Steiner Nov 1, 2012 2:54 p.m.Another newly formed super PAC, FSA PAC, or Fair Share Action, is dropping late money, this time on the Democrats’ side. The group reported spending $497,000 to buy an ad supporting Obama on the last day of October and more than $119,000 to support Montana Senator Jon Tester.
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The case of the mystery texter
By Lindsay Young Oct 31, 2012 5:30 p.m.This Halloween mystery all began on a dark and stormy night, when unsuspecting phones were attacked by political ads via text message. What made this message so scary is that when people went to “unwrap” the text, they realized the organization had no face. When they went searching for the sender’s website, it was dead.
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Dark money group attacks Obama on Benghazi
By Bill Allison Oct 26, 2012 10:41 a.m.Special Operations Opsec Education Fund, a dark money group that shares an office with top aides to the 2008 campaign of Republican presidential nominee John McCain, is launching an $397,000 ad buy attacking the President Barack Obama and his administration over last September's Benghazi embassy attack, according to disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission.
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Outside political spending crosses $1 billion mark
By Kathy Kiely and Jacob Fenton Oct 26, 2012 7:09 a.m.Outside groups have spent more than $1 billion trying to influence this year's election, and the tidal wave of special interest money so no signs of abating in the 10 days that remain before Election Day.
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Dead end disclosure: Ohio super PAC lists dark money donors
By Bill Allison Oct 25, 2012 4:15 p.m.The Government Integrity Fund Action Network, a Columbus, Ohio-based super PAC that dropped a late $1.1 million ad buy opposing Connecticut House candidate Elizabeth Esty last week, disclosed today the big donors who funded it: A pair of political nonprofits that don't disclose their donors.
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Corporate, union and nonprofit giving to super PACs tops $167 million
By Anupama Narayanswamy Oct 22, 2012 2:33 p.m.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.
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Stealthy effort fuels get out the vote effort--in Israel
By Nancy Watzman Oct 16, 2012 7:51 a.m.An assertive bipartisan get-out-the-vote effort known as “IVoteIsrael” and aimed at Americans living in that country appears to have ties to conservative billionaire Ronald S. Lauder, a supporter of Republican causes and of the hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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Shadowy super PAC spends $1 million in Connecticut House race
By Bill Allison Oct 15, 2012 4:23 p.m.The Government Integrity Fund Action Network, a super PAC that to date has disclosed just $10,500 in contributions, today reported dropping a money bomb in a Connecticut House race: $1.1 million in to produce and air ads in opposition to Elizabeth Esty, the Democratic candidate in her state's 5th Congressional District.
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Target Nevada: Silver State drawing lots of green from campaigns
By Kathy Kiely Oct 1, 2012 12:25 p.m.Nevada is used to high rollers, but the state has special reason to be blase about this set.
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First light on dark money: Bloomberg gun control group discloses donors
By Bill Allison Aug 7, 2012 12:22 p.m.When Mayors Against Illegal Guns Action Fund, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's vehicle for pushing for tighter gun control regulation, ran ads Sunday morning calling on President Barack Obama and his Republican opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, to offer plans to reduce gun violence, they became the first dark money group to publicly disclose its donors.
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