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In the News
Original journalism from the Center's OpenSecrets News
NRA leader, Jack Abramoff and GOP operative tied to alleged Russian spy Maria Butina have long history as foreign agents lobbying together
December 10, 2018 | NRA leader David Keene, Jack Abramoff and GOP operative Paul Erickson have a long history as foreign agents lobbying together over a decade before alleged Russian spy Maria Butina.
Democrats are rejecting corporate PACs: Does it mean anything?
December 7, 2018 | Fifty-two members of the 116th Congress — including 50 Democrats and 35 new members — pledged to reject money from corporate PACs this cycle.
Billionaire sex offender Epstein gave heavily to Democrats, until he didn't
December 4, 2018 | Jeffrey Epstein donated extensively to Democrats throughout the nineties until the investigations into the allegations of sexual coercion of a minor began.
The usual suspects placed bets on this year's most competitive races
November 28, 2018 | Winning Democratic challengers and losing incumbent Republicans drew from very different sources of funding during the 2018 election.
Donors helped Democrats to modest 2018 victories in the upper midwest
November 9, 2018 | 2018 was a good election cycle for Democrats in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Michigan. In many of the pivotal races, money played a big role.
Through tariff turmoil, agriculture sticks with the GOP
November 2, 2018 | Even as farmers struggle under a GOP President and Congress, the agriculture industry continues to contribute to Republicans.
The Kochs' new super PAC sets its sights on midterms
October 19, 2018 | The FEC filings of a new and well-funded super PAC show that rumors of the Koch network's decline have been highly exaggerated.
Personal wealth in the Senate Judiciary Committee
October 12, 2018 | The Senate Judiciary Committee is one of the most prestigious bodies in Congress, and this lofty status is often reflected in the depths of its members' pocketbooks.
Beto O'Rourke smashes quarterly fundraising record with $38 million haul
October 12, 2018 | Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Tex.) brought in more than $38 million from July through September, setting a new record for the largest-ever fundraising quarter for a U.S. Senate candidate.
An introduction to the Koch digital media network
October 9, 2018 | The Koch brothers are more famous for how they spend their money than for how they make it. Their political buys may hit $400 million this year. How much of that will go to digital ads?
Workers at 40 airports will stage demonstrations in October
September 27, 2018 | Baggage handlers, wheelchair agents, security guards and other airport workers are demanding improved working conditions.
Ad wars escalate ahead of 2018 midterm elections
September 26, 2018 | Outside groups are airing a larger volume of ads in federal races for U.S. House and U.S. Senate races in the 2018 cycle compared to the same dates in 2014.
Sen. Susan Collins' pro-choice record threatened
September 18, 2018 | The fate of Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination might rest in the hands of two moderate Republicans - Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Sen. Susan Collins.
Rick Scott super PAC learns to love Rick Scott
August 28, 2018 | U.S. Senate candidate Rick Scott's close ties to New Republican PAC underscores an increasingly blurry line between candidates and super PACs.
The legacy and impact of McCain-Feingold
August 28, 2018 | The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, aka McCain-Feingold was one of the late Sen. John McCain's legacies while he was in office, a law on campaign finance reform passed in 2002.
Foreign interests have spent over $530 million influencing US policy, public opinion since 2017
August 8, 2018 | Foreign lobbyists and agents acting on behalf of foreign interests have reported hundreds of millions of dollars in payments since January 2017, an analysis of OpenSecrets' exclusive new Foreign Lobby Watch data reveals.
Super PAC behind spending in Minnesota and Florida primaries linked to nonpartisan No Labels group
August 2, 2018 | No Labels, a nonpartisan 501(c)(4), appears tied to multiple super PACs spending money in competitive House races.
Treasury Department loosens nonprofit donor disclosure requirements
July 17, 2018 | The Treasury Department announced Monday that it will no longer require certain nonprofit organizations to disclose identifying information about their donors to the IRS.
Revolving Door: Former lobbyists in Trump administration
July 16, 2018 | Andrew Wheeler's rise to acting head of the Environmental Protection Agency is only the latest former lobbyist through the revolving door and into an influential role within the Trump administration.
Andrew Wheeler's long history with the Energy sector
July 10, 2018 | Andrew Wheeler, the new acting administrator at the Environmental Protection Agency, has been through Washington's revolving door-he was a long time coal lobbyist and hasn't always been a Trump man.
Here's why the Supreme Court's "right-to-work" ruling is a win for conservatives
June 27, 2018 | The Supreme Court ruling against labor marked a major victory for anti-union groups and conservative donors who bankrolled litigation in the hopes of stifling union influence.
AFSCME jumps into Florida Senate race
June 19, 2018 | One of the country's largest public-sector unions reported nearly $1 million in TV ad spending last week in support of Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, one of five vulnerable Democratic senators running for reelection.
June 12th Primary Results: Almost all the usual suspects win, including money
June 15, 2018 | With a few notable exceptions, the candidates expected to win in the primaries on Tuesday did, and the candidates that raised the most money almost always ended up succeeding.
Primary preview: Open seats take spotlight as Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia heads to polls on June 12
June 8, 2018 | Congressional primaries next week in Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia feature half a dozen open seats and a few toss-up districts which will be closely watched by both parties.
'Right-to-work' Supreme Court ruling could cripple union influence
March 1, 2018 | The ruling could significantly slash money going to public sector unions, which overwhelmingly support Democratic politicians and liberal causes.
Two more senators ditch corporate PACs
February 15, 2018 | Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-Ny.) and Cory Booker (D-Nj.) on Tuesday announced on Twitter that they would join at least 10 other members of Congress in rejecting donations from corporate PACs in their upcoming reelection campaigns.
Trump's state in the eye of the Union
January 30, 2018 | What's to come in President Trump's first State of Union? Expect the phrase "America First." The name Gorsuch. And something will be "great."
Controversial West Virginia coal magnate jumps into U.S. Senate race
December 18, 2017 | Don Blankenship, the former CEO and chair of Massey Energy, filed federal candidacy papers in December, officially launching his U.S. Senate campaign in West Virginia.
Sitting Members of Congress to face more, better-funded challengers in 2018
August 31, 2017 | Despite near-record levels of unpopularity, the membership of the 115th Congress is nearly identical to that of the 114th Congress. Of members seeking reelection, 97% of House members and just under 90% of Senators were re-elected. While it is far too soon to speculate on whether these re-election rates will change in 2018, early signs…
Dark money trail reveals significant influence in Colorado elections
July 27, 2017 | It's no surprise money can play an important role in winning elections, but where that money comes from is often difficult to ascertain. One example of this "dark money" influence can be found in the results of the Colorado state House of Representatives election in 2016. All 65 district spots were up for grabs and…
In California 34th, one Dem is clear favorite of PACs and outside groups
June 2, 2017 | The original 23 contenders on the ballot to fill California's 34th district seat in the House have dwindled to two. And while one has the edge when it comes to funds raised, the other is the clear winner among outside spending groups. The last candidates standing, Democrats Jimmy Gomez and Robert Lee Ahn, head to a…
Tribal battles make for well-fed lobbyists
May 31, 2017 | In April, another skirmish broke out in Indian Country when the Kalispel Tribe of Indians filed a federal lawsuit to stop the Spokane Tribe of Indians from building a casino. The Kalispel claim the gaming operation would draw business away from their own casino, located only two miles away from the would-be Spokane one, and thereby…
Nonprofits backing Trump have deep, swampy ties
May 2, 2017 | Outside groups mobilizing in support of President Trump have already spent tens of millions on his behalf—and may never have to reveal where they got the money. Trump's unprecedented move to register as a candidate for the 2020 presidential election on his first day in office blurs the line between groups spending in support of…
FDA nominee Gottlieb's many industry entanglements will be a focus of Wednesday hearing
April 4, 2017 | This week, all the attention's on Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump's nominee to become an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. But there's another position in play: Tomorrow (April 5), the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions will hold a confirmation hearing for Scott Gottlieb, who's in line to head the Food and…
Trump's "beachhead" teams host dozens of former lobbyists
March 24, 2017 | Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has been mired in questions about his investments in the healthcare industry. As it turns out, some of the people helping him get grounded at the department are also prompting questions about their ties with the industry. Lance Leggitt, a lobbyist at Baker Donelson since 2006, was named…
Defense sector contributions locked in on committee members
March 2, 2017 | You couldn't blame defense contractors for being in a great mood this week. In his speech to Congress on Tuesday, President Donald Trump — who has repeatedly said he wants to build up American military dominance — announced that he's "sending Congress a budget that rebuilds the military, eliminates the defense sequester and calls for…
Murray Energy bucks coal mining trend with record giving in 2016
February 28, 2017 | President Donald Trump wasted little time attending to one of his constituencies: Less than a month after taking office, and surrounded by applauding coal miners and a few friendly members of Congress, he put the knife in an Obama-era regulation barring coal mine waste from being dumped in waterways. And Trump is said to have more…
Chairing the DNC: A multimillion-dollar election
February 22, 2017 | There's a packed field in the race to chair the Democratic National Committee, whose 447 members will elect their new leader on Saturday. Rep. Keith Ellison and former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez lead the nine candidates who remain in the contest — a relatively diverse bunch hailing from around the country and from various levels…
Trump brings Dubke in from the dark
February 17, 2017 | Mike Dubke is no stranger to the value of a good communications strategy: He's provided advice, through his Crossroads Media firm, to House and Senate candidates, the Republican party and some of the biggest conservative outside spending groups. But his new role, as White House communications director, is an unusually public one for him. Dubke…
Puzder out, Acosta in. Here's who cares most about labor.
February 16, 2017 | President Donald Trump announced Alexander Acosta, the dean of Florida International University College of Law, as his new pick to head the Department of Labor on Thursday. Despite backing from top industry trade groups, Puzder withdrew his nomination Wednesday after it became clear he didn't have enough GOP support in the Senate. Republicans began breaking away…
Challengers who bested incumbents reaped $70,000 in post-election funds
December 9, 2016 | The 2016 election is over. Ballots have been cast, and (most) federal candidates know the outcome of their hard-fought races. Yet company PACs and even individuals are still writing checks to candidates' campaign committees, even though the campaigns they're funding are done. "Giving after the election clearly shows the donation is not given to support…
Female candidates poorly funded by PACs, donors, and major parties
December 7, 2016 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 7, 2016 FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT: Michelle C. Whittaker, Director of Communications, Representation2020 (301) 270-1238 / (301) 270-4616 / [email protected] Brendan Quinn, Outreach Coordinator, Center for Responsive Politics (202) 857-0044 / [email protected] David Vance, Common Cause (202) 736-5712 / [email protected] Female Candidates Have Greatest Success in Open Seat Elections But Poorly Funded…
Feeling ad fatigue? You should. More than 3.3 million ads have run in the 2016 elections.
November 4, 2016 | Political ad spending across the country has surpassed $2.3 billion, with 3.3 million ads run in the 2016 elections, according to a new report released by the Wesleyan Media Project with the Center for Responsive Politics. Nearly 1 million ads have aired in the presidential election alone, at an estimated cost of over $750 million.…
Fundraising histories and lots of experience in speculative Clinton Cabinet
October 28, 2016 | Washington thrives on speculation and now, after months of guessing at things like primary contenders and vice presidential picks, it's time to draft potential cabinets. With no shortage of well-educated guesses on who might lead the various executive departments, certain names crop up more often than others, often officials and bureaucrats with substantial political and policy…
Super PACs lifted by megadonors, unions in third quarter
October 18, 2016 | Three liberal labor-connected super PACs took in more than $44.4 million in the third quarter of 2016, according to reports filed last weekend, while two others that are backing GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump drew in $30.3 million. The five were among the largest super PACs to file reports for the three-month period ending Sept.…
Pence, Kaine share long histories in the fundraising trenches
October 4, 2016 | Though divided ideologically, Indiana's Republican Gov. Mike Pence and Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia have traced similar paths through state and federal politics on their way to being nominated for vice president. Both have served in Congress and as governors, and now hope to assume the government's second-from-the-top job. Though they may not discuss it…
And the good times rolled: 17 donors gave three-quarters of Dems' convention money
September 28, 2016 | Talk about disproportional giving: The group organizing the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this year raised almost three-fourths of its donations from only 17 sources. The Dems' host committee raised $69.7 million, with $51.2 million of that coming in from contributions, grants, or in-kind donations worth $1 million or more each. That includes a $10…
Clinton may have pneumonia, but her funding from the health industry is robust
September 16, 2016 | Many Americans, understandably, want to elect a healthy president. With Hillary Clinton's recent pneumonia diagnosis, the media has increased its focus on the relative health of both Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump as the presidential race enters its final two months. When considering contributions from employees and PACs in the health sector, though, it's…
Funds gush in deep blue Land of Lincoln as Kirk struggles to hold seat
September 14, 2016 | One-term Sen. Mark Kirk's success or failure in his heated struggle to retain his seat will help determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the Senate come January. No surprise, then, that the race's fundraising totals have soared. The most recent fundraising reports show that Kirk, a Republican, and his opponent, Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, each had raised more than $10…
Ad data (beta): CRP unveils new tool for tracking FCC ad data
September 8, 2016 | Today, CRP is unveiling a new tool that allows users to track political ad buys daily, as they are reported to the Federal Communications Commission. CRP's new project is the latest of several worthy efforts that have sought to unlock this information — crucial as it is to understanding how candidates, super PACs and dark…
Super PAC spending hits $500 million, while 501(c)s hit the brakes
September 1, 2016 | Total outside spending for the 2016 election has already reached a record $660 million, more than twice the $289 million spent by outside groups by this point in the 2012 election. Super PACs have led the charge, breaking the half-a-billion dollar mark in spending and making up about 80 percent of total outside spending. The nearly…
In tight Wisconsin race, Johnson and Feingold take different paths to similar warchests
August 19, 2016 | Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) and his challenger Russ Feingold have raised almost exactly the same amount of money in their race for a Wisconsin Senate seat. But they've done so in very different ways. In terms of fundraising, the race is among the tightest in the country, not to mention one of the few where a challenger has raised…
Two Florida Dems walking away with the Bernie small donor award
August 4, 2016 | Two Florida Democrats who have been in the spotlight lately for very different reasons are the winners of the Bernie Sanders $200-and-under award, receiving the largest share of their congressional campaign funds from people giving modest amounts of any current candidates so far this cycle. Individuals who gave $200 or less flocked to Sanders' campaign…
Pharma cos. and celebrities flood DNC festivities
July 28, 2016 | The klieg lights were on full strength Wednesday at a star-studded lunch highlighting obesity treatment and, later, a Fergie concert, both put on by the Creative Coalition — with help from pharma giants like Novo Nordisk — on the third day of the Democratic National Convention. "I think you couple the artistry with celebrity to create…
Corporate interests funding convention festivities, if not the main events
July 26, 2016 | Many corporations reportedly decided not to support the Republican National Convention to distance themselves from the GOP nominee. Unfortunately for the Democrats, some have also declined to help bankroll the official festivities in Philadelphia. Walgreens, for instance, was a top player in funding convention host committees, or the entities that help organize the events, in earlier…
Concerts, maritime mingling and loads of sponsors: Welcome to Philly!
July 26, 2016 | If you thought Republicans partied hard in Cleveland, just wait till you hear what's going down on the other side of the aisle. While the RNC shindigs seemed to suffer a slow start, the Democratic National Convention hosted a successful first 24 hours of cushy events that promoted mingling between those on the public payroll…
Pennsylvania Senate race draws highest outside money from the left
July 8, 2016 | Outside spending groups have poured more than $20.4 million so far into Pennsylvania's Senate race between Republican incumbent Pat Toomey and Democrat Katie McGinty, putting it close behind Ohio's Senate race, at $21.8 million, for the most outside spending in a congressional contest. But while Ohio's race is dominated by conservative groups backed by the Koch brothers, such as the political…
Hard money still matters, and here's who's giving it
June 9, 2016 | Yes, we live in a gilded age of campaign finance, with billionaire donors forking over tens of millions of dollars to super PACs. But hard money — which is contributed directly to candidates' campaigns, political parties or regular PACs and, unlike outside money, is subject to limits — still matters to those seeking office. Candidates…
Fueled by unions and secret donors, liberal vets group spends millions boosting Democrats
May 31, 2016 | New tax documents obtained by OpenSecrets Blog suggest that one of the oldest, most politically active nonprofits in the country, VoteVets Action Fund, devoted most of its activities in 2014 to influencing that year's midterms. Vote Vets Action Fund — which last week attacked the presumptive GOP nominee, Donald Trump, as a "cheap fraud" — is currently…
Hedge fund megadonors capitalize on offshore opportunities
May 12, 2016 | On the list of the largest U.S. companies by market value, those in the $30 billion to $45 billion range are household names: Capital One Financial, DirecTV, Phillips 66, Yahoo. But far fewer people know much, if anything, about Citadel Multi-Strategy Equities Master Fund Ltd., with a gross asset value of $33 billion, or Elliott…
Hey, big spender: Mainstay of Democratic Party financing supports Democracy Spring
April 1, 2016 | Though it's given $3.6 million to outside spending groups so far this cycle, the nation's largest labor group has joined advocates of overhauling the campaign finance system who are explicitly angling to be the subjects of mass arrests on Capitol Hill this month if their demands to Congress aren't met. The AFL-CIO is the only organization involved in the coalition, called…
OpenSecrets + Google = Happy Sunshine Week
March 15, 2016 | Just in time for Sunshine Week, the annual campaign for open government, Google and the Center for Responsive Politics have teamed up to provide greater access to information on presidential candidates. This morning, Google added new features to the results it provides to users searching for information on the men and women in pursuit of the…
The Hillary Clinton of the Maryland 8th?
March 11, 2016 | This story was cross-posted on TIME.com. Wrapped around D.C.'s northern tip and barely a precious stone's throw from the U.S. Capitol, Maryland's 8th Congressional District is one of the nation's wealthiest: Census Bureau figures show its residents have a median household income of more than $94,000. Plenty of cash there, then, to fund the numerous…
The battle for superdelegates — this time, it's not about the money
March 10, 2016 | Troy Jackson introduced Sen. Bernie Sanders to a crowd of over 8,000 people in Portland, Maine last July. It was the "summer of Sanders." As the candidate took the stage, he said solemnly to the exuberant crowd, "In case you didn't notice, this is a big turnout." "It was pretty clear where I stood then," Jackson told OpenSecrets Blog months…
Exiled from Koch orbit, American Future Fund turns to GOP establishment for cash
March 7, 2016 | Last week, real estate mogul and current GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump tweeted to his 6.6 million Twitter followers about a "phony Rubio commercial" that was making hay out of Trump's ongoing legal troubles with the now-defuct Trump University. Phony Rubio commercial. I could have settled, but won't out of principle! See student surveys. https://t.co/KKHiBH554d —…
Presidential hopefuls stretch the truth talking about campaign finance
March 1, 2016 | The financing of candidates' campaigns has become a central theme of the primaries, although — aside from Trump's truth-adjacent claims that he is self-financing his bid — Republicans mention the topic significantly less often than do Democrats. We offer this analysis of the veracity of statements by various candidates aiming for the White House. Sen.…
Presidential super PACs — especially Priorities — pick up more million-dollar donors
February 21, 2016 | The $103 million raised by Right to Rise USA between January and July 2015 provided the shock. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush could just never bring the awe. The Bush super PAC had the resources. It had family loyalist donors who laid out as much as $10 million in contributions and did so as late as October, even after…
The political money in Super Bowl 50
February 5, 2016 | With the veteran Denver Broncos matching up against the youthful North Carolina Panthers at Super Bowl 50 this weekend, one story line is about the quarterback matchup: newly minted MVP Cam Newton versus Peyton Manning, a five-time winner of that honor who is rumored to be retiring after Sunday. Of course, it's also all about…
$100 million floods into presidential super PACs in second half of 2015
February 1, 2016 | Well-known liberal and conservative political donors left the sidelines and injected tens of millions of dollars into the presidential race over the past six months. And once again, it was a tiny group of individuals and businesses who gave a great deal of the money now being deployed in the presidential nomination fights. Reports filed…
A "big ideas" State of the Union speech — but which ideas?
January 11, 2016 | He can't pass a substantive bill in an election year with a Republican Congress, the thinking goes. So President Obama wants to talk above politics in his final State of the Union address Tuesday night. Obama introduced the "big things" theme for his speech last week: "That's what I want to focus on in this…
Reps. Israel and McDermott step off the fundraising circuit
January 6, 2016 | Two lawmakers, Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott (Wash.) and Steve Israel (N.Y.), announced their retirements this week, joining a parade of members of their party who will exit the House in 2017. In an interview with the New York Times, Israel indicated that the current campaign finance system, with its never-ending fundraising demands, had an impact…
In classic battle, minimum wage movement pits labor against business
November 12, 2015 | Fast food and other low-wage workers took to the streets of cities across the country this week to demand a minimum wage of $15, earning the support of liberal mayors, governors and even presidential candidates. In New York, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo stood with the "Fight for $15" crusade, announcing he would take executive action…
Scott Walker's labor plan aims at major Democratic fundraising source
September 17, 2015 | Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's labor reform plan, released this week, would do more than undermine unions on a nationwide scale: It would also hurt a multi-million-dollar source of campaign donations to Democrats.
Clinton money-in-politics plan would benefit candidates like…Bernie Sanders
September 9, 2015 | While some specifics are lacking in presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton's proposed overhaul of how federal candidates get their campaign money, it's clear which candidate would benefit most if her blueprint were applied retroactively to the funds already raised by White House aspirants: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), her more liberal rival for the Democratic nomination who…
A few new faces — but not many — among megadonors to presidential super PACs
August 1, 2015 | The 2016 presidential race may be a whole new ballgame in terms of fundraising, but most of the players' names are awfully familiar — even if their faces are a bit more lined. Very few of the top donors to the super PACs backing one of the many GOP White House hopefuls or the handful…
Center for Responsive Politics Receives Knight News Challenge Award from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
July 22, 2015 | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 22, 2015 — The Center for Responsive Politics is delighted to announce that it has been awarded $525,000 as a winner of the Knight News Challenge on Elections. The award will enable CRP to vastly expand the amount of information available to voters on politically active nonprofit organizations that don't disclose…
McDonalds puts a smile on with Gibbs, whatever he may have said at White House podium
June 10, 2015 | In his new role as McDonald's global chief communications officer, former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs will "lead McDonald's in communicating clear, coordinated messages to internal and external constituencies, enhancing the brand and supporting corporate strategies," according to an announcement Tuesday by the fast food giant. That'll put Gibbs front-and-center conveying the company's perspective…
Departed members of the 113th Congress find new homes on K Street, and elsewhere
May 20, 2015 | Former members of the 113th Congress have embarked on various new adventures since their defeats, retirements or departures for other reasons: Some are teaching, others are pondering away at think tanks, a couple are embedded in corporate culture, a few are even enjoying their freedom and sleeping a little later every morning. Not surprisingly, though,…
Apple Supports the TPP, and Has a Friend in the Right Place
May 13, 2015 | President Barack Obama and big business haven't always agreed on hot-button issues, but they both seem to be overwhelmingly in favor of approving the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. One such business is the enormously profitable tech company Apple, which is listed as a member of the U.S. Business Coalition for TPP. Happily for Apple,…
Sanders Plays Small Ball on Fundraising, Still Racks Up Big Totals
May 4, 2015 | Nobody will be asking Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) how he made his money nor how beholden he is to his corporate donors: He's short on both commodities. That's not to say Sanders is a political naif or unfamiliar with the world of campaign fundraising. But his money profile isn't much like most others in the crowded presidential…
Major Financial Players Lobby Around Obama's Investment Rules
May 1, 2015 | In the months since President Obama announced his support for new retirement investment rules that would stop advisers from pushing high-fee plans on small-fry American investors, several major financial organizations have lobbied hard on a bill that would undermine the commander in chief's agenda, according to recently released lobbying records for the first quarter of the year. The…
The Political One Percent of the One Percent in 2014: Mega Donors Fuel Rising Cost of Elections
April 30, 2015 | In the 2014 elections, 31,976 donors — equal to roughly one percent of one percent of the total population of the United States — accounted for an astounding $1.18 billion in disclosed political contributions at the federal level. Those big givers — what we have termed the Political One Percent of the One Percent —…
5 Years Later: BP Spending Again, Targets Natural Resources Committee
April 21, 2015 | The House Committee on Natural Resources meets Wednesday to discuss how safety standards have improved since the catastrophic BP oil spill in 2010 — an offshore oil well explosion and fire that left 11 dead, 17 injured, and enduring environmental threats in the Gulf of Mexico. While money coming into Washington from the oil giant screeched…
Trans-Pacific Partnership Deal Has Mighty Lobbying Power on Its Side
April 9, 2015 | The proposal to fast track trade agreements made by the Obama administration and overseas partners in the Trans-Pacific Partnership — said to be the biggest trade agreement in history, surpassing NAFTA — has created a dynamic that's contrary to the way things usually go in Washington these days: Republicans are pushing for the authorization alongside…
Labor's Few GOP Friends Vote With Dems on NLRB Rules
April 3, 2015 | A Republican effort to squash a National Labor Relations Board rule that would streamline the union election process was rejected by President Obama this week — becoming his fourth veto while in office. Democrats have historic connections to unions and their political contributions. But so do a few Republicans, including those who dissented from their…
Four 2016 Hopefuls Accused of Breaking Law
March 31, 2015 | The Campaign Legal Center has filed complaints with the Federal Election Commission against four 2016 presidential hopefuls, accusing them of actively organizing and running early presidential bids without abiding by federal rules related to fundraising limits and disclosure. The group's complaints against Republicans Jeb Bush, Scott Walker and Rick Santorum and Democrat Martin O'Malley allege they all are…
Not Such a Schock? Big-Spending, Mileage-Accumulating Illinois Lawmaker Steps Down
March 17, 2015 | Rep. Aaron Schock's resignation today may slow the cascade of revelations in recent weeks about his elaborate Masterpiece Theater-inspired office decorations, his flights on private jets and stays in luxury hotels on the taxpayer's dime. Deeper troubles may lay ahead, though, for the Republican from Peoria as details of his involvement in real estate deals…
DCCC Leads NRCC on Strength of Member Dues
February 24, 2015 | House Democrats are still in the minority — even more so after November — but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee burst out of the gate in the 2016 cycle led by strong early donations from its own caucus. The National Republican Congressional Committee lagged in fundraising, relatively speaking — particularly from GOP House members.. Both House…
Investigation Into Ron Paul's 2012 Campaign "Making Progress"
February 19, 2015 | A federal investigation into events surrounding the Ron Paul 2012 presidential campaign in Iowa is ongoing and "making progress," the Des Moines Register reported today. During a brief hearing that included federal prosecutors and the attorney representing a former Iowa state senator who has pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance rules in connection with the campaign, prosecutors said they are…
Crowding In on Cromnibus, Most Heavily Lobbied Bill of '14
February 5, 2015 | December's cromnibus spending package was a bonanza for lobbyists, with the defense, banking, and health care industries especially flexing their influence muscle to make sure their priorities were on the agenda. The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act (H.R. 83), or Cromnibus, which combined a short-term continuing resolution on Department of Homeland Security funding with broader…
All Cooled Off: As Congress Convenes, Former Colleagues Will Soon be Calling From K Street
January 6, 2015 | Seven years after President George W. Bush signed the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA) into law and then-Sen. Barack Obama, (D-Ill.) declared it to be "the most sweeping ethics reform since Watergate," a joint analysis by the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Responsive Politics suggests the effort may have misfired. A key…
Grimm's $2 Million Throwaway: Contributions Came In Despite Indictment
January 2, 2015 | Less than two months after spending $2 million to be re-elected to the House of Representatives, Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) announced he would resign his Staten Island seat. In April 2014, Grimm was indicted on 20 counts alleging various frauds; he pleaded guilty to a single felony charge on Dec. 23. Grimm first came under scrutiny when…
Waning Influence? Part 3: Ups and Downs, by Industry
December 22, 2014 | This report is the third (part 1/part 2) in a series examining the years-long decline in both spending on lobbyists and the number of active lobbyists. Overall spending on lobbying has been on a downward trajectory since 2010 and the number of active lobbyists has seen an even longer-term and more drastic drop. Previous entries…
Breaking Party Ranks on EPA Science Vote
November 24, 2014 | The Environmental Protection Agency is supposed to base its major decisions on science — good science. But what is good science and how do you decide it? Since 1978, the EPA has had a science advisory board tasked with helping answer those questions. But, because this is Washington, nothing is ever that simple. Last week,…
Who's Spending What, When? Outside Groups Take Different Tack Than Candidates, Parties
November 3, 2014 | Last week the Wesleyan Media Project, along with OpenSecrets.org, released its most recent summary of campaign ad spending in the closest 2014 races. By combining data on specific ad buys with our information about the types of spenders (including how much donor disclosure is available) we were able to clarify the role of outside groups…
Cash for Challengers: Some Turn the Tables, Outraising Incumbents
November 1, 2014 | The incumbent advantage in fundraising is undisputed — so when a challenger brings in the larger haul, that often raises red flags for the sitting lawmaker's re-election prospects. This cycle, only 10 federal races feature an outraised incumbent. Chalk those up to a variety of scenarios: a scandal-ridden candidate; a wealthy self-funding challenger; shifting political…
Overall Spending Inches Up in 2014: Megadonors Equip Outside Groups to Capture a Bigger Share of the Pie
October 29, 2014 | This Center for Responsive Politics report is part of #Money14, a series of independent reports exposing the role of money in American politics. Join us for an event around the fifth anniversary of Citizens United to hear more about the participating organizations' innovative research and work together for a more inclusive, transparent, and participatory democracy.…
Congressional Leadership Fund Collects Corporate Cash
October 16, 2014 | Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly stated that Chevron Corp. made a $2 million donation to CLF. It has been corrected to reflect the actual amount of the donation, $1 million. Chevron Corp. donated $1 million to a conservative super PAC with ties to Karl Rove's dark money network in early July, a rare instance of…
Your Submission is Accepted: FEC's Digital Gatekeeper Bars Few
October 14, 2014 | This piece is a collaboration between OpenSecrets.org and the Sunlight Foundation Graphic: Amy Cesal/Sunlight Foundation The Federal Election Commission has recently enlisted the help of an outside agency, the General Services Administration, and its elite squad of civic techies called 18F to overhaul its website and push the boundaries of open disclosure to new heights. And…
Washington Wakes Up to Ebola Threat
September 19, 2014 | President Obama declared on Tuesday that the United States would send troops, medical equipment and aid workers to Western African countries ravaged by Ebola, a virus that has killed more than 2,400 people. "We know that if we take the proper steps, we can save lives," he said. "But we have to act fast." And yet,…
Greg Orman — Best of Both Parties?
September 4, 2014 | Democratic nominee Chad Taylor abruptly dropped out of the Kansas Senate race Wednesday, and his party is already counting its blessings. The surprise move has cleared up the field for Greg Orman — a toothy-grinned former Democrat now running as an independent with across-the-aisle endorsements — to pose a more serious threat to Republican incumbent Sen. Pat Roberts.…
NCAA Is On Its K Street A-Game
August 12, 2014 | Facing an onslaught of challenges to its long-held rules enforcing student amateurism, the National Collegiate Athletic Association is going pro in the lobbying arena. After hiring an outside firm, the NCAA has been doling out record amounts on K Street this year.
Money, Not Morals, Drives Marijuana Prohibition Movement
August 5, 2014 | The following is adapted from OpenSecrets.org's new marijuana issue profile. Read more about the marijuana industry's campaign donations and lobbying efforts as well as relevant marijuana focused legislation. In late November 2012, voters in Washington and Colorado passed ballot initiatives to fully legalize marijuana for recreational use. Coloradans were able to start purchasing recreational marijuana…
OpenSecrets.org Adds Data on Lawmakers' Periodic Transaction Reports
July 23, 2014 | Editor's note: Special thanks to Bob Lannon and the team at the Sunlight Foundation for help with the initial scraping and optical character recognition work necessary to make this data available. Today, OpenSecrets.org released a new dataset in the updated Personal Finances section of our website. The STOCK Act, passed in 2012, required all members…
Organizing for Action: Who's Giving to Obama-Linked Nonprofit?
June 17, 2014 | Since the beginning of the 2014 campaign cycle last year, 14 donors — running the gamut from a hedge fund manager to a gay rights activist to a little-known Salt Lake City venture capitalist — have given $100,000 or more to President Barack Obama's avowedly un-campaign committee, Organizing for Action. Another 26 have ponied up…
In Maine Race, A Tale of Two Democratic Parties
June 10, 2014 | A handful of outside groups can make a big difference in a sparsely populated state like Maine. The state's 2nd Congressional District Democratic primary today, pitting labor-backed Troy Jackson against University of Maine employee Emily Cain, has become an existential fight over two core constituencies of the Democratic Party: labor groups and social progressives. Jackson,…
GenOpp, Too: Another Group Almost Wholly Funded by Koch Network
May 13, 2014 | Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce provided more than half the two-year budget of a conservative nonprofit geared toward youth that has been running controversial anti-Obamacare ads, according to tax documents obtained by OpenSecrets.org. In the three years for which tax information is available, Generation Opportunity has raised almost 86 percent of its funds from just…
Don't Bet the House: Online Gaming Ban Faces Uncertain Future
May 12, 2014 | Politics has always been partly a game of chance. And when it comes to the politics of gambling policy, where the industry's high-rolling campaign donors are anteing up for a clash over online gaming, it's anybody's guess who the big winners will be. The gaming industry has long had a big presence in Washington.…
Chemical, Pharmaceutical Industries See Huge Lobbying Increases
May 2, 2014 | Overall spending on lobbying may have fallen again in the first quarter of 2014, but not everyone decided to pull back. In fact, some companies and industries pumped up their lobbying in the quarter, with the chemical and pharmaceutical industries leading the pack. Dow Chemical was the company with the biggest jump from the fourth quarter of 2013…
Koch Company and Labor Unions: One Degree of Separation
April 22, 2014 | Strange brew cooked up on K Street: Charles, David and organized labor.
OpenSecrets Blog Receives Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi Award
April 16, 2014 | We are excited and grateful to have won a 2013 Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
The Politics of Drought: California Water Interests Prime the Pump in Washington
April 10, 2014 | When it comes to California's water supply, some have more at stake than others -- and they act accordingly in D.C.
A Classic Case of Promised Payback: OpenSecrets Blog Helps Inform Investigation
March 19, 2014 | OpenSecrets Blog posts about a Republican lawyer and energy lobbyist helped inform investigators looking into a state candidate who promised help for payday lenders in return for their financial support routed through 501(c)(4) dark money groups.
Waning Influence? Part 1: Tracking the "Unlobbyist"
March 18, 2014 | What's fueling the twin decreases in spending on lobbying and the number of people doing it? The first in a series of occasional reports by CRP as we try to get behind the numbers.
Sincere or Strategic, Lobbyists Give Big
March 12, 2014 | It's hard to sort out lobbyists' motivations for making campaign contributions. But the top recipients of their donations so far this cycle are a bit of a surprise: Top Republican leadership and at-risk Senate Democrats.
Hard Dollars to Dark Money: D.C. Reporters' Workshop in May
February 26, 2014 | OpenSecrets.org teams up with the Center for Public Integrity and the Sunlight Foundation for a reporters' training, coordinated by the Investigative News Network.
Many of Dingell's Donors Likely to Migrate to His Wife
February 26, 2014 | The spouse of the former chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is likely to get the same level of strong support from the auto industry.
Defeat May Sting, But UAW Has Piles of Political Cash
February 20, 2014 | A surprise defeat at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga may be partly soothed by the potential to spend big in the 2014 mid-terms.
The Surgeon General Nominee's Political Past
February 7, 2014 | Vivek Murthy, nominee for the post of U.S. surgeon general, had his Senate confirmation hearing this week. Unlike other candidates for the post, he's been highly active in politics.
LLCs Donate To Pro-Tillis Super PAC
January 31, 2014 | A pro-Thom Tillis super PAC has reported three donations from LLCs, which help shroud the true sources of the funds.
K Street's Fortunes Decline for Third Year
January 29, 2014 | Total spending on federal lobbying fell by about $100 million in 2013, or a little less than 3 percent, and the number of lobbyists dropped again as well.
Divided We Stand
January 28, 2014 | State of the Union -- 9 p.m. tonight. But Obama's list of 2014 priorities may sound a lot like last year's roster, due in part to a deadlocked Congress that produced a historic year of inaction.
Strong Evidence Emerges on Right to Work's Political Activity
January 24, 2014 | Newly released emails and recordings of conversations show top officials from the National Right to Work Committee were deeply involved with a huge off-the-books mass mailing operation benefiting state candidates in 2010, indicating the organization may have falsely told the IRS it didn't engage in politics.
Four Years After Citizens United: The Fallout
January 21, 2014 | The 2010 decision reshaped the campaign finance landscape in obvious ways, and some less apparent ones too.
New Report Shows Men Outdo Women as Mega-Donors
January 15, 2014 | A collaboration between the National Council for Research on Women, the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University and the Center for Responsive Politics shows men are most overrepresented as donors to groups that can receive unlimited sums -- though they ante up more than women at all levels of political giving.
Most Likely to Exceed: Who's Poised to Double Down Post-McCutcheon
January 15, 2014 | In anticipation of the Supreme Court's ruling in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission, the Center for Responsive Politics and the Sunlight Foundation have teamed up to look at the deep-pocketed donors who could give even more if the justices strike down another limit on the amount of money in U.S. politics.
SeaWorld Comes to Washington
January 15, 2014 | The betting is that "Blackfish," which raises all kinds of questions about marine theme parks like SeaWorld, will turn up Thursday on the list of Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Feature. Here's how SeaWorld has tried to make its case in Washington since the killing of one of its trainers in 2010.
The Koch Network: A Cartological Guide
January 7, 2014 | Billionaire conservatives Charles and David Koch have created a labyrinthine network of political nonprofits and LLCs to try to influence voters to elect more conservatives, as OpenSecrets Blog has regularly reported. Our collaboration with the Washington Post found the network raised more than $400 million during the 2012 elections, and we produced a map showing how the coalition operated.
Americans for Responsible Leadership Wholly Funded by Koch-Linked Group
December 13, 2013 | The Arizona-based dark money group got almost 98 percent of its 2012 revenues from the Center to Protect Patient Rights. It spent $25.2 million, about 13 times what it spent in 2011 -- a non-election year.
What Do PACs Care About?
December 12, 2013 | What motivates PACs? The ability to gain influence with a candidate almost certain to win? Or the possibility of swaying a close race to the contestant most likely to be friendly to their cause?
McConnell's Growing Ties to Rand Paul: Trouble Brewing?
December 10, 2013 | Mitch McConnell has been paying yet another consultant linked to Rand Paul. But some of McConnell's hires from the Paul orbit are facing accusations that they broke the law before joining the minority leader's campaign.
Chinese Telecom Firm Says It's Not Giving Up the Fight in Washington
December 5, 2013 | Giant telecom company Huawei, long suspected of being a front group for the Chinese military and intelligence agencies, has cut its lobbying budget now that a congressional investigation is in the past, but says it's not going away.
Liberal Nonprofit's Funds Surged in 2012
December 4, 2013 | Patriot Majority posts record fundraising and spending.
IRS Issues Proposed Rules to Curtail Political Nonprofits
November 26, 2013 | The IRS and Treasury Department put out for comment proposed rules that could significantly curtail the use of 501(c)(4) groups for political activity -- but some experts say the government may be going too far in the other direction.
National, Iowa Right to Work Groups Subsidized State Candidates, Misled IRS, Former Employee Charges
November 25, 2013 | An ex-employee of National Right to Work and its Iowa affiliate claims that the groups provided free labor to conservative state legislative candidates as well as candidate mailers written, produced and mailed by the anti-union groups -- allegations that, if true, could to violate state law. Beyond that, they told the IRS they engaged in no political activity, a statement that appears to be false.
New Filings Shed Light on Hundreds of Millions in Dark Money Spending
November 21, 2013 | Dark money groups are only now filing the tax forms that give us a fuller glimpse of their operations during the 2012 elections. OpenSecrets.org has posts on the most significant findings, and a new dynamic visualization illustrating the flow of funds to and from some of the most active groups. In addition, we're manually entering data from the new tax filings as they come in, providing an up-to-the-minute resource not found anywhere else.
Americans for Prosperity Helped Churn Koch-Linked Money
November 15, 2013 | Americans for Prosperity, part of a network of 501(c)(4) dark money groups linked to Charles and David Koch, spent tens of millions trying to defeat President Obama in 2012. It also found some money to give to the Center to Protect Patient Rights, an Arizona-based (c)(4) group with no activities of its own.
Wellspring's Flow: Dark Money Outfit Helped Fuel Groups on Political Front Lines
November 5, 2013 | From 2008 to 2011, a mysterious dark money group called Wellspring distributed more than $17 million to front-line political groups across the country. An OpenSecrets.org and National Public Radio investigation into the group details who is organizing this group and how far and wide the group's money has been sent.
California Investigation Reveals Some Donors in Dark Money Scheme
October 24, 2013 | California's election-money watchdog group today released a list of 2012 donors to Americans for Job Security, one of the groups involved in an $11 million scheme to funnel money into two ballot initiative campaigns last year. OpenSecrets Blog was able to decipher a few big names in the mostly redacted pile.
Koch Industries Lobbied for Heritage Action Debt-Reduction Plan
October 24, 2013 | While the company said it had no position on linking government funding with Obamacare defunding, it went to bat for tying an increase in the debt ceiling to a 10-year debt reduction plan.
The Money Behind the Republicans Who Want to End the Shutdown
October 7, 2013 | Twenty-three Republicans have said they are willing to make a deal on a clean budget bill that would end the shutdown. Here's a look at how money might be playing a role in their decision to break ranks.
FEC Faces Shutdown, Fundraisers Carry On
September 30, 2013 | If Congress fails to prevent a government shutdown tonight, almost all federal work will halt, and that includes the work of the Federal Election Commission. According to a plan for a shutdown released by the FEC earlier this month, all of the agency's 335 employees -- but not the commissioners -- are expected to be furloughed without pay until the government opens again.
OpenSecrets.org's New Dark Money Data Measures Groups' Politicization
September 9, 2013 | Building on our previous work on "dark money" nonprofits, the Center for Responsive Politics is rolling out new information on the activities of these groups that are playing an increasing role in U.S. elections.
Outside Groups in Kentucky Senate Race Fueled by Out-of-State Money
August 1, 2013 | Kentuckians for Strong Leadership may indeed be for strong leadership, but it doesn't appear to involve many Kentuckians. The latest fundraising disclosures show that its attacks on Mitch McConnell challenger Alison Grimes are being paid for almost entirely by people other than Kentuckians. By the same token, liberal groups going after McConnell don't seem to have any Bluegrass State money, either.
Deep in Hock: 10 Most Indebted Campaign Committees
July 24, 2013 | Candidates will do most anything to win elections -- including, in some cases, putting their campaign committees deep in debt.
Billion Dollar Baby: U.S. Chamber is First to Hit Lobbying Milestone
July 23, 2013 | The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has spent more than $1 billion lobbying members of Congress and other officials since 1998 - by far a greater amount than any other organization over the period. The Chamber has no rivals in terms of raw resources devoted to lobbying - and may also have little competition when it comes to overall influence on the Hill.
Investigation Doesn't Taint Grimm's Fundraising
July 17, 2013 | Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.), though being investigated by the Justice Department for allegedly improper fundraising operations in his 2010 victory, had his best fundraising quarter ever in the three months ending June 30.
The Political Side of Fourth-of-July Weekend Classics
July 5, 2013 | Nothing says 'Fourth of July Weekend' like burgers and hot dogs, beer, and maybe a few belated fireworks. But the companies and industries that produce these classics are active in Washington year-round.
Painkillers, Profits and Politics
June 27, 2013 | OpenSecrets.org data shows top painkiller producers spend their profits on campaign contributions and lobbying.
Computer Industry, Unions Big Donors to Immigration Bill Supporters
June 24, 2013 | Senators who voted for cloture on a key amendment to the comprehensive immigration overhaul bill tended to receive much more money from the computer industry, human rights groups and labor unions. The 27 senators who voted against the amendment, which strengthens border security but is also a step towards passing the overall immigration package, on average received very little money from those three types of groups, but did receive heavy support from donors in the agribusiness industry.
Parties in Supreme Court DNA Dispute Have Met in Washington Before
June 14, 2013 | The Supreme Court found Thursday that human genes in their natural form cannot be patented, resolving the ongoing debate between medical research companies brought to national prominence in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics. This is not the first time these two groups have been involved in proceedings in the nation's capital.
Rove's Shadowy Defense
June 2, 2013 | Karl Rove complains that his Crossroads GPS 501(c)(4) gets more scrutiny than liberal groups. But it's in a league of its own when it comes to spending on politics.
Student Loan Debate, Redux, as Donor Schools Weigh In
May 29, 2013 | A feeling of déjà vu permeates the current student loan debate. Just last June, President Barack Obama and Congress agreed on holding the interest rate for unsubsidized Stafford loans at 3.4 percent. However, that agreement expires on July 1. Our data shows that the education industry has invested heavily in members of the House and Senate who currently are working on bills to address the issue.
Shape-Shifting by Liberal Dark Money Groups Seems Meant to Confuse
May 22, 2013 | Two liberal tax-exempt groups, Citizens for Strength and Security and Patriot Majority, have killed themselves off and re-established multiple times, and sprouted various offshoots that play by different sets of rules. It makes them virtually impossible to track for the average citizen -- and maybe for the IRS, too.
Pritzker and Froman, by the Numbers
May 2, 2013 | Obama announces the nominations of Penny Pritzker as Commerce Secretary and Michael Froman to be U.S. Trade Representative. Both were bundlers for his campaigns.
Voters Voting, Data Missing
April 30, 2013 | While Massachusetts voters are at the polls, we're unable to compare the candidates' fundraising profiles.
Shadow Money Magic: Five Easy Steps That Let You Play Big in Politics, Hide Your Donors and Game the IRS – Step 5
April 19, 2013 | In the final installment of our report, we talk about what happens when a group gets caught being too politically active, and prospects for change.
Organizing for Action Releases "Founding Members" List
April 12, 2013 | OFA hauls in $4.8 million from nearly 110,000 donors in its first quarter of operation, 25 percent of which came from just 23 individuals and a labor union.
Mark Sanford's Vanishing Labor Money
April 11, 2013 | South Carolina Democrats went after Mark Sanford for long-ago labor union contributions, using data from OpenSecrets.org. But the data was wrong, due to a coding error by the FEC. We explain.
Lobbyists 2012: Out of the Game or Under the Radar?
March 20, 2013 | Spending on lobbying as well as the number of active lobbyists was down in 2012. But nearly half of lobbyists who were active in 2011 but reported no lobbying in 2012 continued to work for the same employers -- suggesting that many have simply avoided the reporting limits while still contributing to lobbying efforts.
Paul Ryan's Connections to Insurance Companies
March 13, 2013 | Paul Ryan's latest budget, like his previous ones, shakes up Medicare, potentially creating more customers for health insurers. The insurance industry has been Ryan's top contributor over the course of his career (after retired people).
How Much Does Lobbyist Money Matter To Outside Groups?
March 8, 2013 | Organizing for Action, the new group put together by top Obama campaign aides to carry on where his campaign finished, has promised to be a new type of politically active nonprofit. Like the Obama campaign, OFA has said it will not take money from federally registered lobbyists. While limiting the role that registered lobbyists play in political fundraising efforts might seem to be an effective way to curb the influence of "special interests," we wondered how important lobbyists really are in the outside money game. Are their donations to super PACs and other post-Citizens United groups like OFA really over the top?
Revolving Members of the Last Congress
March 8, 2013 | We've gathered revolving door information on former members of the 112th Congress. Check it out.
Capital Eye Opener, March 8: The Fight Over Minimum Wage, and Rand's Partisan Appeal
March 8, 2013 | Talk of increasing the minimum wage is heating up -- but the subject is always a lobbying issue. Also, Rand Paul may have gotten bipartisan help for his talking filibuster, but don't look for it in his campaign finances.
Capital Eye Opener, March 1: Lobbying on Horse Slaughter, and Ellison's Spat with Hannity
March 1, 2013 | With the possible opening of a new horse slaughterhouse, we look at lobbying on the issue. Also, Rep. Keith Ellison's in a throwdown with Sean Hannity, but it's probably a plus for the lawmaker.
Revolving Door Works for Staffers, Too
February 27, 2013 | A new analysis by Remapping Debate and the Center for Responsive Politics shows that 41 high-ranking staffers for new members of Congress came from organizations that have a lobbying presence in Washington.
Jesse Jackson Jr.: Campaign Cash to Spare
February 15, 2013 | Jesse Jackson Jr. reportedly will plead guilty to conspiring to misappropriate $750,000 in campaign funds. If true, the charges may help explain why Jackson's campaigns spent nearly all the $7.8 million they've raised since 2000, despite having no serious opposition.
Debt On The Hill: Some Lawmakers Face Fiscal Cliff Of Their Own
February 14, 2013 | Americans borrow a lot of money, and so do members of Congress. In 2011, lawmakers owed between $238.9 million and $568.3 million to various creditors, not including their home mortgage obligations. But it's not all student and car loans and carried-over credit card balances. Lawmakers borrow to buy planes and boats, and get involved in complex transactions involving lines of credit and margin loans with exclusive investment funds. And some carry credit card balances of more than $100,000.
Issues and Interest Groups in State of the Union Spotlight
February 12, 2013 | The economy, immigration, gun control and climate change are among the issues President Obama is expected to highlight in his address tonight. But don't expect any of his proposals to sail through Congress -- there are too many interests at stake for that.
Capital Eye Opener, Feb. 12: SOTU Guest Was Dem Donor, Giffords' Super PAC to Run Ad Tonight, and More
February 12, 2013 | The owner of a Wisconsin brewery who will sit with Michelle Obama at tonight's speech has also contributed to several Democratic causes, including the president's campaigns. Also, Gabby Giffords' super PAC will run its first ad before and after the State of the Union in select markets, and public employee unions rally on Capitol Hill today to protect federal workers in sequestration negotiations.
Capital Eye Opener, Feb. 11: New Jersey's Governor is BFF with Zuckerberg, Seattle Wants a Refund on Drones, and More
February 11, 2013 | Chris Christie heads west on a fundraising swing that includes an event hosted by Mark Zuckerberg. Also, some parts of the U.S. have doubts about drones.
Capital Eye Opener, Feb. 6: Duckworth "Buzziest" House Freshman in Media Hype and Fundraising, One Florida University Beefs Up Lobbying Staff, and More
February 6, 2013 | Rep. Tammy Duckworth was mentioned in the news more in her first month of office than any other House freshman, according to a University of Minnesota study. She also spent more in her campaign than her colleagues in the class of '12.
The Politics of Super Bowl XLVII
February 1, 2013 | NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the top brass of the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens tilt Republican, though not dramatically. The same goes for the extremely well-funded NFL Gridiron PAC.
Capital Eye Opener, Jan. 30: Federal Unions Growing, Hillary's Biggest Fan, and Samsung Opens DC Lobbying Office
January 30, 2013 | Public employee unions continue growing, and so (for the most part) does the amount they spend to lobby Washington. Also, one university professor has started two pro-Hillary super PACs.
Capital Eye Opener, Jan. 25: Lobbying for Filibuster Changes, SEC Nominee's Reverse-Revolving, and More
January 25, 2013 | Good government types, labor unions and others have lobbied to change filibuster rules. Also, some of the clients of Mary Jo White's law firm will be watching her actions at the SEC, if she's confirmed as chief, with more than passing interest.
Latest Inaugural Donors: Lawmakers, Unions, Corporations — But Few Details
January 20, 2013 | Labor unions finally show up on the list of inaugural donors, along with more big-name corporations and a sprinkling of celebrities. But once again, the Friday-night release of contributors is devoid of info to help viewers figure out who they are -- details like hometown and employer. And the list doesn't reveal how much each donor kicked in.
Retired Lawmaker Moves on to Lobbying, Running a PAC
January 10, 2013 | Now that Rep. Steve LaTourette has retired after 18 years in Congress, he's moving through the revolving door to open a government affairs branch for a business-oriented law firm. He'll also run a PAC that favors moderate Republicans, and plans to start a super PAC affiliate.
Capital Eye Opener, Jan. 7: Chuck Hagel's Distance From Defense, and More
January 7, 2013 | Chuck Hagel, President Obama's pick to take charge of the Defense Department, had little to do with the defense industry when he was in Congress.
Capital Eye Opener, Jan. 2: Bennett Poised to Register as Lobbyist After Sounding Off, and AIG Paves the Way for a Political Comeback
January 2, 2013 | Former Sen. Bob Bennett chafes at the restrictions on former lawmakers becoming lobbyists. He's registering on the very day his two-year cooling-off period ends, and he's sounding off.
For Outgoing Lawmakers, Connections Mean Chance to Cash In
December 26, 2012 | It's that time of the year where retiring members of Congress or those who were forced out by voters begin looking for jobs elsewhere -- such as K Street. Making the jump from lawmaker to lobbyist is lucrative. Some members aren't even waiting for their terms to expire.
Capital Eye Opener, Dec. 24: Religious Right Isn't So Much, Coal in Their Stockings, and More
December 24, 2012 | Religious groups may tend right, but their money doesn't. Also, coal's not always a bad stocking-stuffer, big coal, joe manchin, hillary clinton, john mccain,peabody energy, consol energy, susan delbene
Capital Eye Opener, Dec. 20: Where Congress and the NRA Collide, Treasury Sells GM, and More
December 20, 2012 | Two members of Congress -- a Republican and a Democrat -- are on the NRA's board of directors. Also, members of Congress and GM stock, and Sen. Tom Harkin's relationship with a company pushing the dollar coin.
Several House Members and a Senator Struggle With Full Donor Disclosure
December 14, 2012 | Newly-elected Texas Rep. Steve Stockman leads the way among new lawmakers with low donor disclosure quality, while Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren has the lowest disclosure among new senators.
CRP Receives Grant from Colbert, Names Conference Room for Super PAC
December 14, 2012 | We at the Center for Responsive Politics are pleased to announce that our previously nameless gathering place for staff meetings, interviews with reporters and celebrations of all kinds now has an identity: the Colbert Super PAC Memorial Conference Room. The renaming was made possible by a generous, and unsolicited, grant of $136,000 from the Ham Rove Memorial Fund.
Capital Eye Opener, Dec. 11: Banks in Potentially Crippling Lawsuits, A Cultural Misunderstanding Over Wal-Mart Lobbying, and the Death Star Petition
December 11, 2012 | Some of the nation's biggest banks are defendants in a whole new round of lawsuits over subprime mortgages, with potential liability in the hundreds of billions. WalMart is accused of illegal lobbying in India, though it all seems to be a misunderstanding.
Unions Gave Democratic Super PACs Last-Minute Burst of Cash
December 7, 2012 | Two super PACs devoted to electing Democrats to the House and Senate, as well as the one backing Obama's re-election, brought in close to $10 million from labor between Oct. 18 and Election Day, FEC reports indicate.
American Crossroads Brought in $37 Million in Last-Chance Cash
December 7, 2012 | Without the Adelsons, American Crossroads would have brought in just $14 million in the final few weeks before the election -- and thrown less money down the drain.
Capital Eye Opener, Dec. 7: Multimillions for Priorities, Adelsons Come Through for Crossroads, and More
December 7, 2012 | Priorities USA Action brought in $15 million in the weeks before the election, and after the vote still had $4 million in the bank. The Adelsons send $23 million to American Crossroads in the final days. A union-funded group spends $1 million against Scott Brown just before the vote. And FreedomWorks for America picks up another $5 million-plus from the mysterious Specialty Group.
Grimm's Fundraising Robust Despite Accusations of Campaign Fraud
November 30, 2012 | Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) has been operating under a shadow since shortly after his election in 2010, accused of participating in major campaign finance wrongdoing. But even as his legal troubles continue to mount, Grimm has seen his fundraising efforts thrive and won re-election in his Staten Island district earlier this month.
Drones: Despite Problems, A Push to Expand Domestic Use
November 27, 2012 | Privacy and safety questions remain unresolved, but a law pushed by makers of unmanned aerial vehicles requires the Federal Aviation Administration to open up airspace to the devices. Police departments, universities, private corporations -- everyone wants one.
Capital Eye Opener, Nov. 23: The Politics of Big-Box Stores, Jesse Jackson Jr.'s Demise, and More
November 23, 2012 | Just in case you were torn about which stores to hit first, here's some info to make your choice even more complicated!
Capitol Eye Opener Nov. 20: Sequestration Puts Cloud Over Defense, Allen West Concedes, and More
November 20, 2012 | The defense sector braces for sequestration. Allen West (finally) concedes. Obama talks with business leaders.
Capital Eye Opener, Nov. 19: California Republicans Struggle, Digital Fundraising and Burma Lobbying
November 19, 2012 | California has a liberal reputation, and indeed the Golden State's Republicans are struggling -- at the polls and at campaign fundraising; President Barack Obama rides high on digital fundraising and the president's visit to Burma prompts a look at who's lobbying on the U.S. relationship with the former military dictatorship.
Capital Eye Opener, Nov. 16: Whistleblowers, A Familiar Name in New Lobbying Registration Forms, and More
November 16, 2012 | Whistleblower protections eaten away by the courts are back -- and yes, there was lobbying on the bill. Meanwhile, the Torch is back, showing up on federal lobbying registration forms for the first time.
Blue Team Aided by Small Donors, Big Bundlers; Huge Outside Spending Still Comes Up Short
November 7, 2012 | President Barack Obama clinched a second term last night relying on many of the same campaign finance tools he used in his pre-Citizens United victory in 2008: party support and an in-house campaign finance operation that turned to individual donors and a web of elite bundlers to expand its reach. He received comparatively little help from outside spending groups. But that's not to say super PACs and secretive nonprofit groups had no influence on the election -- although they heavily favored conservative candidates, many of whom lost, they created an arms race that helped drive the cost of election to record levels.
Capital Eye Opener, Nov. 6: CRP Hosts Reddit AMA Today, Center to Protect Patient Rights Appears Again, and More
November 6, 2012 | CRP is hosting a Reddit forum today to answer any questions about money in politics this Election Day. Also, a group we revealed last May makes another appearance, and today's D-Day for the GOTV efforts of both presidential candidates.
Mystery Firm is Election's Top Corporate Donor at $5.3 Million
November 5, 2012 | The biggest corporate contributor in the 2012 election so far doesn't appear to make anything–other than very large contributions to a conservative super PAC.
Hot Race for Arizona Senate Seat: Jeff Flake vs. Richard Carmona
November 1, 2012 | It would appear that Jeff Flake holds all the cards in his campaign to win Arizona's open Senate seat. But despite having outraised his Democratic opponent, and having more outside spending going his way, Flake's move to the other side of the Capitol is far from certain.
Union-Backed Super PAC Supports Republicans
October 31, 2012 | The Lunch Pail Republicans super PAC gets its money primarily from the International Union of Operating Engineers, and -- unlike most union-funded groups -- backs Republicans.
2012 Election Spending Will Reach $6 Billion, Center for Responsive Politics Predicts
October 31, 2012 | Earlier this year, the Center for Responsive Politics estimated that the 2012 election would cost $5.8 billion -- an estimate that already made it the most expensive in history -- but with less than a week to go before the election, CRP is revising the estimate upwards. According to CRP's new analysis of Federal Election Commission data, this election will likely cost $6 billion.
Capital Eye Opener, Oct. 31: Happy Halloween! It's Not Just Candy, It's a Special Interest! And More
October 30, 2012 | Think there's no politics in candy? Think again. Also, the fight for Ohio's auto workers, and a troubled medical device maker's robust Washington presence.
Super PACs, Nonprofits Favored Romney Over Obama: Citizens United Decision Helped Romney Neutralize Obama's Fundraising Advantage
October 30, 2012 | Super PACs and nonprofits unleashed by the Citizens United Supreme Court decision have spent more than $840 million on the 2012 election, with the overwhelming majority favoring Republicans, particularly GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney. The spending helped close the gap on Obama's considerable fundraising advantage over his rival.
Congressional Candidates Draw One-Campaign Super PACs
October 30, 2012 | Candidate-specific super PACs, once exclusively associated with presidential hopefuls, have moved down-ticket and are now supporting candidates in congressional races this election. Super PACs devoted solely to supporting a congressional candidate spent $28 million in the 2012 election with about $22 million going toward helping conservative candidates, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of campaign data.
Nonprofits, Shell Corporations Help Shield Identity of Ad Backers
October 30, 2012 | In the 2012 election, nonprofits have been the preferred vehicle for donors who prefer to keep their identities secret. But with the right lawyers, super PACs, which are supposedly transparent about their donors, can accomplish the same feat.
Capital Eye Opener, Oct. 25: Unions Worry Support Could Be in Vain, Giants Make Eponymous Contributions, and More
October 25, 2012 | True to tradition, labor unions are solidly behind President Obama and other Democrats, and their contributions show it. Nonetheless, they worry about the post-election season and whether the Dems will cut Social Security and Medicare.
FreedomWorks Small Donor Strategy Works in September
October 24, 2012 | A conservative super PAC with an extraordinarily large small-donor base had its best month yet and has roared into October.
Backed by Adelson, Republican Pro-Israel Group Targets Obama
October 17, 2012 | With support from casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and a board laden with well-connected luminaries of GOP fundraising, the Republican Jewish Coalition is making a strong push to turn just enough Jews against Obama to deny him re-election.
Capital Eye Opener, Oct. 9: Rich Donors' Many Interests, Fracking Industry's Ongoing Pressure, and More
October 9, 2012 | The Center for Responsive Politics collaborates for an examination of wealthy donors' giving across the spectrum -- federal, state and local -- led by the Investigative News Network.
The Big Picture: CRP Collaboration With INN and Others Produces Rare Look at Wealthy Donors' Range of Giving
October 8, 2012 | CRP's collaboration with the Investigative News Network, the National Institute for Money in State Politics and news outlets in seven states yields a close look at wealthy donors' wide-ranging giving.
Capital Eye Opener, Oct. 8: Behind Columbus Day, Jack Welch the Jobs Doubter and More
October 7, 2012 | The Knights of Columbus' advocacy for this holiday was a lobbying success story. And Jack Welch doesn't put much money behind his tweets.
Hot Race in California's New 7th: Dan Lungren vs. Ami Bera
October 5, 2012 | In California's brand-new 7th District, two old competitors are going at it again. Once again, the challenger has been outraising the House veteran. But this time the district is being flooded with outside money.
Hot Race in the Minnesota 8th: Chip Cravaack vs. Rick Nolan
October 4, 2012 | There are plenty of disparities in the contest between Rick Nolan and Chip Cravaack, including the fact that Cravaack has raised about $1 million more. But outside spending is the real story of this race.
Hot Race for Connecticut Senate Seat: Chris Murphy vs. Linda McMahon
October 3, 2012 | Former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon doesn't need the support of a super PAC, and she doesn't need to hold $500-a-head fundraisers. She has her very own deep pockets -- though she's dipped into them for far less cash than she did in 2010 and has spent the money more wisely, which has kept her Senate race with Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy very, very competitive.
Capital Eye Opener, Sept. 19: Shadow Money Shuffle, Cash Quest Trumps Campaigning, and More
September 19, 2012 | It may look like a network of misfiring neurons, but our visualization, done in collaboration with Newsweek & the Daily Beast, actually shows the connections between shadow money groups.
What Citizens United (et al) Wrought: The Shadow Money Explosion
September 18, 2012 | Visualizations by Newsweek & The Daily Beast in partnership with the Center for Responsive Politics show the explosive growth in spending by groups that don't disclose their donors.
New OpenSecrets.org Tool: One-Page Profiles of 20,000 Corporations, Unions and Trade Groups
September 13, 2012 | OpenSecrets.org unveils its latest tool -- at-a-glance profiles of more than 20,000 organizations that include lobbying, campaign finance and other information on one page to help you easily measure an organization's influence in Washington.
Capital Eye Opener Sept. 6th: Celebrities at the DNC, Rahm Joins Priorities
September 6, 2012 | Labor unions not the stars of this year's convention, celebrities, however, seem to be making quite the splash, and Rahm Emanuel seeks to make a bigger splash by moving to the super PAC world.
Capital Eye Opener, September 5: Party Time in Charlotte, With Corporate Cash Present
September 5, 2012 | After a week of political pageantry and Republican politics in Tampa Bay, the spotlight turns to Democrats this week, as they kick off their own party convention in the battleground state of North Carolina. Readers of this blog know all too well what that means: It's party time.
Capital Eye Opener, September 4: Institutional Investors Target Aetna, Unions Battle Outside Spenders
September 4, 2012 | A group of institutional investors demands to know more about Aetna's donations to shadow money groups and labor unions are pitted against conservative outside spending groups.
Liberal Group With Ties to Unions Ends Donor Disclosure
August 23, 2012 | Patriot Majority's latest series of attack ads targets the conservative billionaires pumping money into the secretive world of right-wing non-profits, but offers few clues about who is funding its own activities. In a striking example of how the most ambitious actors in the realm of political funding have begun taking advantage of a shift in the legal landscape since 2010, the trail connecting Patriot Majority to its well-known progressive funders has all but melted away. Almost all of Patriot Majority's activities are now being carried out through a nonprofit that, under section 501(c)(4) of the tax code, doesn't have to disclose its donors.
Capital Eye Opener, August 21: Brand Names Step Up For Crossroads, Securities Lawyers Go Left, Humvee Veers Right
August 21, 2012 | The latest super PAC filings -- brand names you recognize writing checks to Crossroads, Wall Street backs Romney, but lawyers who sue Wall Street are organizing for Priorities USA, and the maker of Humvees chips in $1 million for Restore Our Future.
Capital Eye Opener, Aug. 13: Ryan's Biggest Supporters and Detractors, Bob Kerrey's Friends In The Media and More
August 13, 2012 | The biggest supporter of Paul Ryan's leadership PAC the last several years has been a New York City hedgefund run by a billionaire known for his support of the GOP and gay marriage; Forget about the liberal media, Bob Kerrey finds friends in the rural media.
Washington's Influence Olympics: The 4×400 Relay
August 7, 2012 | Today's Influence Olympics doesn't pit lobbyists against each other. Instead, we construct a Dream Team for the 4x400 meter relay.
Capital Eye Opener, Aug. 6: Americans for Job Security Back In Action, Watchdog Groups Take On American Future Fund and Will Ferrell Maxes Out
August 6, 2012 | Americans for Job Security targets Eric Hovde in its first ad of the cycle, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 oppose American Future Fund's efforts to raise funds with candidates and the 2012 'Campaign' goes Hollywood.
Capital Eye Opener, August 3: Polling about Super PACS, NYC Preps for Outside Spending and More
August 3, 2012 | "Super PAC" may be a household term to readers of this blog, but most Americans don't know what one is. NYC anticipates local super PAC activity and adopts stronger disclosure regs, and the DCCC says "sorry" to Sheldon Adelson.
Capital Eye Opener, August 1: Obama Chips In, Moderate GOP Rep. Throws in the Towel and Indiana's K Street Ties
August 1, 2012 | President Obama anted up for his own re-election bid, something he didn't do in 2008. If he wins, he may have to deal with even more gridlock on Capitol Hill now that one of the last Republican moderates, Rep. Steve LaTourette, is exiting. And a Washington lobbying firm is the home of a pro-Bahrain group that took GOP Rep. Dan Burton to that country, and the firm has other interesting ties to the Hoosier State.
2012 Election Will Be Costliest Yet, With Outside Spending a Wild Card
August 1, 2012 | The 2012 presidential and congressional elections will be the most expensive on record, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics estimates, though they likely won't beat 2008's number by much. Outside spending, though, is a wild card that makes predictions tricky, and it's clear that it will account for a larger share of the total than ever before.
Capital Eye Opener, July 31: An Olympic Ad Boosting Romney, the Teamsters Stay in the Game, and More
July 31, 2012 | Restore Our Future follows Priorities USA Action in using the Olympics to talk about Romney, this time in a positive light. But will Olympic officials come down on this super PAC as it did on Priorities? Also, how corporations embroiled in scandal deal with contributions to politicians, and the Teamsters stand strong in the realm of political giving.
Capital Eye Opener, July 27: LinkedIn Arrives on K Street, Anti-Incumbent Super PAC Calling It Quits and Disney World Gets Political
July 27, 2012 | LinkedIn comes to Washington, lobbying for the first time. The Campaign for Primary Accountability, though, is packing its bags, at least for this cycle. And a Republican lawmaker's leadership PAC takes folks to Disney World. Can we come next time?
Capital Eye Opener, July 11: Obama Talks Taxes, Unions Spend Big on Politics and More
July 10, 2012 | President Obama is picking a fight on the extension of the Bush tax cuts -- an issue which, when last debated on Capitol Hill, attracted hundreds of lobbying efforts. That story and more in today's Capital Eye Opener.
A Heartbeat Away? The Money-and-Politics Veepstakes: Tim Pawlenty
July 9, 2012 | Working-class roots and a solid fundraising record could help the former Minnesota governor get the nod.
Capital Eye Opener, July 4: Patriotic Ads, Patriotic PACs and Patriotic Brews
July 4, 2012 | Happy Independence Day! As America gears up for its July 4th festivities, here's a special edition of our money-in-politics roundup.
Capital Eye Opener, July 3: DeMint's PAC Launches Super PAC Arm, A $3B Pharma Settlement and NY Soccer Club Backs Romney
July 3, 2012 | Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) is moving on from his successful leadership PAC so that the group can create a new super PAC, GlaxoSmithKline agrees to the largest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history with the Justice Department and FC New York sports pro-Romney apparel.
Obama Health Law Stands: The Money Roundup
June 28, 2012 | The health care law stands, and so does the health sector's history of heavy giving to lawmakers, especially Republicans.
Making Sense of Presidential Fundraising Numbers
June 28, 2012 | Campaign finance disclosures released last week by the presidential campaigns, parties and one of the joint fundraising committees have raised a lot of eyebrows and generated speculation about the financial challenge facing the President's re-election campaign. Although it's unclear whether the fundraising surge experienced by the Romney campaign (writ broadly) in May will be sustained. But it seems unlikely that either candidate will lose due to lack of funds.
AFSCME's New Boss, Lobbying Down on 2012 DISCLOSE Act And More in Capital Eye Opener: June 22
June 22, 2012 | One of Democrats' biggest-spending political allies elects a new leader, while the Sunshine State girds for electoral battle yet again.
Experts talk "Shadow Money" at Center for Responsive Politics Conference
June 20, 2012 | Conference on nondisclosing outside groups prompts lively debate on the current landscape and what -- if anything -- should be done.
OpenSecrets PolitiQuizz: Pro Golf's Lone Lobbyist
June 18, 2012 | A steady flow of politicians to fairways is par for the course in Washington, D.C. It's also true that golfing interests have beat a path in the opposite direction, to the nation's capital.
Minnesota Republican's Legislation, Stock Portfolio Intersect
June 18, 2012 | Last week's House passage of Rep. Erik Paulsen's Health Care Cost Reduction Act was a victory for the Minnesota Republican -- a boost to his political career, and perhaps his investment portfolio too.
OpenSecrets PolitiQuizz: Warren v. Brown
June 12, 2012 | Our question this week: What issue group is the biggest contributor to Elizabeth Warren's campaign for the Massachusetts Senate?
Outside Spending: The Big Picture (So Far)
June 11, 2012 | Mitt Romney wrapped up the Republican presidential nomination with a good bit of help from Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting him. But just how big a role has outside spending overall played in the election so far? In fact, the amount of spending by outside groups has grown dramatically since previous elections, and independent expenditures in particular -- messages that explicitly call for the election or defeat of a candidate -- are increasingly the preferred vehicle.
FCC Vote Could Bring Increased Transparency to Political Ads
April 26, 2012 | Will the nation's airwaves receive a needed dose of sunshine this week? That is entirely up to the Federal Communications Commission.
Dog Bites Man: Lawyers for Obama, Wall Street Backs Romney
April 24, 2012 | This is no man-bites-dog story. Law firms led the list of top donors to Barack Obama's presidential campaign in March, while top financial firms were the chief backer's of Mitt Romney's bid. And the top industry donating to super PACs: wealthy individuals in finance. Overall, an analysis of OpenSecrets.org data shows, the candidates didn't stray far from their past fundraising patterns: industries that have been well represented in the top ten stayed there, with a few variations.
Unions Finally Make a Showing On Super PAC Stage
April 22, 2012 | Labor unions injected themselves into the super PAC story line in March to a greater degree than at any time yet this election cycle, increasing by 50 percent the amount given by organized labor in the previous 14 months.
Santorum's Ride: A Lot of Bang for the Buck
April 10, 2012 | Rick Santorum's campaign fizzled today, but only after a good fight. According to OpenSecrets.org data, Santorum labored under serious fundraising deficits compared with the frontrunner in the GOP presidential nominating contest, Mitt Romney. That was true for the super PAC backing him, too. Still, he won contests in 10 states.
Blue Dog Fundraising Climbs as Coalition Fights Extinction
March 20, 2012 | Blue Dog Democrats are an endangered species on Capitol Hill, but their fundraising suggests they may be clawing their way back with a little help from Democratic leadership PACs, among others.
Koch-Connected Group Shows Holes in Disclosure Requirements
March 5, 2012 | Donors to Americans for Prosperity, a 501(c)(4) group founded by one of the Koch brothers and heavily involved in politics, include several conservative foundations, the American Petroleum Institute, and a conduit fund designed to give contributors an extra layer of anonymity. The sources of about 75 percent of its 2010 budget remain even more of a mystery.
OpenSecrets' Mailbag: The Less-Than-1 Percent, Ron Paul's Army and More
March 2, 2012 | Welcome to the latest installment of OpenSecrets Blog's Mailbag, where we answer your burning questions about the role of money in politics, political influence and the work we do here at OpenSecrets.org.
Giants and Patriots Toss Political Dollars To Democrats
February 3, 2012 | When the New England Patriots and New England Giants meet on the national stage in Super Bowl XLVI this Sunday, it's expected to be an event far removed from politics -- just two tough and proven football squads, squaring off in the biggest sporting event of the year. Off the field, however, is another matter entirely.
Lobbying Expenditures Slump in 2011
January 26, 2012 | The nation's economy may be slowly rebounding, but during 2011, the economic engine of K Street sputtered. Overall expenditures on lobbying were down for the first time in more than a decade, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Buying the Joint Strike Fighter Caucus
December 14, 2011 | It's the steal of the century. For the price of buying a condo in Washington, D.C., you can support the political campaigns of members of Congress who support your trillion-dollar program. Talk about return on investment!
Center for Responsive Politics Welcomes New Editorial and Communications Director
December 12, 2011 | An award-winning investigative journalist and former deputy director of FactCheck.org, Viveca Novak, has joined the Center for Responsive Politics as the nonpartisan organization's editorial and communications director.
Who is Behind the Attacks on Dem Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren?
December 12, 2011 | Nothing is known about the donors to Crossroads GPS -- a conservative group that, along with its affiliated super PAC, American Crossroads -- plans to spend $240 million during the 2012 election cycle. But the finance, insurance and real estate sector accounts for $1 out of every $9 that American Crossroads has raised. Yet Crossroads GPS recently slammed Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren for allegedly being too close to Big Finance.
FEC Says Leadership PACs Cannot Become Super PACs
December 2, 2011 | By a unanimous vote Thursday, the six members of the Federal Election Commission agreed that leadership PACs could not raise unlimited contributions to fund independent expenditures.
How Wealthy are President Barack Obama and His Cabinet?
December 1, 2011 | President Barack Obama may be the leader of the free world, but he's far from the wealthiest person in his cabinet, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Ethics Watchdog Alleges New Jersey Democrat Used Campaign Funds for Personal Use
November 30, 2011 | A complaint to the FEC against Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) alleges that the eleven-term congressman illegally used tens of thousands of dollars contributed to his campaign to pay for a luxurious trip to Scotland to attend a donor's wedding, a graduation party for one of his daughters and to support his other daughter's acting and singing career.
Which Democrat Will Next Head the House Financial Services Committee?
November 29, 2011 | With upcoming retirement of Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), House Democrats will be vying for the role of top dog on the House Financial Services Committee, where Frank has been the highest ranking Democrat since 2003. Like Frank, many of the other high-ranking Democrats on the committee exhibit intimate ties with the industries with interests before them. Here's a primer on who could be next in line for the reigns of Democratic power after Frank's departure next year.
Where Will Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Charlie Gonzalez Land After Retirement Next Year?
November 28, 2011 | Is the lure of the private sector too much for Rep. Charlie Gonzalez (D-Texas)? Over the weekend, Gonzalez, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and a seven-term congressman, announced that he would not seek re-election at the end of his term next year.
Most Members of Congress Enjoy Robust Financial Status, Despite Nation's Sluggish Economic Recovery
November 15, 2011 | These days, being a millionaire typically qualifies you as part of the one percent. But in Congress, it only makes you average. About 47 percent of Congress, or 250 current members of Congress, are millionaires, according to a new study by the Center for Responsive Politics of lawmakers' personal financial disclosure forms covering calendar year 2010.
Department of Veterans Affairs Increasingly Targeted by Lobbyists
November 11, 2011 | More companies, unions and other groups could lobby the Department of Veterans Affairs this year than ever before, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics. Through the end of September, 254 organizations reported lobbying the VA.
A Great Lakes State Debate, Lobbyists Host Patty Murray's Staff and More in Capital Eye Opener: November 10
November 10, 2011 | Southeastern Michigan was the setting for the latest GOP presidential debate Wednesday night. The state's significance as the symbolic center of the American auto industry and as an epicenter of a sluggish economic recovery were lost on no one, as the candidates debated bailouts to American car manufacturers and the economy at length.
Labor Unions' Big Win in Ohio, Google's DC Head Retires And More in Capital Eye Opener: November 9
November 9, 2011 | Voters in Ohio last night went to the polls and enacted a referendum to repeal a law that restricted the collective bargaining rights of many of the state's public sector employees. Many of the biggest public sector unions spent heavily in Ohio to influence turnout. And they also spend plenty of dollars on influence in Washington, D.C.
Medical Device Bill Gains Steam, Union President Retires and More in Capital Eye Opener: November 8
November 8, 2011 | The bill sponsored by Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.) to repeal the tax on medical devices is gaining momentum and now has 218 co-sponsors, the minimum number of votes needed for it to pass, according to a Medical Technology caucus press release. The progress of the Protect Medical Innovation Act is partly a result of extensive lobbying efforts and political contributions of medical groups in favor of the bill.
Third-Quarter Lobbying Reports Reveal Who's Up and Who's Down
November 2, 2011 | Lobbying expenditures fell during the third quarter of 2011 for many of the country's most prominent companies, especially those in the energy and natural resource sector, according to a preliminary analysis of about 90 percent of all third-quarter lobbying reports by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Barack Obama's Rx Drug Plan, MF Global's Fall and More in Capital Eye Opener: Nov. 1
November 1, 2011 | On Monday, the White House announced support for two bills currently weaving their way through Congress related to access to prescription drugs, and President Barack Obama isn't the only one with his eye on this legislation.
OpenSecrets.org Details What Special Interest Groups Spent Most on Third-Quarter Lobbying
October 31, 2011 | During the third quarter of 2011, more than 10,000 individual lobbyists actively worked to advance the interests of their clients and monitored political developments in the nation's capital. That's roughly 20 lobbyists for every member of Congress.
GOP-Leaning Donor Touts Dem Mayor as '2 Legit 2 Quit,' Internet Fight Ahead and More in Capital Eye Opener: Oct. 28
October 28, 2011 | Ron Conway, the man behind the YouTube hit "Ed Lee is 2 Legit 2 Quit" has actually given more money to Republican candidates and groups -- about 70 percent of the $246,000 he's donated at the federal level over the years.
Questions Surround Creation of Super PAC by Florida Deep Sea Burial Corporation
October 24, 2011 | Earlier this month, a Florida nonprofit corporation by the name of Deep Sea Burials, Inc., filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission forming a super PAC. The filing, however, contained several inconsistencies.
NBA Lobbies Despite Lockout, Bishops See Religious Freedom Under Attack and More in Capital Eye Opener: Oct. 12
October 12, 2011 | Despite the lockout, the NBA's spending in Washington has remained to be a budget item. During the first half of 2011, the NBA spent $40,000 on federal lobbying, focused on "federal issues affecting professional sports leagues" and "cable television and copyright regulations," as well as seeking to "protect collectively bargained drug testing agreements."
NFL Teams Play Political Football
October 7, 2011 | A new season means a fresh start for teams like the Houston Texans. Not only is the NFL's newest team the favorite to win its division for the first time, the team ranks as the most politically active since January 2009, according to a new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.
FEC Data Guru Bob Biersack to Join Center for Responsive Politics as Senior Fellow
October 6, 2011 | The Center for Responsive Politics, the nation's leading nonpartisan, nonprofit research group tracking the influence of money in politics, is delighted to announce that longtime Federal Election Commissioner staffer Bob Biersack has joined the organization as a senior fellow.
Bank of America Draws Criticism, Guns Groups Assault DC and More in Capital Eye Opener: Oct. 6
October 6, 2011 | Bank of America's decision to charge its debit card users $5 per month has drawn the ire first of customers, and now, politicians, including President Barack Obama, who collected about $395,000 from Bank of America employees during his 2008 presidential run -- although this year BofA employees have favored Republican Mitt Romney with their campaign cash.
Starbucks' Stimulus Plan, Cementing Regulatory Foes and More in Capital Eye Opener: Oct. 5
October 5, 2011 | Starbuck's Chief Executive Officer Howard Schultz has announced that the company will begin accepting donations online and in stores of $5 or more to promote job creation, starting Nov. 1. The move comes after Schultz pledged to "withhold any further campaign contributions to the president and all members of Congress until a fair, bipartisan deal is reached that sets our nation on stronger long-term fiscal footing."
Koch Bros.' Woes, More Keystone XL Drama and More in Capital Eye Opener: Oct. 4
October 4, 2011 | Kansas-based energy giant Koch Industries used bribery to win foreign contracts and illegally sold chemicals to Iran, according to a Bloomberg report. The company and its conservative owners, brothers David and Charles Koch, are heavy hitters in Washington with a history of prolific support of Republican causes.
Would a PAC By Any Other Name Sound As Sweet?
September 29, 2011 | Thousands of political action committee committees thrive in the federal political landscape, and new ones are popping up every week. Yet based on the names of these groups alone, the average voter rarely has enough information to determine the agenda of a particular PAC -- especially leadership PACs and super PACS.
Surge of Lobbying Fuels Keystone XL Pipeline Project
September 28, 2011 | In its trek from the tar sands of Alberta to the white sands of the Gulf Coast, the Keystone XL oil pipeline project would traverse 1,700 miles. The oil's long voyage across the American heartland through a pipeline about the size of a semi-trailer truck tire is not unlike the journey the project has traveled the past three years through the bureaucratic pipeline in Washington.
Darrell Issa Turns Against Postal Unions That Once Backed His Campaign
September 27, 2011 | Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the committee that oversees the Postal Service, was once a top beneficiary of money from postal union PACs. But now, after pushing his Postal Reform Act through a House subcommittee, postal unions consider Issa their greatest foe.
OpenSecrets.org Wins Prestigious Online Journalism Award For Best Topical Reporting
September 26, 2011 | OpenSecrets.org, the website of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, has earned top honors from the Online News Association, winning the 2011 Online Journalism Award for best topical reporting and blogging among all websites of similar size.opensecretsorglogo.jpg
Rise of the Retirees, Postal Unions Seek to 'Save' USPS and More in Capital Eye Opener: Sept. 21
September 21, 2011 | The future of Medicare is a hot political topic. And as President Barack Obama, his potential GOP rivals and members of Congress debate the future of the program, it's likely that campaign cash from retired Americans will also be on their minds.
House Rebukes Labor Board, Pennsylvania's Presidential Ambitions and More In Capital Eye Opener: Sept. 16
September 16, 2011 | A bill (H.R. 2587) passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday that aims to prevent the National Labor Relations Board from ordering companies to close or relocate employees.
Fashion Week's Political Players: From Vera Wang to Vogue
September 15, 2011 | As New York City's fashion week winds to a close, OpenSecrets Blog takes a look at the fashion industry's well-manicured footprint in Washington.
The Wilderness Lobby, Postal Workers United and More in Capital Eye Opener: Sept. 6
September 6, 2011 | September is National Wilderness Month, and while the Lorax may not be a registered lobbyist in Washington, D.C., several other groups are working to protect the environment and promote wilderness through lobbying and advocacy.
Labor Lobbying, Union PAC Contributions and More in Capital Eye Opener: Sept. 5
September 5, 2011 | It's Labor Day, and to commemorate, OpenSecrets Blog is offering a look at how labor unions spend money to gets things done politically.
Center for Responsive Politics Closed Monday to Observe Labor Day
September 5, 2011 | The Center for Responsive Politics is closed Monday in observance of the Labor Day holiday.
Democrat David Weprin Holds Financial Advantage in Home Stretch of New York Special Election
September 2, 2011 | In the contest to fill the House seat of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), Democratic candidate David Weprin is out-pacing his Republican opponent, Bob Turn, in terms of fund-raising.
Conservative Groups Spend Big in Nevada Special Election
September 2, 2011 | Heading into the final stretch of the campaign, Democrat Kate Marshall has out-raised Republican Mark Amodei, but outside groups have also dumped more than $800,000 into the race.
Lobbying on Clean Coal, AFL-CIO Forms Super Labor PAC and more in Capital Eye Opener: Aug 26
August 26, 2011 | The AFL-CIO will soon join more than a hundred other groups in the ranks of those with super PACs. The organization says it will use its new power to harness unlimited contributions from union members and other donors for state elections, rather than on the national level.
Who's Who in the World of Super PACs?
August 24, 2011 | According to research by the Center for Responsive Politics, all liberal super PACs have raised a combined $7.61 million during the first half of 2011 -- with more than 80 percent of their money coming from 23 donors.
Will 2012 Be the End of the Presidential Public Financing System?
August 5, 2011 | It happened with typewriters, eight-tracks, VCRs and even flip-phones. Now advocates for the public financing of political campaigns fear that the system once used by most presidential candidates could also become irrelevant without an upgrade.
Money Talks: OpenSecrets.org's Interview with Top Campaign Finance Attorney Trevor Potter
August 3, 2011 | OpenSecrets Blog recently sat down with attorney Trevor Potter, the head of the Campaign Legal Center, to discuss the changing campaign finance landscape. The wide-ranging conversation touched on the seriousness of comedian Stephen Colbert's super PAC, how political speech isn't for "sissies" and how the U.S. Supreme Court is made up of "theorists" who are "not in touch with reality" when it comes to how money is being raised and spent.
Lobbyists Push Congress, Administration on No Child Left Behind
July 20, 2011 | Given the on-going debt-ceiling battle and fights over what deserves government funding, tackling the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind seems like less and less of a reality. However, that's not stopping lobbyists from pushing for what they believe in when it comes to childhood education.
Where in the World are Barack Obama's Bundlers, A Union Ally to Retire and More in Capital Eye Opener: July 18
July 18, 2011 | Fifty-six of President Barack Obama's bundlers were from California. And they collectively raised at least $8.9 million, more than bundlers in any other state. Thirty-five New Yorkers, meanwhile, raised a minimum of $4.9 million. And 24 residents of the battle ground state of Florida bundled a minimum of $3.55 million.
The Wedding-Industrial Complex, Lobbying to Stay Cool and More in Capital Eye Opener: July 13
July 13, 2011 | Wedding season is in full swing. As many soon-to-be-married people spend hundreds of dollars preparing for their weddings, major wedding vendors also spend a healthy amount of money attempting to influence government policy.
Defense Dollars to Democrats, the Odd Couple: McCotter and Unions and More in Capital Eye Opener: July 8
July 8, 2011 | Historically, Democrats in Congress have been perceived as the bigger proponents for cuts in defense spending. But recent campaign contributions from political action committees show party affiliation alone doesn't translate to support -- or lack thereof -- from defense interests.
Union Contributions Low in 2011, Rick Perry Gets a Super PAC and More in Capital Eye Opener: July 7
July 7, 2011 | Union donations to federal candidates for the first three months of 2011 are far lower than donations during the same period in 2009 and in 2007, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid Solicits Cash for New Democratic Super PAC
June 22, 2011 | Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has given his blessing to a new big-money super PAC and authored a fund-raising missive on the group's behalf, OpenSecrets Blog has learned. Reid's direct appeal for his supporters to open their wallets for Majority PAC comes at a time of increased haziness about how explicitly lawmakers can raise money for big-money outside groups without running afoul of federal election laws.
Federal Election Commission Deadlocks in Discussions About New Disclosure Rules for Political Advertisements
June 16, 2011 | Regulators at the Federal Election Commission deadlocked 3-3 Wednesday on a vote to re-open public discussion of proposed rules regarding disclosure in political advertisements by corporations and labor unions.
Barack Obama Rewards Elite Donors, Huntsman Invests in New Video and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 16
June 16, 2011 | Republican Jon Huntsman, the former governor of Utah and a former ambassador, used his vast personal fortune to fund a new website and video hyping his presidential bid, which he plans to launch next week. Huntsman is the son of American businessman Jon Huntsman, Sr., whose net worth is estimated to exceed $1 billion.
Checking the Hockey Lobby, Potato Growers Eye Political Support and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 15
June 15, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Barack Obama Courts Hispanics, Campaign Cash During Puerto Rico Visit
June 13, 2011 | While residents of Puerto Rico don't have voting representation in Congress that doesn't mean they aren't active in the politico process. Puerto Ricans made about $4 million in itemized political donations during the 2008 election cycle, with Barack Obama alone raking in $354,000 -- ranking him the No. 1 beneficiary of residents of the U.S. territory in 2008.
OpenSecrets.org Lauded by Columbia Journalism Review for 'Exhaustive Reporting on Money in Politics'
May 23, 2011 | The Columbia Journalism Review this week highlighted the journalism of OpenSecrets.org as part of its News Frontier Database, describing OpenSecrets.org staff as producing "exhaustive reporting on money in politics."
Mitch Daniels' Family Matters, Continued Cash Blast in NY-26 and More in Capital Eye Opener: May 23
May 23, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Attacks Ads Fly in New York Special Election, Lobbyists Love Coffee Shops and More in Capital Eye Opener: May 20
May 20, 2011 | Money continues to flow into the special election in New York's 26th Congressional District in the western part of the state. With the district's Election Day just four days away, political groups are making their last media buys to influence voters, sending out last-minute mailings and ramping up get-out-the-vote operations.
Center for Responsive Politics / L.A. Times Collaboration Reveals How Mining Industry Helped Kill Safety Bill
May 8, 2011 | Campaign contributions from the mining industry to members Congress spiked last year in the aftermath of a deadly West Virginia coal mine explosion, which helped sour some lawmakers on legislation that would have tightly regulated industry safety standards.
Citizens United Decision Profoundly Affects Political Landscape
May 5, 2011 | An analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics reveals that the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Supreme Court ruling of January 2010 has profoundly affected the nation's political landscape.
Pakistan's Lobbyists, Dennis Kucinich's Small-Donor Money Machine and More in Capital Eye Opener: May 4
May 4, 2011 | What do you do when you're a foreign government facing heat from U.S. lawmakers about whether you were officially hiding, aiding or abetting Osama bin Laden? Turn to federal lobbyists for assistance, of course.
Lobbying on Guns, Abortion, Labor Spikes During New Congressional Session
May 3, 2011 | Several of the year's hottest political topics have witnessed the greatest increase in lobbyists' attention during the first months of the 112th Congress, according to a preliminary analysis of lobbying reports by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Corporate Donors Dole Out Hefty Sums to Democratic, GOP Governors Associations
April 29, 2011 | Unlike political committees or candidates for federal office, the Democratic Governors Association and Republican Governors Association both may receive unlimited amounts of money in their bids to support gubernatorial candidates across the nation. And raise cash they did.
Nonprofits Expand Politicking, the Fund-Raising of 60 Plus Association and More in Capital Eye Opener: April 29
April 29, 2011 | A Center for Responsive Politics analysis shows that several groups that stated they would not accept corporate or union donations in 2008 did not adhere to such declarations during the 2010 election cycle.
Firefighters Halt Campaign Donations, Ron Paul's Bid and More in Capital Eye Opener: April 27
April 27, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics:
Pace of Federal Lobbying Slows in First Quarter
April 21, 2011 | Facing a newly divided Congress and a murky legislative outlook in the near future, many of the nation's most active government lobbying powerhouses are slowing the pace of their spending, preliminary analysis of first quarter federal lobbying reports show.
Capital Rivals: FedEx vs. UPS
April 20, 2011 | FedEx and the United Parcel Service square off in OpenSecrets.org's latest installment of Capital Rivals.
Corporations, Special Interests Lobbying Taxes to Death
April 18, 2011 | Businesses hate taxes, which is why they love lobbying the federal government in a bid to keep them low, lower or less than that. And on this day -- Tax Day 2011 -- the Center for Responsive Politics pause a moment to reflect on the corporation, trade associations and special interest groups that lobbied most during 2010 on taxation issues.
Ron Paul Mulls Presidential Bid, Watchdog Calls for FEC De-funding and More in Capital Eye Opener: April 18
April 18, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Business Targets Campaigns of Key Committee Members
April 13, 2011 | It's no secret that corporations and special interest groups that dominate lobbying in the nation's capital routinely shower campaign cash on congressional committees directly affecting affect their business interests. But a study by the Center for Responsive Politics and The Fiscal Times found that special interests routinely target members of Congress who can do them the most good.
The Credit Card Lobby, Wal-Mart's Politicking and More in Capital Eye Opener: April 13
April 13, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics:
OpenSecrets.org / Fiscal Times Investigation Reveals Intimate Ties Among Congressional Committees, Special Interests
April 13, 2011 | The Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets.org) and The Fiscal Times have today launched a joint reporting project that explores the intimate ties among congressional committees and the moneyed industries and special interests that seek to influence them
Paul Ryan's Health Industry Ties, Barack Obama's Bundlers and More in Capital Eye Opener: April 8
April 8, 2011 | Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) released his budget proposal Tuesday calling to cut spending by $5.8 trillion over the next ten years. Ryan himself is actually one of the top Republican recipients of political action committee contributions from the health sector.
A New DNC Chair, a Super PAC for Obama and More in Capital Eye Opener: April 7
April 7, 2011 | Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) is the new chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. She succeeds former Virginia governor Tim Kaine who held the post since 2009.
Planned Parenthood Filibuster, Federal Unions Fight Shutdown and More in Capital Eye Opener: April 5
April 5, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
OpenSecrets.org Mailbag: Corporate Donations, Union Influence and More
April 1, 2011 | Welcome to the latest installment of OpenSecrets.org Mailbag, where we answer your burning questions about the role of money in politics, political influence and the work we do here at OpenSecrets.org.
OpenSecrets.org Joins Investigative News Network
March 31, 2011 | OpenSecrets.org today joins the Investigative News Network, an organization of more than 50 nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlets dedicated to producing in-depth, enterprising journalism.
Michele Bachmann's Miniskirt, Fiesta Siesta and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 31
March 31, 2011 | Here's something you don't see every day: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) in a miniskirt with her top political donors and their companies embroidered into it
Gay Republican Declares Presidential Run, Crossroads GPS Launches Website and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 24
March 24, 2011 | Fred Karger, a California gay-rights activist and former political operative, submitted papers Wednesday to the Federal Elections Commission to become an official 2012 Republican presidential contender.
OpenSecrets Blog's PolitiQuizz: Tim Pawlenty's Road to the Republican Nomination
March 21, 2011 | After months of publicly flirting with the idea, former-Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty officially announced today his intention to explore a run for president of the United States -- a half-step, if there ever was one, to an official, full-blown, full-steam-ahead run for the nation's highest office.
Irish Pubs and Politics, New Congressional Wealth Graphics and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 17
March 17, 2011 | Happy St. Patrick's Day! In the spirit of the holiday, OpenSecrets Blog sees it fit to celebrate by highlighting all "Irish" money and politics connections
Unions, Businesses Vie to Fill Democratic Pocketbook
March 16, 2011 | Even as many Democrats have stood in solidarity with workers whose collective bargaining rights have come under fire in Wisconsin and elsewhere across the country, at the federal level, Democratic candidates and groups have increasingly relied on the business community for support.
Dozens of Senior Congressional Committee Staffers Once Worked as Lobbyists
March 16, 2011 | Dozens of senior congressional committee staff members are former federally registered lobbyists, having represented various special interests that frequently clash with Congress, an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics and Remapping Debate indicates.
OpenSecrets Blog's PolitiQuizz: Labor Unions On Offensive, Defensive
March 14, 2011 | For this week's PolitiQuizz, we want you to take a closer look at the lobbying efforts of three unions.
Freshmen in 112th Congress Exceedingly Wealthy Despite Struggling National Economy
March 9, 2011 | U.S. House and Senate freshmen are together a notably wealthy bunch, enjoying exponentially greater wealth than most of the Americans they represent, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal personal financial disclosure reports.
What Unites Pete King and Keith Ellison, D.C. Spy Games and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 7
March 7, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
OpenSecrets.org Mailbag: Koch Cash, Exploration Rules and Where We Work
March 4, 2011 | Welcome to the latest installment of OpenSecrets.org Mailbag, where we answer your burning questions about the role of money in politics, political influence and the work we do here at OpenSecrets.org.
Study Examines Donation Patterns, Akaka Announces Retirement and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 4
March 4, 2011 | Which politicians do you decide to support with campaign cash? If you are part of the fraction of one percent of the country's population that donates money to politicians, researchers at Vanderbilt University suggest the answer is the "economically relevant" ones.
New Study: More Than 130 Top Congressional Staffers Are Former Lobbyists
March 2, 2011 | At least 130 current congressional chiefs of staff and legislative directors are former lobbyists, new research by the Center for Responsive Politics and Remapping Debate indicates.
Union Muscle Eclipsed by High-Profile Conservative Groups During 2010 Election
March 2, 2011 | During 2009 and 2010, labor unions reported spending a combined $46.7 million on messaging designed to aide their preferred federal political candidates, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. This figure represents 16 percent of all such spending by non-party committees -- the lowest amount in years.
Thune Stays in Senate, Lobbyist Snowpocalypse and More in Capital Eye Opener: February 23
February 23, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics:
OpenSecrets.org Mailbag: Laboring, Donation Peeping and 501 Blues
February 18, 2011 | Welcome to the latest installment of OpenSecrets.org Mailbag, where we answer your burning questions about the role of money in politics, political influence and the work we do here at OpenSecrets.org.
Obama's 2012 Budget Fight Begins, Outside Unions Support NFL Players and More in Capital Eye Opener: February 14
February 14, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money and politics.
The Real Presidential Candidates, Political Football Continues and More in Capital Eye Opener: February 7
February 7, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Jim Messina Already on Cash Hunt, FedEx Rocks UPS and More in Capital Eye Opener: February 3
February 3, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
In Battle of the Olive Pits, Dennis Kucinich Again Aligns Himself With Trial Lawyers
January 27, 2011 | Liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who recently filed a $150,000 lawsuit after biting into an olive pit and sustaining dental damages, has found common cause with tort attorneys before. Since the 1996 election cycle -- when he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives -- Kucinich has collected $57,500 from the political action committee of the American Association for Justice.
OpenSecrets.org Provides 2011 Legislative Preview Ahead of Barack Obama's State of the Union Address
January 25, 2011 | OpenSecrets Blog offers a preview on the legislative priorities destined to shape political discourse throughout 2011.
GOP Power Brokers Reap Contributions, Ethics Office Still Intact and More in Capital Eye Opener: January 25
January 25, 2011 | CORPORATE CASH FLOWS TO TOP REPUBLICANS: "The new Republican leaders in the House have received millions of dollars in contributions from banks, health insurers and other major business interests, which are pressing for broad reversals of Democratic policies that affect corporations," Dan Eggen and T.W. Farnam of the Washigton Post wrote in a recent article that cites data from the Center for Responsive Politics.
Joint Project Tracks Who's Employing Former Congressmen
January 18, 2011 | The Center for Responsive Politics and Remapping Debate have today released the first listings in an interactive tracking tool that allows the public to explore where outgoing senators and representatives from the 111th Congress are now employed.
NFL Plays Political Football, Shooting Curbs Congressional Business and More in Capital Eye Opener: January 10
January 10, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Critically Wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Champion of Labor, Women's Issues While Touting Centrist Streak
January 8, 2011 | Critically wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), shot this afternoon at a constituent forum in Tucson, Ariz., had established herself in Congress as a champion of labor rights and women's issues.
OpenSecrets.org Mailbag: PAC Donations, Costly Races and Staffing Levels
January 7, 2011 | Welcome to the first installment of OpenSecrets.org Mailbag, where any question about the roll of money in politics is fair game -- and our experts are here to answer them.
Banker William Daley Takes Another Trip Through the Revolving Door, Lands at White House
January 6, 2011 | President Barack Obama joked today that his new chief of staff, William Daley, has a "smidgen of awareness of how our system of government and politics works" and praised Daley, saying, "few Americans can boast the breadth of experience that Bill brings to this job." Obama is right: few Americans have Daley's political and corporate clout. And you can find details of Daley's past and present in OpenSecrets.org's revolving door database.
OpenSecrets Blog's PolitiQuizz: Which Republican Politician Am I?
January 3, 2011 | I was first elected to Congress in 1986 and haven't lost a re-election bid since. Previously, I worked in the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan. Over my congressional career, I've filled my campaign coffers with more than $10.5 million. During the 2010 election cycle, I was also the No. 1 beneficiary among House members of the waste management industry. Who am I?
OpenSecrets.org's Top 10 Money-in-Politics Stories of 2010
December 31, 2010 | A review of the most notable money-in-politics events during 2010, as determined by the staff of OpenSecrets.org.
Capital Rivals: U.S. Chamber of Commerce vs. SEIU
December 28, 2010 | This edition of Capital Rivals takes an intimate look at two of the biggest big players in politics: the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Service Employees International Union.
OpenSecrets Blog's PolitiQuizz: Who Are the Christmas Lobbyists?
December 20, 2010 | In recent years, just three organizations explicitly lobbied on Christmas-related legislative measures. To be this week's big PolitiQuizz winner, name one of them!
Gay Rights Lobby's Fave Republicans, Fight Over Travel Tax and More in Capital Eye Opener: December 20
December 20, 2010 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
'Draft Sarah Palin' Committee Forms With Fund-Raising Firepower Behind It
December 14, 2010 | A new political fund-raising group called "Draft Sarah Palin" registered with the Federal Election Commission this month, federal records indicate, and the committee's treasurer has a history of big-time fund-raising.
No Text Message Campaign Contributions, A Movement to 'Fix the Senate' and More in Capital Eye Opener: December 14
December 14, 2010 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
'Bitching and Moaning' About Citizens United, RNC in Debt? and More in Capital Eye Opener: December 2
December 2, 2010 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
The Turkey Lobby, Gay GOP Presidential Candidate Launches TV Ads and More in Capital Eye Opener: November 24
November 24, 2010 | Turkey-oriented groups have spent nearly $200,000 on federal lobbying so far this year. And the big birds aren't the only part of your Thanksgiving meal to have representation in Washington.
Mitt Romney's Creative PAC Strategy, Making Nice with the Chamber and More in Capital Eye Opener: November 23
November 23, 2010 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics...
Who's Backing the New Top Blue Dogs' Bark, Bite?
November 22, 2010 | The Blue Dogs have elevated Reps. Heath Shuler (D-N.C.), John Barrow (D-Ga.) and Mike Ross (D-Ark.) as their new leaders. Which donors and special interests have these men relied upon to fill their war chests?
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, Suspended Over Political Donations, Has Political History of His Own
November 19, 2010 | MSNBC's newest suspension victim is former Congressman Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.), the current co-host of the network's "Morning Joe" program. Scarborough's recent political contributions build upon a history of giving to Republican candidates.
The Wave of Unlimited Influence, 7-Eleven's Slurpee Summit and More in Capital Eye Opener: November 19
November 19, 2010 | A Center for Responsive Politics study finds that both the number of groups not disclosing their donors and the number of groups collecting unlimited amounts of money more than doubled since the 2008 election
Congressional Members' Personal Wealth Expands Despite Sour National Economy
November 17, 2010 | Despite a stubbornly sour national economy congressional members' personal wealth collectively increased by more than 16 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to a new study by the Center for Responsive Politics of federal financial disclosures released earlier this year.
EXCLUSIVE: Confidential JPMorgan Chase Memo Predicts Congressional 'Gridlock'
November 9, 2010 | JPMorgan Chase, the $2 trillion bank and financial services firm, predicts that the newly Republican-controlled U.S. House will clash with the still-Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate to the point where progress on large legislation is completely halted, according to a confidential memorandum dated Nov. 3 and obtained by OpenSecrets Blog.
Some Corporations and Trade Associations Hedged Bets on Winners of Midterm Elections
November 5, 2010 | Some corporations and trade groups seemingly believe that no political party is inherently better than another. And they donate as such.
Led by Karl Rove-Linked Groups, 'Super PACs' and Nonprofits Significantly Aid GOP in Election 2010
November 5, 2010 | The new conservative "super PAC" American Crossroads accounted for one-third of all spending by super PACs this election, the Center's research indicates. And American Crossroads itself nearly spent as much as all liberal-aligned super PACs combined.
Cash Couldn't Help Three Democratic Powerhouses in Midterm Election
November 4, 2010 | Republicans' 60-seat surge during Tuesday's midterm election included replacing the seats of three longtime committee chairmen with almost a century of experience in Congress between them.
Bad News for Incumbents, Self-Financing Candidates in Most Expensive Midterm Election in U.S. History
November 4, 2010 | The priciest midterm election in U.S. history saw a Republican tide sweep numerous Democrats out of office, as voters anxious about the state of the economy ousted more House incumbents from office than any time since 1948. While several money-in-politics axioms held true, money was not a panacea for embattled politicians.
Unions Bolstering Political Influence with Outside Spending
November 2, 2010 | In the final week before Election Day, several high profile labor unions spent hundreds of thousands -- or even upward of a million dollars -- in last-minute outside spending on congressional elections across the country, adding to unions' varied political activity this election cycle, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal filings.
OpenSecrets Blog PolitiQuizz: How Much Did it Cost to Run a Successful Congressional Campaign in 2006?
November 1, 2010 | With Election Day looming for the most expensive midterm election cycle in history, this week's PolitiQuizz asks you to take a look back at what it cost, on average, to win a seat in Congress in 2006 – the most expensive midterm cycle ever prior to 2010.
Michele Bachmann's Massive War Chest, Top Leadership PACs and More in Capital Eye Opener: November 1
November 1, 2010 | In her re-election bid, sophomore Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), the chair of the House Tea Party Caucus, has spent more than any other House candidate running for office this year. As of Oct. 13, she had spent a staggering $8.7 million -- that's one-and-a-half times as much as she spent in 2008 and nearly two-and-a-half times as much as she spent in 2006.
Election 2010 to Shatter Spending Records as Republicans Benefit from Late Cash Surge
October 27, 2010 | Center for Responsive Politics predicts midterms could cost nearly $4 billion.
Nalco, Company Behind Dispersants Used in Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Clean Up, Ratchets Up Politicking in 2010
October 27, 2010 | The Illinois-based company that manufactured the dispersants used by BP after the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico spent exponentially more on federal lobbying in the disaster's wake than it has historically.
OpenSecrets Blog PolitiQuizz: Which Industry has Spent the Most on Lobbying in 2010?
October 25, 2010 | This week's PolitiQuizz asks you to investigate the money flowing behind the scenes in Washington -- and zero in on the top lobbyists in the nation's capital.
Political Action Committees Boost Vulnerable Dems, But Some Candidates Distance Themselves From PAC Cash
October 20, 2010 | Political action committees have funneled $72.6 million into the campaign coffers of Democrats competing in the country's most competitive races -- more than four times the amount PACs have donated to Republicans in these races, the Center for Responsive Politics has found.
Tea Party-Loving Republican Senate Candidates Propelled by Cash from Ideological Groups, Small Donors
October 7, 2010 | Thirteen Tea Party-backed Republicans want the U.S. Senate to experience a new brand of political brew after November 2. The question isn't whether they will or won't, but rather, how many of them will be in office? And donations from people making modest campaign contributions appear poised to play an integral role in propelling them into office.
Sen. Jim DeMint, Adopting EMILY's List and ActBlue Tactics, Pumping Cash into GOP Pockets
October 5, 2010 | Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), a Tea Party-loving conservative who wants to shake up and remold the institution he currently calls home, stands above other lawmakers in the frontier of creative uses of leadership PACs to aide fellow candidates.
Oil and Gas Contributions Still Rising in 2010, Republicans Receiving Bulk of Industry Cash
October 1, 2010 | This spring and summer, hundreds of millions of gallons of oil seeped into the Gulf of Mexico. Simultaneously, debate raged in Congress about ocean drilling, energy independence, cap and trade legislation and a shift away from fossil-fuel energy sources. Nevertheless, congressional candidates and federal political committees nationwide have raked in more than $17 million from the oil and gas industry so far during the 2010 election cycle -- a number on pace to easily exceed that of the most recent midterm election four years ago.
Many House Incumbents Heavily Relying on PAC Cash for 2010 Re-election Bids
September 29, 2010 | Many candidates are hitting the campaign trail with a promise to end cozy relationships with special interests. Yet eager as they are to show some understanding of voters' concerns, the words of many incumbents are falling far short of the reality when it comes to their campaign accounts.
OpenSecrets.org Launches 'Races to Watch: Investigating the Cash Behind Election 2010'
September 27, 2010 | The Center for Responsive Politics, through its OpenSecrets.org website, today launches a two-week-long series of reports on the money behind the 2010 federal election -- an election practically assured to be the most expensive midterm in U.S. history.
Republicans' 'Pledge,' Stephen Colbert Comes to Washington and More in Capital Eye Opener: September 24
September 24, 2010 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
College Professors, Administrators Heavily Invested in Midterm Political Elections
September 22, 2010 | Geriatric medicine. Woodworking. Business. Psychology. Educators may have varied academic interests. But some of the most politically active of them share one thing in common: the habit of donating huge sums of money to federal candidates, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal campaign records indicates.
'Shadow RNC' American Crossroads Raises Millions in August from Wealthy Individuals, Corporations
September 20, 2010 | Whether you call it a "527 committee," an "independent expenditure-only committee" or a "super PAC," the conservative outfit American Crossroads continued to demonstrate its fund-raising prowess in August.
Three Obama Administration Employees Fell Through Cracks of Lobbyist Deregistration Process
September 16, 2010 | The first lady's chief of staff. A top government official in charge of fair housing. A senior staffer at the Education Department. These three people share a common distinction: Not only did they each work as registered lobbyists prior to joining the Obama administration last year, but they were never officially deregistered as lobbyists before taking on their new jobs, a Center for Responsive Politics review of lobbying disclosure reports filed with the House and Senate indicates.
Corn Industry Pushes New Name, Journalist Donations in the News and More in Capital Eye Opener: September 15
September 15, 2010 | SWEET NEW NAME FOR CORN SYRUP?: The agribusiness industry is hoping a name change can help turn around public perception about a sweet-tasting product: high-fructose corn syrup. The Washington-based Corn Refiners Association is asking the Food and Drug Administration for permission to change the name of often vilified sweetener to "corn sugar."
Primary Day in Delaware, New Hampshire and More in Capital Eye Opener: September 14
September 14, 2010 | Today is primary day in seven U.S. states and one stellar (if oft-forgotten) federal district, and perhaps to nobody's surprise, the Tea Party is once more driving the day.
Republican Staffers Tempted By Private Market, Labor Donations Large – or Small? – and More in Capital Eye Opener: September 10
September 10, 2010 | Republican? Former congressional staffer? You are in demand! According to Eric Lichtblau of the New York Times, lobbying groups and political consultants have been wooing Republicans in the past few weeks...
Political Fruit of Labor in Capital Eye Opener: September 6
September 6, 2010 | While you're off grilling your brats or watching college football, consider this Labor Day that labor unions aren't pausing when it comes to politics.
Center for Responsive Politics Closed Monday to Observe Labor Day Holiday
September 6, 2010 | Calls and e-mails to the Center made on Monday will be returned beginning Tuesday.
In Defeat, Lisa Murkowski Violates Most Every Money-in-Politics Convention
September 1, 2010 | For every diamond-clad money-in-politics rule, there's an exception. And this morning, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is a big, grizzly exception in the most remarkable of ways: She's conceding defeat to a hitherto all-but-unknown challenger, lawyer Joe Miller, in a partisan primary.
Last-Minute Negative Ad Blitz Can't Stop Democrat Cedric Richmond in New Orleans
August 31, 2010 | A barrage of independent expenditures from a group operated by a deep-pocketed New Orleans trial lawyer couldn't deflate the candidacy of state Rep. Cedric Richmond, who, on Saturday, won the Democratic Party nomination to vie for the congressional seat occupied by Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.).
Trial Lawyer Embraces Approach of Energy Tycoons to Influence Elections In New Orleans
August 25, 2010 | In the final hours before primary election day, a shadowy new political group is comparing Louisiana Democratic Congressional candidate Cedric Richmond to a comic book villain and accusing him of committing all seven deadly sins. Want to know who's funding the attack? Too bad.
Congressmen's Taxpayer-Funded Vehicles Reveal Hodgepodge of Fuel Efficiency, Government Transparency
August 24, 2010 | Congressional members' vehicles are hardly created equal when it comes to how much you, as a taxpayer, are subsidizing them. What's equally unequal: How much information members of the U.S. House of Representatives are willing to reveal about the wheels you're providing them.
Oil Spill Bills Stall in Senate as Industry, Environmental Lobbyists Battle
August 23, 2010 | The oil industry spent nearly $75 million between January and June -- equivalent to the government budget of a mid-sized American city -- lobbying the federal government.
Not Just News Corp.: Media Companies Have Long Made Political Donations
August 23, 2010 | News Corp.'s million-dollar donation to the Republican Governors Association in June may have received a wave of press and critics yelling, "Told ya so." But the company, owned by conservative Rupert Murdoch, has not been the only corporate conglomerate featuring prominent television media organizations to have donated big money to politics
Chamber of Commerce, Other Groups Skirt Letter of Law in Reporting Political Ads
August 20, 2010 | "If the Campaign Legal Center had infinite resources, we might file complaints in this area out of principal -- to force the Federal Election Commission to either acknowledge that these groups are breaking the law or to claim to the public that the Commission doesn't view the ads as candidate ads," Paul Ryan, an attorney with the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center told OpenSecrets Blog.
Karl Rove-Linked Conservative Group, American Crossroads, Adapts to New Campaign Finance Landscape
August 19, 2010 | American Crossroads, which some have dubbed the "shadow Republican National Committee," is at the vanguard of political entities that are taking advantage of the new campaign finance landscape in the wake of January's Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling that lifted restrictions on corporate cash in political advertisements.
Economic Gurus Celebrate Birthdays, New Website Tracks Corporate Dollars in Elections and More in Capital Eye Opener: August 18
August 18, 2010 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Facebook and Its Former Chief Privacy Officer Get Political as Online Privacy Debate Rages
August 11, 2010 | Offline and online, arguments rage that Facebook is not taking privacy concerns seriously enough. And as public ire has focused on Facebook's privacy policies, Chris Kelly, the company's former chief privacy officer, has become a highly political figure -- running for the post of attorney general in California and donating tens of thousands of dollars to fellow Democrats.
Obama's Pay-to-Play Dream Team, Labor Lobbying Push and More in Capital Eye Opener: August 10
August 10, 2010 | Several of the players on President Barack Obama's basketball party dream team made sizable contributions to his presidential campaign and/or related Democratic political committees, the Center for Responsive Politics finds.
Ex-Soldier, Gay Rights Activist Dan Choi Subdued With Political Donations Despite Flashy Lobbying Antics
July 30, 2010 | The nation's highest-profile advocate against the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is using a full arsenal of tactics in his bid to lobby it to death. Yet despite all the attention and flashy antics, Army Lt. Dan Choi has been coy about utilizing a traditional tool of Washington influence: campaign contributions.
Legislative Battles Drive Second-Quarter Lobbying Spending by Major Corporations, Special Interests
July 29, 2010 | While some organizations dramatically reduced their investments in federal lobbying during this year's second quarter, others paid out more in fees to lobbyists than during any other quarter since President Barack Obama took office in January 2009, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of reports filed with the U.S. Senate and U.S. House last week.
Ex-Regulators Lobby on New Finance Rules, Immigrant Rights Groups Shift Focus and More in Capital Eye Opener: July 28
July 28, 2010 | Ex-Regulators to Lobby on New Finance Rules: Hundreds of ex-financial regulators are gearing up to lobby the regulatory agencies that will create hundreds of new rules for the nation's bank on behalf of corporate clients, the New York Times reports.
Republicans Thwart New Campaign Finance Disclosure Rules As DISCLOSE Act Fails Procedural Vote in Senate
July 27, 2010 | Senate Republicans today blocked legislation calling for new disclosure rules for campaign advertisements. A unified Democratic caucus generated 57 "yes" votes -- three shy of the 60 votes needed to break a Republican filibuster and allow the legislation, known as the DISCLOSE Act, to advance to an up-or-down vote.
Lobbying By Obama Administration Foe U.S. Chamber of Commerce Grows To More Than $44 Million This Year
July 22, 2010 | The lobbying powerhouse U.S. Chamber of Commerce, along with its subsidiaries, spent a whopping $13.4 million on federal, state-level and grassroots lobbying during the second quarter, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of new reports filed this week.
Van Hollen, 'Corporate Candidate' Murray Hill Spar Over Political Rights of Businesses
July 21, 2010 | SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Mike Hensal, the designated human delegate of public relations firm Murray Hill Inc., basked in the newfound political influence corporations enjoy.
RNC May Face Fine, Obama Sits on Huge Cash Reserve And More in Capital Eye Opener: July 21
July 21, 2010 | Although Pullen has already filed amended reports, possible fines could put a dent in the RNC's war chest as the midterm elections approach. The RNC has also retained former FEC chairman Michael Toner as outside counsel. Toner has a history as a lobbyist and counsel to Republican campaigns, in addition to his six year stint at the FEC.
Drug Lobby's New Head, John Castellani, Has Long Favored GOP With Campaign Cash
July 14, 2010 | One of the most powerful lobbying groups, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), announced on Tuesday that Business Roundtable President John Castellani will become the group's new leader. According to a Center for Responsive Politics review of campaign finance records, Castellani, along with his wife, has given $65,400 to federal candidates, parties and committees since 1994, with 84 percent of that sum benefiting Republicans.
Campaign Finance Battle, Not Roe v. Wade, Dominated Elena Kagan's Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings
July 8, 2010 | During Elena Kagan's confirmation hearings last week, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the high court's major campaign finance ruling from January that overturned a ban on independent expenditures in federal elections funded by corporations and unions, was mentioned by name a whopping 87 times, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of the hearings' transcripts.
Byrd's Senate Seat Up For Special Election, Minnesota Congressional Race Raking in Money and More In Capital Eye Opener: July 8
July 8, 2010 | BYRD'S SEAT UP FOR SPECIAL ELECTION: On Wednesday, Governor Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced that he would try to hold a special election this year for the late Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd's Senate seat. Manchin also said that he is considering running for the seat himself in that special election.
House Passes DISCLOSE Act For New Reporting Requirements on Independent Expenditures
June 24, 2010 | In a 219-206 vote on the House floor today, the House voted to pass H.R. 5175, known as the DISCLOSE Act, an acronym for Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections.
Congress Shines Light on For-Profit Education Sector as Industry Makes Lobbying Surge
June 23, 2010 | Hearings to set to begin Thursday in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, led by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), will shine more light on the ongoing squabble with the Department of Education over issues like incentive pay to recruiters and gainful employment measures. But Congress is just catching up to industry lobbyists on many of the issues.
Numerous Congressional Members Deeply Invested in BP Stock, Reports Indicate
June 16, 2010 | At least seven members of Congress reported holding a minimum of $15,000 in BP stock at the end of 2009, according to a preliminary analysis of personal financial disclosure reports by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Center for Responsive Politics Executive Director Sheila Krumholz Featured as 'Changemaker'
June 16, 2010 | Sheila Krumholz will explain what it takes to run the nation's premier organization tracking money in federal politics when, at 2 p.m., she's a guest on a podcast produced by Changemakers.
OpenSecrets.org Shines More Light on the Politicking of Koch Industries, Northrop Grumman, Anheuser-Busch and More
June 11, 2010 | The Center for Responsive Politics has added six new organizations to our list of "Heavy Hitters," the organizations spending the most to influence policy and politics over the years. More than 100 corporations, trade associations, unions and other groups are contained on this list.
The Tar Heel Lobby, A White House-Labor Feud and More in Capitol Eye Opener: June 11
June 11, 2010 | The university continues to lobby the federal government as it tightens its belt. UNC spent $100,000 on its federal lobbying efforts in the first quarter of 2010, putting it on pace to nearly match its lobbying expenditures in 2008, when the school spent $450,000 on lobbying, the most in its history.
Celebrities Max Out to DNC, Comcast Allegations and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 9
June 9, 2010 | The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing in Los Angeles Monday to discuss the effect of a proposed merger between Comcast and NBC Universal. During the course of the hearing, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif) seemed to indicate representatives of Comcast made vague, but inappropriate and potentially illegal offers to her.
Unions Taking Advantage of 'Citizens United', Nudists Descend on Capitol Hill and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 8
June 8, 2010 | A new report by Mother Jones says labor unions, not corporations, are taking advantage of new spending opportunities in the wake of Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission...
Microsoft's New Political Move, Dems Unite Against Michele Bachmann and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 7
June 7, 2010 | The computer industry giant Microsoft may not be calling out politicians with seven-figure independent expenditures in the wake of the Supreme Court's January ruling allowing corporations to spend unlimited sums on such advertising. But the company is calling out to politicians who want a technological boost. CNN reports that Microsoft has partnered with ElectionMail.com to "create a one-stop shop for running campaigns online."
Lobbyists Get Their Guns, RomanoffGate and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 4
June 4, 2010 | Hot on the heels of Sestakgate, the White House on Thursday confirmed that it made early overtures to U.S. Senate candidate Andrew Romanoff of Colorado in an effort to keep him from entering the state's democratic primary...
Obama Denies Wrongdoing With Sestak, New Small-Donor Analysis and More in Capital Eye Opener: May 28
May 28, 2010 | SESTAK'S JOB OFFER CLAIM: Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) has long suggested that the White House tried to entice him with a job in the administration to lure him away from a primary challenge to Sen. Arlen Specter. Now the White House is pledging "an official response shortly on the Sestak issue." During his press conference Thursday, President Barack Obama emphasized, "I can assure the public that nothing improper took place."
Reversing 2009 Trend, Business Money Now Flowing More to Republicans
May 25, 2010 | Democrats have historic majorities in the House and Senate, but during the first quarter of 2010, the amount of campaign cash Democrats received relative to Republicans from all business interests dropped by about 12 percent compared to last year, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of campaign finance data.
House Committee Approves New Campaign Finance Regulations, Transparency Requirements in DISCLOSE Act
May 21, 2010 | The committee hearing room was crowded as the House Administration Committee met on Thursday afternoon to markup a bill that has become a top priority for congressional Democrats and the Obama administration. After three and a half hours of debate, the DISCLOSE Act was ultimately reported favorably out of the committee on a 6-3 party-line vote.
Center for Responsive Politics Applauds Transparency Amendment of Rep. Susan Davis
May 20, 2010 | In the course of the debate in the House today on the DISCLOSE Act, Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) will be offering an amendment to ensure that all new reports regarding independent expenditures and express advocacy disclosure filed with the Federal Election Commission will be done so electronically in a manner that allows the data to be "searchable, sortable and downloadable," and we couldn't agree more.
Kagan No Fan of 'Citizens United,' Morrison's Money-in-Politics Coup and More in Capital Eye Opener: May 20
May 20, 2010 | KAGAN NO FAN OF CITIZENS UNITED: She doesn't have a judicial record to pass around, but Elena Kagan recently filled out a 202-page questionnaire for the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the Supreme Court nominee is reportedly dropping clues in interviews with senators this week.
Insurgent Candidates See Electoral Success in Hot Senate Races
May 19, 2010 | Massive campaign war chests and establishment endorsements were not enough to be victorious in some of the country's most contested Senate primaries Tuesday night. One sitting Senator was defeated and another is heading to a run-off in three weeks, as candidates worked to distance themselves from Washington and position themselves as crusaders against special interests in charged anti-incumbent environments.
Campaigns of Few House Incumbents Fueled by the 'Small Donors'
May 18, 2010 | Reps. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) and Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) don't agree on health care reform. They don't agree on energy legislation, nor do they agree on immigration. Politically, they may not agree on much at all. However, they do share one distinction. Both have received nearly two-thirds of their campaign contributions from donors who contribute $200 or less, the Federal Election Commission's threshold for itemized disclosure. By comparison, the average House member only received 7 percent of their contributions from such "small donors."
Hoosier Dems Nominate Ellsworth, Wall Street Parties With Congress and More in Capital Eye Opener: May 17
May 17, 2010 | HOOSIER NOMINEE: The Democratic Party of Indiana officially nominated Blue Dog Rep. Brad Ellsworth Saturday to be their party's nominee in the race to fill the Senate seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh. Ellsworth has about $960,000 cash on hand, including large sums from lawyers, lobbyists, labor unions and leadership PACs.
Republican Charles Djou Holds Cash Advantage Ahead of Special Election in Heavily Democratic Hawaii District
May 13, 2010 | Votes are already being cast in the free-for-all special election in Hawaii's 1st Congressional District, and a Republican candidate has emerged with the most cash on hand in the campaign's final stretch. Republican Charles Djou, a city council member in Honolulu, has nearly $170,000 more in the bank than the most well-financed Democratic candidate.
Democrat David Obey, Chair of Powerful House Appropriations Committee, To Retire at End of Term
May 5, 2010 | The loss of Obey, the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and a close ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is a blow to Democrats in a year when anti-incumbent sentiment seems to be on the rise. The Appropriations chairmanship is one of the most powerful positions in Congress, and Obey's retirement may kick off a fierce fight between potential successors.
Hordes of Hired Guns Earned About $19 Million Per Day As Lobbying Soared to Nearly $1 Billion in First Quarter
April 29, 2010 | Hoards of hired K Street guns are in high demand as President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats seek to implement grand legislative plans. And a Center for Responsive Politics review of recently filed lobbying reports indicates companies, trade associations, unions and other groups spent nearly $1 billion on lobbying during the first three months of 2010.
Disclose, Disclaim, Report: Democrats Reveal New Campaign Finance Legislation
April 29, 2010 | That's the message some House and Senate lawmakers sent to corporations, unions and trade associations today in unveiling legislation designed to increase transparency and accountability in the nation's campaign finance system.
Help OpenSecrets.org Keep Fighting for Your Right to Know
April 28, 2010 | Today, the highest court in the land hears oral arguments in a case coming out of Washington state, and disclosure, transparency and accountability are on the line. Will you help us stand up for a more transparent and responsive government?
Monied Lobbying Forces Gird for Immigration Reform Battle
April 27, 2010 | Hundreds of lobbyists are primed to swarm Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf of a wide variety of business interests and ideological groups, all of which have a stake in immigration reform policy – Congress' focus du jour.
New Name, More Connectivity for OpenSecrets.org's Original Journalism
April 27, 2010 | The Center for Responsive Politics' home for nationally recognized non-profit journalism -- the Capital Eye Blog -- is now the OpenSecrets Blog: Investigating Money in Politics. And with this new name comes a refreshed look, improved interactivity and numerous social networking options aimed at making our blog readers' experience better than ever.
Ultimate Fighting Championship Defending Newfound Political Influence with Aggressive Federal Lobbying Efforts
April 22, 2010 | With some of the most expensive ticket prices in sports, a television audience that reaches millions, and -- yes -- its own reality television show, Ultimate Fighting Championship is captivating a new generation of sports fans. But in addition to waging battles atop caged, octagonal fighting canvasses, the wildly popular organization is also grappling with politicos on Capitol Hill.
Special Interests Continue Federal Lobbying Blitz, New Reports Indicate
April 21, 2010 | As President Barack Obama works with the Democratic Congress to advance his ambitious legislative priorities, lobbying efforts by special interest groups continue unabated. Lobbying reports for the first three months of 2010 were due to the Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Senate by midnight last night, and a preliminary Center for Responsive Politics analysis of these reports show many major players continuing to shell out big dollars on their lobbying operations.
Formaldehyde, Guns and More in Capital Eye Opener: April 19
April 19, 2010 | Who knew the Formaldehyde Council was a K street regular? For the past 10 years, the Environmental Protection Agency has been trying to change the classification of formaldehyde from a "probable" to a "known" carcinogen. However, the agency has encountered relentless opposition throughout the process.
OpenSecrets.org Honored in Online Oscars Contest
April 13, 2010 | Today, OpenSecrets.org once again earned accolades from the leading global body that awards achievements in creativity and technology. The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences named the Center for Responsive Politics and our website OpenSecrets.org an "official honoree" in the 2010 Webby Awards, a contest often described as the "online Oscars."
Focus Returns to Financial Reform, GOP Money Race in Kentucky and More in Capital Eye Opener: April 13
April 13, 2010 | FOCUS RETURNS TO FINANCIAL REFORM: Delivering reform to the financial sector remains a crucial goal for the Obama administration as well as Senate Banking Committee Chairman, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who faces a renewed lobbying campaign by banks and financial institutions hoping to shape the eventual legislation to their liking.
More RNC Accounting Questions, Democratic Party Growing Pains and More in Capital Eye Opener: April 9
April 9, 2010 | WHOSE DEMOCRATIC PARTY?: The Huffington Post's Ryan Grim and Arthur Delaney spend more than 10,000 words examining the Democratic factions within the U.S. House of Representatives in their latest dispatch. The piece explores the significance played by progressive donors and outside groups like MoveOn.org and labor unions in electing new, conservative members to the House -- and the tensions that arise from this when trying to advance progressive legislation.
Democrats Pocket More Campaign Cash from Special Interests Ahead of 2010 Midterm Elections
April 8, 2010 | The cost of the 2010 election cycle is on pace to break the record for a midterm election, set during the 2006 cycle. And across the board, Democrats, who now control the White House and both chambers of Congress, are on the receiving end of far more campaign cash than they were four years ago, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis.
Records Shattered for State-Level Political Money, Special Elections Heat Up and More in Capital Eye Opener: April 7
April 7, 2010 | Our friends over at the National Institute on Money in State Politics have released their final report on the money in state-level elections in 2007 and 2008. For the first time in history, candidates for state legislatures collectively raised more than $1 billion -- an increase of 9 percent from the 2006 election cycle, and an increase of 26 percent from the 2004 election cycle.
Health Interests and Labor Groups Vied To Sway Blue Dog Democrats
March 31, 2010 | As Congress debated comprehensive health care reform, health industry interests' campaign contributions tended to target Blue Dog Democrats who opposed the proposal. Blue Dog Democrats who last week voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590), which first passed the Senate in December, received an average of about $90,200 during 2009 from political action committees and individuals associated with the health sector and health insurers, the Center for Responsive Politics has found.
Barack Obama's Ex-Lobbyist Appointees, Apple's iLobby and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 29
March 29, 2010 | Despite Barack Obama's pledge to limit special influence participation in his administration -- he's sought to prohibit lobbyists from serving on federal advisory panels, for example -- a half-dozen of these new appointees have strong union or special interest ties, or are themselves former registered lobbyists.
Sarah Palin Targets Democrats, Chamber Targets Chris Dodd's Regulations and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 26
March 26, 2010 | PAC-ING HEAT: Former vice presidential candidate and soon-to-be reality TV star Sarah Palin has set her sights on twenty vulnerable House Democrats in the 2010 election. A post on her Facebook page earlier this week featured a map of twenty Democratically held districts in gun sights -- the political targets of her high-caliber political action committee, SarahPAC.
Corporate-Funded Ads in Texas, Chamber Counsel Moves to 527 and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 25
March 25, 2010 | CORPORATION ON THE ATTACK IN TEXAS: Deep in the heart of Texas, election observers have spotted what may be the first corporate-funded independent advertisement against a politician post-Citizens United.
ACORN Cracks, Barack Obama Signs Health Reform and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 23
March 23, 2010 | HEALTH CARE LOOMS OVER MIDTERMS: Today, President Obama will sign the comprehensive health care reform bill passed by the House on Sunday, and the Senate will began considering the associated reconciliation bill. With the main bill passed, many groups have now turned their attention to how it will affect the midterm elections in November.
Big Labor Gave Big Support to Health Reform Supporters, Health Interests Lent More Support to Opponents
March 22, 2010 | President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats achieved a major legislative victory last night as members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted to adopt the version of health insurance reform legislation passed in December by the U.S. Senate. Supporters of both measures received out-sized support from labor unions, the Center for Responsive Politics found, based on an examination of contributions to lawmakers' campaign committees and leadership PACs going back to 1989.
Number of Special Interests Vying to Influence Health Reform Legislation Swelled As Debate Dragged On
March 19, 2010 | Time has rarely been an ally of President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats seeking to enact comprehensive health insurance reform. And the longer they took, the larger the army of special interest lobbyists grew. By the end of the fourth quarter when both the House and the Senate adopted versions of the bill, the number of clients had increased by nearly 300 percent, the Center for Responsive Politics found.
Financial Carrots, Sticks Offered in Final Push for Health Care Reform
March 17, 2010 | Democratic congressional leaders, President Barack Obama and their reform-supporting allies are this week aggressively wrangling the necessary votes to pass health insurance reform legislation.
2009 Brings Big Money in Key Congressional Races
March 2, 2010 | As Democrats try not to let political turbulence slim their ranks and Republicans focus on winning back the majority, money continues to pour into campaign coffers. Big-money congressional races are often in competitive states or districts that could wind up flipping for Republican or Democratic, a Center for Responsive Politics review of campaign finance reports through the end of 2009 shows.
Chris Dodd Compromises, Harold Ford Calls it Quits and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 2
March 2, 2010 | U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) spent months railing against the Federal Reserve for what he considered its failure to protect consumers from abusive financial institutions. Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee who isn't seeking re-election, now appears primed to compromise on his standing desire to create an independent "Consumer Financial Protection Agency" designed to protect consumer interests.
Barack Obama's Beer Bet Lost, the Health Sector's Newest Lobbying Push and more in Capital Eye Opener: March 1
March 1, 2010 | It came with, perhaps, an overabundance in interest in learning Sunday night that President Barack Obama will this week ship a case of Molson Canadian to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- the spoils of a bet lost on the United States v. Canada Olympic hockey gold medal finals.
Midterm Elections Will Cost at Least $3.7 Billion, Center for Responsive Politics Estimates
February 23, 2010 | A more than 30 percent increase above 2006 levels on spending predicted; Supreme Court's recent decision could mean even more money
The Investigation of Toyota, Gambling on Reid and More in Capital Eye Opener: February 23
February 23, 2010 | TOYOTA GOES TO WASHINGTON: Facing congressional hearings regarding their recent recalls, Toyota has turned to emergency K Street expertise, hiring new lobby firms in hopes of increasing influence on Capitol Hill.
A Letter to Nancy Pelosi, DCCC Feuds with Parker Griffith and More in Capital Eye Opener: February 18
February 18, 2010 | DEAR NANCY: Several top political donors have written an open letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in support of legislation that will curb the effects of the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission case.
Lobbyists Earn $1.3 Million Per Hour As Lawmakers Log Long Days
February 16, 2010 | Federal lobbying soared to a record $3.5 billion last year, as lawmakers clocked long hours and worked at a pace to be, in the opinion of one congressional scholar, the most productive Congress in decades. This translates to approximately $1.3 million spent on lobbying for every hour that Congress was in session in 2009, the Center for Responsive Politics has found.
Federal Lobbying Climbs in 2009 as Lawmakers Execute Aggressive Congressional Agenda
February 12, 2010 | The economy stunk. Corporations slashed jobs. And some firms, once juggernauts of American industry, simply ceased to exist. But for federal lobbyists, 2009 proved to be a year of riches unlike any other, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates.
Puerto Rico's Lobbying Duel with the Virgin Islands, Abramoff's Deep Throat and More in Capital Eye Opener: February 5
February 5, 2010 | On Thursday, ProPublica published a fantastic story about the role lobbying is taking in the world of rum and tax breaks. The article focuses on alcohol producer Diageo, known for its popular labels Dom Pérignon and Captain Morgan, who is at a center of a fight between Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Center for Responsive Politics Submits Statement on Campaign Finance to U.S. Senate Committee
February 2, 2010 | Sheila Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, submitted the following statement to the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration regarding the Supreme Court's recent decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission to allow unlimited independent corporate and union expenditures in elections.
Barack Obama Versus Samuel Alito, a Federal Judge Judged and More in Capital Eye Opener: January 28
January 28, 2010 | President Barack Obama, standing before a full session of Congress within the U.S. Capitol, accused the U.S. Supreme Court of opening "the floodgates for special interests -- including foreign corporations" through its 5-4 ruling last week in the case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. A visably agitated Justice Samuel Alito, sitting just feet away from Obama as he delivered the presidential State of the Union address, shook his head, made a face and appeared to mouth "simply not true."
OpenSecrets.org Offers 2010 Legislative Preview Ahead of Barack Obama's State of the Union Address
January 27, 2010 | The past year proved to be a legislative whirlwind in Washington, with a new administration, and expanded Democratic majorities in Congress, tackling an ambitious legislative agenda against the backdrop of two wars and an economic meltdown. Twelve months later, the story is much the same.
'Citizens United' Fallout, a Republican Super Bowl and More in Capital Eye Opener: January 25
January 25, 2010 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Use OpenSecrets to Monitor Any Increased Appetites for Independent Expenditures in the Wake of Supreme Court Ruling
January 22, 2010 | The Supreme Court's ruling Thursday in its high stakes campaign finance case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission could usher in a flood of new independent expenditures.
Supreme Court Gives Corporations, Unions Power to Spend Unlimited Sums on Political Messaging
January 21, 2010 | Corporations, trade associations, unions and nonprofit groups still aren't allowed to make direct contributions to federal politicians, but today, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that such groups may now spend unlimited amounts of money advocating for or against politicians. In doing do, the Supreme Court, led by Justice Anthony Kennedy, tossed out the distinction between individuals and corporations and their ilk when it comes to independent expenditures.
A Center for Responsive Politics Statement on Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
January 21, 2010 | A statement from Center for Responsive Politics' Executive Director Sheila Krumholz on the Supreme Court's Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling:
Final Stretch of Mass. Senate Race, Labor Leaders in the Spotlight and More in Capital Eye Opener: January 12
January 12, 2010 | FINAL COUNTDOWN IN MA: Conservative grassroots supporters came out in full force on Monday to support the candidacy of Republican Scott Brown, who is vying to fill the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). Brown is facing off against Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley in a special election next Tuesday, January 19. His campaign reportedly raised $1.3 million on Monday.
Forecasting Really Big Money, Woes for a Democrat-turned-Republican Rep and More in Capital Eye Opener: January 5
January 5, 2010 | BIG MONEY COMETH?: With the high stakes Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission pending, Politics magazine offers an in-depth report that provides the background of the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, which produced the limitations currently being questioned by the court, as well as recent efforts to chip away at the legislation's money-in-politics regulations.
Stakeholders in Health Insurance Reform Debate Gave Big to Senators
December 24, 2009 | Senators who opposed the health insurance reform bill passed on Christmas Eve received an average of nearly 30 percent more political donations from political action committees and individual employees of health and health insurance-related groups and companies since 1989, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis has found.
Capital Eye's PolitiQuizz: Do You Know This Member of Congress?
December 21, 2009 | This week's PolitiQuizz targets a veteran member of Congress who's buddies with doctors -- you know, those folks save lives, treat illnesses and have spent tens of millions of dollars this year lobbying the federal government on health care reform.
What Exactly Did Sen. Chris Dodd Promise Regarding Campaign Cash from AIG Employees?
December 4, 2009 | Top Connecticut Republican and Democratic party officials are battling over what exactly Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) meant earlier this year when he spoke of donating to charity campaign contributions he received from embattled executives at American International Group.
Capital Eye Opener: Wednesday, December 2
December 2, 2009 | SCROOGED! LOBBYISTS PUT HOLIDAY PARTIES ON ICE: Without a windfall of cash compiled on the backs of elfin slave labor, and facing grinchy federal lobbying rules, lobbyists are axing holiday parties like a lumberjack in a forest of douglas firs.
Watchdog Groups Detail Political Campaign Contributions in Ways Never Before Documented
November 23, 2009 | Thousands of U.S. companies and special interest groups attempt to influence government through campaign donations in ways never before documented, a joint project by two of the nation's premier government watchdog groups now reveals. The project, conducted by the National Institute on Money in State Politics and the Center for Responsive Politics, also provides an unprecedented resource: Profiles of these organizations' political giving patterns during the 2008 election at both the state and national level.
Democratic Sen. Jack Reed Envisions New Financial Regulations
November 17, 2009 | Viewed as a champion of regulatory reform, Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) is an advocate of new regulations regarding financial markets, products and institutions -- including new regulation regarding credit derivatives, "dark pool" markets and hedge funds. Within the Banking Committee, he is chairman of the securities, insurance and investment subcommittee.
Capital Eye Opener: Monday, November 9
November 9, 2009 | JUST WAIT UNTIL THE SENATE GETS STARTED: Heckuva lotta drama Saturday night in the House of Representatives finally passed its version of health care reform. We were up with them, glued to C-Span and crunching numbers all the while.
Congressmen Lose Big Bucks in 2008, But Still Rank Among Nation's Richest
November 4, 2009 | Even members of Congress – many among the country's richest people -- aren't impervious to the nation's economic recession. Current congressional members' median wealth uncharacteristically dropped nearly 5 percent in 2008 when compared to the prior year, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal personal financial disclosure reports indicates.
Democrats Welcome Two New Congressmen As GOP Makes Gains in Governorships
November 4, 2009 | While Republicans in Virginia and New Jersey won their state's governorships, Democrats proved victorious in two big money Congressional special elections Tuesday in California and New York. Democrat Bill Owens triumphed over Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman by about 3 percentage points in New York, and Democrat John Garamendi beat Republican David Harmer in California.
Supporters of Moderate Republican in NY-23 Special Election Weigh Where to Place Their Loyalties After Candidate Quits
November 2, 2009 | With Republican Diedre Scozzafava ending her bid in for Congress and endorsing her Democratic opponent Bill Owens, Owens and Conservative Party nominee Doug are now vying to win over Scozzafava's supporters, including those who lent financial support to her campaign.
New Edition of The Blue Pages Means You'll Never Shop the Same Way Again
November 2, 2009 | A new book detailing the political contributions and practices of nearly 5,000 companies goes on sale today, providing consumers with a powerful tool in helping them vote with their wallets.
Federal Lobbying Boom Continues, Third Quarter Reports Indicate
October 30, 2009 | 2009 is on pace to be another bumper year for lobbyists. During the third quarter, corporations, unions, trade associations and other special interests spent $849 million on federal lobbying, bringing the year-to-date total to $2.5 billion. Perhaps not surprisingly, the sectors that could be affected most by the Obama administration's domestic agenda -- particularly health, business and energy -- have been some of the biggest spenders over the course of the year.
'Round and 'Round They Go: Lawmakers Leave Congress for Lobbying Posts
October 29, 2009 | At least 44 lawmakers have left their congressional seats mid-term since 1990, and at least 16 of them went on to work at lobbying firms or at companies that hired lobbyists, CRP has found. Here, we take a closer look at a few of these individuals, examining which industries and clients they're now representing and the campaign cash they received while in Congress.
Capital Eye Opener: Thursday, October 22
October 22, 2009 | CHAMBERS OF FRUSTRATION: No doubt the bigwigs at the lobbying powerhouse U.S. Chamber of Commerce are beginning to feel the frustration.
Capital Eye Opener: Wednesday, October 21
October 21, 2009 | MCCAIN-FEINGOLD? ZZZZZZZ. We've been waiting for weeks for an outcome to Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which could very well change the nature of federal campaign finance laws as we know them. Nothing yet. But it's given us time to ponder why federal legislation always has such b-o-r-i-n-g names. (Shays-Meehan? Sounds like some sort of chronic thyroid condition.) Congress, let's get creative.
Capital Eye Opener: Friday, October 16
October 16, 2009 | A LIBERTARIAN STREAK IN WHOLE FOODS: John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods recently told Reason TV that he voted for Libertarian Bob Barr in the 2008 presidential election. According to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis, Mackey's sole contributions to federal candidates and committees have been to Libertarians -- totaling $6,500 between 1996 and 2000.
Support for Charles Rangel Wanes In Midst of Alleged Ethics Scandals
October 15, 2009 | Republican members of the House last week attempted to oust Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) from his powerful chairmanship of the House Ways & Means Committee for the duration of a House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged ethical misconduct surrounding his real estate investments and dubious personal financial disclosure reports. And although the effort failed and Rangel can sit tight for now, signs that he's sustained political damage are emerging.
Capital Eye Opener: Tuesday, October 6
October 6, 2009 | CLUSTERS OF CONTRIBUTIONS DISCUSSED ON MSNBC: On Monday morning, CRP Executive Director Sheila Krumholz and Sunlight Foundation Engagement Director Jake Brewer appeared on MSNBC's Morning Meeting with Dylan Ratigan to discuss our recent collaborative investigation about the one-two punch of contributions from health industry clients and their lobbyists.
Lawmakers Get One-Two Punch of Money From Health Industry Special Interests
October 1, 2009 | A new collaborative investigation between the Sunlight Foundation and Center for Responsive Politics shows that since January 2007, more than 500 individual lobbyists donated roughly $2.8 million to 61 members of Congress who took money from at least 10 lobbyists and also received money from their clients' PACs or employees. Among the recipients were 11 senators who sit on the Senate Finance Committee.
Capital Eye Opener: Thursday, October 1
October 1, 2009 | GREEN POLICY MAKES THE CHAMBER BLUE: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce took another hit this week after Nike announced it would be resigning from the organization's board because of concerns over the Chamber's position on climate change legislation. As these groups sever ties with the nation's largest spender on lobbying, they won't be able to tap into the Chamber's vast connections with Congress on other issues.
Hidden 'Bundles' of Lobbyist Giving Show Full Court Press by Health Care Donors
October 1, 2009 | A month-long collaborative investigation by the Sunlight Foundation and the Center for Responsive Politics has uncovered never-before-seen webs of campaign contributions from outside lobbyists and their clients, who are all important players in the healthcare reform, to key members of Congress.
Sallie Mae Finds Friends As Major Student Loan Bill Moves Through Congress
September 23, 2009 | Although Sallie Mae didn't get the result it wanted out of the House last week, the lawmakers who sided with Sallie Mae by voting against a bill to create a direct federal loan program have collected more money, on average, from the company than those who supported the bill.
Blue Dog Democrat Mike Ross Benefits From Real Estate Deal With Drug Company
September 22, 2009 | Using CRP data, ProPublica and Politico put out a great report today about a 2007 real estate transaction between Rep. Mike Ross (D-Ark.) and an Arkansas-based pharmacy, USA Drug. The sale of the property and its assets, plus the negotiation of a noncompete agreement with Ross' wife, Holly, yielded the couple at least $1 million and as much as $1.67 million -- much more than a county assessment said it was worth, according to the report.
Politicians Score Significant Cash From NFL Owners, Coaches and Players
September 17, 2009 | As the 32-team NFL begins its 2009 season, the Chargers and Texans stand among 20 clubs to donate more than $100,000 to federal political interests since the 1990 election cycle, according to the Center's analysis. Executives and employees of the league itself have also teamed together to contribute more than $322,000 during that time frame.
Arlen Specter, Barack Obama — Cognizant of Labor's Financial Support — Address AFL-CIO
September 15, 2009 | In a speech to the AFL-CIO in Pittsburgh today, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), told union members that he and a group of senators are successfully compromising with labor leaders on the industry's legislative priority, the Employee Free Choice Act. Democrats have overwhelmingly received more financial support from unions, though Specter did not mention whether the legislation's key provision would be part of the deal.
Symposium panelists agree: More disclosure of federal lobbying needed
September 15, 2009 | Amid a flurry of lobbying activity centered on health care reform, climate change, financial regulation and labor laws, a number of distinguished academics, reporters and lawyers gathered Monday to discuss the need for – and ultimately advocate -- transparency in the lobbying industry.
Senate Democrats Appoint New Leaders on Agriculture and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committees
September 10, 2009 | Leadership of two committees in the U.S. Senate has gotten a shake-up with the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.). Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) will take the reigns of the HELP Committee, which Kennedy had chaired. Then, Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) will be the new head of the Agriculture Committee.
Capital Eye Opener: Wednesday, September 9
September 9, 2009 | THE BIG DAY: If you've been following this blog at all in the past few weeks, you know that today could have some ramifications -- big or small -- for the campaign finance world. The United States Supreme Court will today re-hear Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission, a case that could open the floodgates for corporations and unions to spend unlimited sums from their corporate treasuries to expressly advocate the defeat or election of a candidate.
Capital Eye Opener: Tuesday, September 8
September 8, 2009 | ON THE EVE OF SHOWTIME: It started with a scathing movie about Hillary Clinton. And Wednesday, the Supreme Court will begin entertaining the monster of a campaign finance-related legal case that's grown from it, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
Economic Downturn Hits Some Industries, K Street Firms Hard
September 6, 2009 | Washington, D.C., is enjoying the long Labor Day weekend, and the Center for Responsive Politics is no different. But in your leisure time, check out this front-page story by Washington Post reporter Dan Eggen, who uses our research and data in noting Sunday: "In a year when Washington's influence industry should be thriving, with epic battled over health-care and energy legislation, lobbying in many sectors is in marked decline as defense contractors, real estate firms and other companies pull back in a down economy."
Capital Eye Opener: Thursday, September 3
September 3, 2009 | THE HONEYMOON IS OVER: It appears that Wal-Mart just can't catch a break where unions are concerned. The United Food and Commercial Workers is starting a coalition that "calls for improvements in the company's wages, health care, and environmental and labor policies," according to the Washington Post.
Potential Ted Kennedy Replacements Bring New Mix of Special Interest Support
September 2, 2009 | The death of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has left Democratic lawmakers scrambling to fill his seat in the midst of intense debate over one of Kennedy's highest legislative priorities -- health care reform. We thought we'd take a look at some of the possible candidates and how their fundraising compares to that of the late senator.
Capital Eye Opener: Monday, August 24
August 24, 2009 | CHICAGO THUGS, BEWARE: Illinois politics, prone to corruption like fish are prone to swimming, may realize campaign finance reforms that Gov. Pat Quinn told radio station WGN-AM 720 are crucial to "cleaning up our government."
Contributions from Health Sector to Lawmakers Increased 7 Percent in Second Quarter
August 14, 2009 | Federal lawmakers collected about half a million dollars more from the health sector between April and June of this year than they did in the first quarter of the year -- a total of $15.3 million for 2009. This slight boost is likely the result of the increased intensity of the health care reform debate.
Capital Eye Opener: Thursday, August 13
August 13, 2009 | Your morning round up of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Lobbying Firms Pick Up PMA Group's Clients, Make Some Cash
July 30, 2009 | When mega-lobbying firm PMA Group shut its doors earlier this year under FBI scrutiny, its clients certainly weren't thrilled. Ten other lobbying firms, however, have reaped the benefit, earning at least $560,000 in the first six months of the year from PMA's former exclusive clients.
Health, Energy and Finance Sectors Dominate 2nd Quarter Lobbying
July 29, 2009 | Want to launch your own investigation into second quarter lobbying expenditures? Start here.
Capital Eye Opener: Tuesday, July 28
July 28, 2009 | It's only Tuesday and already there's plenty of fodder for our new Capital Eye Opener.
Capital Eye Report: Direct or Indirect Loans? Either Way, It's Win-Win Deal for Major Political Contributor Sallie Mae
July 23, 2009 | With deficit worries gripping Washington, lawmakers including House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.) and Rep. Thomas Petri (R-Wis.) have proposed cutting taxpayer subsidies to private institutions that issue student loans. But groups such as Sallie Mae are spending big money in opposition to such proposals.
Democrats Aligned with Abortion-Rights Opponents Receive Money From Them
July 22, 2009 | Although abortion-rights opponents have given Republicans 95 percent of their $6.9 million in campaign contributions since 1989, several Democrats are among those pushing for an abortion funding ban in the health care bill. Many of the Democrats involved have collected money from pro-life groups but not pro-choice organizations, the CRP has found.
Wealthy House Democrats Spar Over Health Care Tax Hike
July 21, 2009 | House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and first-term Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) seem like natural allies. Both represent staunchly liberal congressional districts and support creating a public health insurance option. Both are multimillionaires and rank among the wealthiest current members of Congress. Yet the two Democrats disagree over how to fund the health care reform legislation coursing through Congress.
Chris Dodd's Wife Financially Tied to Health Companies
July 17, 2009 | Jackie Clegg Dodd, the wife of Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), sits on the board of four health organizations from which she collected at least $4,000 in director's fees in 2008, according to Dodd's recently released personal financial disclosure reports.
HELP Committee Members Opposing Health Bill Backed By Insurers, Pharma
July 15, 2009 | Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, who opposed a version of health care reform that the panel passed today, have on average received more money from the industries fighting against the measure's public health plan component than those who voted "yes."
Christopher Dodd, facing stiff Senate race challenges, raises plentiful campaign cash
July 14, 2009 | Republicans–shocker–are itching to ditch him. So is a member of his own Democratic party. But U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, (D-Conn.), will nonetheless report that he's raised $1.2 million during the year's second quarter, various news outlets are reporting.
Committee Members Speak Out–Or Stay Mum–On Health Care
July 9, 2009 | Over the past three weeks, Capital Eye has contacted members of five Capitol Hill committees responsible for drafting health care reform legislation this summer. Here are their responses (and non-responses) and the money they're collecting from various industries.
Fence-sitting Senators Say the Darnedest Things About Health Care Reform
July 9, 2009 | Interest groups have filled lawmakers' campaign coffers with cash, and spent millions on lobbyists to promote their positions. So it's not entirely surprising that some lawmakers can't make up their minds on health care reform. Here are a handful of examples of members of the Senate, who have tried to position themselves on multiple sides of the health care debate.
Congressional Lawmakers Invest in Their (Financial) Health
July 9, 2009 | As members of Congress assess the proper dose of reform for the nation's health care system, many of them have likewise invested hundreds of thousands of dollars of their personal funds into the very companies whose financial fortunes depend on what measures become law.
Unlikely Groups Enter Federal Health Care debate
July 9, 2009 | Though health care companies and consumer advocacy organizations are the most active players in the nation's debate over health care reform, non-medical groups are also lobbying to promote pet causes. They are shelling out considerable cash in the hope of influencing the direction of reform this summer.
Health Care Cheat Sheet (Money-in-Politics Style)
July 9, 2009 | If you've been following the money in the health care debate with us for the last month, you've probably got a pretty good sense now where it leads. As Congress continues debating the issue, we thought we'd make it even easier for you to keep track of the money by comparing the views of the big industries involved and some of the key players in each industry.
Democrats Chuck Schumer and Chris Dodd Stand Strong for Public Option
July 9, 2009 | Despite raising millions of dollars from the insurance and financial services industry during their careers, Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) rank among the Senate's most vocal champions of the public health insurance option.
Unions Lobby to Thwart Health Care Deal Breaker
July 8, 2009 | Union members can't strike if congressional lawmakers ignore their health care requests, but they've threatened to walk away from the bargaining table if Congress begins taxing employer health benefits.
Lois Capps, Nurse and Legislator, Gets Dose of Health Pro Funds
July 7, 2009 | When Lois Capps graduated in 1959 from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash. with a bachelor's degree in nursing, she may not have had a political career in mind. During her 10 years of Congress, health care professionals--nurses in particular--have helped paid for her campaigns.
Health Care Stakeholders Send Ex-Lawmakers, Staffers to Capitol Hill
July 6, 2009 | Washington's revolving door may fall off its hinges as lawmakers continue debating health care reform. Citing data from the Center for Responsive Politics, the Washington Post reported this morning that insurers, pharmaceutical companies, medical associations and hospitals have hired more than 350 former government staff members and retired members of Congress as part of a $1.4 million-a-day lobbying campaign.
Insurance Industry's Top D.C. Advocate Shells Out Campaign Cash
July 2, 2009 | As chief executive of America's Health Insurance Plans, Karen Ignagni has emerged as a central figure in the debate over health care reform. And like many other registered lobbyists, Ignagni has extended her influence and connections by opening her wallet to political candidates.
Democratic Doc Favors Single-Payer Health Care For All
June 30, 2009 | Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) is a physician and psychiatrist who is one of the leaders of the House Progressive Caucus on health reform. He has long favored a single-payer health care system, although the health sector is his second largest financial backer.
Center for Responsive Politics Welcomes New Communications Director
June 29, 2009 | Former Dallas Morning News writer Dave Levinthal joins the Center for Responsive Politics as the non-partisan organization's communications director.
Lobbying is a Lucrative Investment, Researchers Find Using CRP Data
June 25, 2009 | Three finance professors recently published a report stating that for every dollar a company spends on lobbying, its value increases by $200. That equates to a 22,000 percent return on the investment in lobbying.
The Price Isn't Right: Doctor-Turned-Lawmaker Opposes Public Option
June 24, 2009 | A former doctor, Rep. Tom Price's top contributors reads like a roster of America's medical groups. Out of the Georgia Republican's 20 all-time leading donors, only five aren't related to the medical field. Follow along as Capital Eye profiles some of the lawmakers who were health professionals in their past lives.
Diagnosis: Reform
June 17, 2009 | For some individuals, how Congress aims to reform America's health care system is literally a matter of life and death. For some industries, it could mean the difference between weathering the economic storm or shuttering their businesses. Over the next month, Capital Eye will be following the money as the various special interest groups continue to play politics in response to Congress's health reform proposals. Follow the month-long series here.
Democrats Top Freshmen Fundraising List
June 10, 2009 | Only three Republicans rank among the top 15 House and Senate fundraisers, CRP has found based on 1st Quarter campaign finance data, while the list of members of Congress facing the greatest debts is more bipartisan.
Obama's Choice For Army Secretary Received Money from Labor & Defense Interests, Including PMA Group
June 2, 2009 | President Barack Obama's choice for the Secretary of the Army, Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.) would bring with him strong ties to the defense industry's checkbooks and lobbyists, including Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and PMA Group.
Not Quite the Hard-Knock Life on K Street
April 30, 2009 | Given all of the variables, measuring the impact of the economy on K Street isn't exactly a science. But the Center for Responsive Politics has conclusively found that lobbying during the first three months of 2009 has actually increased slightly compared to the same period of time last year. Here you can check out how much which industries and clients have spent the most on lobbying so far this year and which have increased or decreased the most since the start of 2008.
Senator Arlen Specter Leaves the GOP, Will His Contributors Follow Him?
April 28, 2009 | Embattled Sen. Arlen Specter became a Democrat today, a move that could attract new donors and turn others off.
FEC Report: PACs Doubled Independent Expenditures for '08 Races
April 24, 2009 | Special interests appear to have made an unparalleled pre-emptive strike in the 2008 election cycle as they anticipated which legislative battles they'd face this year. According to an extensive report released by the Federal Election Commission today, political action committees spent $135.2 million on independent expenditures in the last election cycle. Capital Eye lists the report's other interesting findings here.
Minnesota Senate Case Highlights Potential Conflicts for Judges
April 14, 2009 | Republican Norm Coleman has 10 days to appeal the decision of the recount trial to the Minnesota Supreme Court. If he does appeal, Coleman will come before several individuals who have made partisan contributions during their careers before joining the court.
OpenSecrets.org Goes OpenData
April 13, 2009 | Politicians, prepare yourselves. Lobbyists, look out. Today the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics is putting 200 million data records from the watchdog group's archive directly into the hands of citizens, activists, journalists and anyone else interested in following the money in U.S. politics.
OpenSecrets.Org Now Tallies the Bills
April 2, 2009 | OpenSecrets.org now tracks the number of filers that reported lobbying on a particular piece of legislation, back to 2005, providing information about the specific clients that paid for the work and the lawmakers sponsoring the bills. You can now search OpenSecrets.org's Lobbying Database by a bill's name, description or number. See some of our initial findings here.
Power Players: Winning Union Cash Easy Work for Chair of Labor Committee
March 26, 2009 | Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) became chair of the House Education & Labor Committee in 2007, after serving as ranking member for six years before Democrats won control of the House. Whether it's because he has played a prominent role on the committee for years or because he has dedicated himself to workers' issues, unions are unabashed supporters of the congressman.
Power Players: Senate Health Committee Chair Gets a Large Dose of Finance, Health Industry Funds
March 25, 2009 | Even as he deals with his own health challenges, as chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) has committed himself to focusing on improving the quality and accessibility of American health care. Kennedy's interest in the country's health care issues has brought him money from various health-related industries.
Empty Disclosure
March 19, 2009 | Some lobbyists appear to collect money for nothing--more than half a billion dollars from clients over the last decade, Center finds.
FEC: PACs Without a Union or Business Sponsor On the Rise
March 12, 2009 | Even as consumers try to save their cash, more fundraising committees have popped up across the country to collect money for political activities. However, the growth hasn't come from the traditional sponsors of PACs--businesses and labor unions. Instead, non-connected PACs (which are not sponsored by any union, corporation or lawmaker) increased the most last year, indicating a shift, perhaps, in political strategy.
Millions of Dollars Later, Congress Introduces Unionization Bill
March 10, 2009 | For months business groups and labor unions have been campaigning for or against the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that was introduced in Congress just today and that has spurred what will be one of the fiercest--and most expensive--debates Capitol Hill has seen in years. Capital Eye recently explored the political spending strategies both adversaries have been implementing in preparation for today's bill and provide some highlights of that report here.
Power Players: Natural Resources Committee Chair Mines Support from Homestate Industry
March 5, 2009 | At 27, Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.V.) was the youngest member of the first Congress he served in, landing spots on the Interior and Public Works committees in his first term in 1976. Now, as chair of the House Natural Resources Committee (formerly the Interior Committee) and the No. 2 Democrat on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (formerly Public Works), he's got the support of transportation unions, the mining industry and oil and gas companies.
Labor and Business Spend Big on Looming Unionization Issue
February 26, 2009 | President Obama's Tuesday address to Congress was entirely about jump-starting the economy, but he didn't even hint at a looming legislative battle between business and labor that both sides say could affect how quickly the country recovers. The two longtime adversaries may have different political strategies, but both sides have already spent plenty of cash trying to persuade lawmakers to side with them.
Keeping Tabs on Wall Street, Stimulus Efforts and the Bailout
February 25, 2009 | Since August 2008, when the economic crisis started making headlines and companies began asking lawmakers for some financial help in the form of billions of dollars, CRP has been taking a look at the political influence of companies and industries looking for a government lifeline. This archive contains what we've produced as we follow the money behind the Wall Street shakeout and the government's attempts to jump-start the economy.
Special Interests to Listen Carefully to Obama's Address
February 24, 2009 | When President Obama addresses the nation tonight in a State of the Union fashion, it won't just be Congress and members of the public tuning in. Special interests, too, will be paying close attention to what the president has to say about upcoming plans that could affect them. Capital Eye takes a look at the key issues Obama is likely to discuss--and the industries, sectors and groups that will be listening closely to his message.
Power Players: Without Automakers' Fuel, Waxman Steers House Energy Committee in New Direction
February 12, 2009 | In a blow to the struggling auto industry that has financially supported Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) for years, the House Energy & Commerce Committee chairman was ousted this year, replaced by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who hasn't received a penny from the industry. Instead, Waxman has collected money from doctors and health professionals.
TARP Recipients Paid Out $114 Million for Politicking Last Year
February 4, 2009 | The companies that have been awarded taxpayers' money from Congress's bailout bill spent $77 million on lobbying and $37 million on federal campaign contributions, CRP has found. The return on investment: 258,449 percent.
Washington Lobbying Grew to $3.2 Billion Last Year, Despite Economy
January 29, 2009 | While companies across the board were losing record amounts of money and laying off employees last year, at least one industry seemed to weather the recession: lobbying. Special interests paid Washington lobbyists $3.2 billion in 2008, more than any other year on record and a 13.7 percent increase from 2007, CRP has found. Corporations in the finance, insurance and real estate sector and automotive industry actually slowed or decreased their lobbying spending overall last year, relying instead on trade associations to represent them.
Wealthy Freshmen Increase Congressional Net Worth
January 28, 2009 | New members of Congress are worth $1 million more than the average incumbent, CRP has found after analyzing the lawmakers' personal financial disclosure reports. As they make decisions about the economy, freshmen and incumbents are heavily invested in the struggling financial sector.
No Logos, but Corporate Representation at Obama's Inauguration
January 15, 2009 | There won't be any corporate advertising on the dais, but a number of major corporations and influential industries will be represented at Barack Obama's inauguration by individuals who've contributed as much as $50,000 apiece--and bundled up to $300,000--to underwrite the festivities. According to a new analysis of inaugural donors by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, individuals associated with Microsoft, Google, Citigroup and many more companies are among the upcoming event's biggest contributors.
2009 Legislative Preview
January 15, 2009 | Within the next few months, it will become increasingly clear how the federal government intends to tackle pressing issues, including the economy, health care reform and curbing global warming. Those efforts, led by a Democratic president and an expanded Democratic majority in Congress, might look drastically different from those of the last eight years under Republican President Bush. What won't change, however, are the attempts by special interests to influence legislation. Capital Eye looks at which industries are spending money to shape the economic stimulus, health care reform, energy policy and labor laws.
Power Players: Appropriations Chair and Organized Labor Have Strong Union
January 15, 2009 | Labor unions are enthusiastic supporters of Rep. Dave Obey, giving him a total of $2 million since 1989. A seat on the Appropriations Committee isn't enough to attract that kind of union support; a chairmanship on the subcommittee that controls Labor Department spending, however, is. Obey will continue to hold that post this year, in addition to his spot as chair of the entire House Appropriations Committee.
Unions Funded Labor Nominee's Work as Congresswoman
December 19, 2008 | Labor unions, gearing up for a fierce fight on Capitol Hill next year, will find a fervent ally in Barack Obama's pick for Labor Secretary, Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Calif.), who has relied heavily on financial support from unions during her time in the House of Representatives. In total Solis has collected $888,050 from the labor sector since 1999, more than twice what she collected from her next most generous sector.
Wealthy Out-of-Town Donors Foot the Inauguration Bill
December 15, 2008 | As Washington, D.C., prepares itself for what will likely be one of the largest inauguration audiences in history, some of the country's wealthiest individuals in Hollywood and New York are financing the event as it grows into a major production. So far the presidential inaugural committee has collected at least $9.7 million from at least 239 contributors.
Struggling Companies and Industries Still Found Funds to Sponsor Political Conventions
December 10, 2008 | Weeks before they turned to the federal government for rescue, companies such as AIG, Ford, Citigroup and Freddie Mac were among the biggest sponsors of the summertime political conventions that nominated Barack Obama and John McCain for president, according to a new analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, in collaboration with the Campaign Finance Institute.
While in Congress, Indicted Illinois Governor Supported Current Lawmakers
December 9, 2008 | Before he was the governor of Illinois who was taken into custody on corruption charges, Rod Blagojevich was a member of Congress relying on lawyers and law firms, unions, finance companies and fellow lawmakers to fund his campaigns. Blagojevich also helped pay for some of his colleagues' campaigns, including a few that are still in Congress.
Auto Industry Gives Sparingly to a Skeptical Congress
November 20, 2008 | Why, when Wall Street took the fast lane to grab its share of $700 billion in federal bailout funds, does the auto industry seem stuck in neutral? The carmakers' campaign contributions to Congress suggest one reason: Most lawmakers, especially those on the finance committees that heard this week from pleading GM, Ford and Chrysler executives, don't owe much payback to Detroit.
Obama Selects Daschle to Head HHS
November 20, 2008 | By selecting former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) to head the Health and Human Services Department, Barack Obama is tapping the expertise of a man whose political campaigns in the public sector and salary in the private sector have been paid, in part, by the health care industry.
Money Wins Presidency and 9 of 10 Congressional Races in Priciest U.S. Election Ever
November 5, 2008 | The historic election of 2008 re-confirmed one truism about American democracy: Money wins elections. From the top of the ticket, where Barack Obama declined public financing for the first time since the system's creation and went on to amass a nearly two-to-one monetary advantage over John McCain, to congressional races throughout the nation, the candidate with the most money going into Election Day emerged victorious in nearly every contest.
U.S. Election Will Cost $5.3 Billion, Center for Responsive Politics Predicts
October 22, 2008 | The 2008 election for president and Congress is not only one of the most closely watched U.S. elections in years; it's also the most expensive in history. The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics estimates that more than $5.3 billion will go toward financing the federal contests upcoming on Nov. 4.
To E-file or Not to E-file? That Was the Question for Sen. Ensign
October 21, 2008 | As we've pointed out many times on this blog, the chairman of the committee that raises money for Republican Senate candidates, Sen. John Ensign of Nevada, has been holding up a no-brainer bill requiring senators to file their campaign finance reports electronically. So several of us from the Center for Responsive Politics went to the National Press Club to see if we could get Ensign to explain himself.
As Economic Storm Brewed, Congressional Wealth Grew 13% Last Year
October 16, 2008 | An economic recession is looking increasingly likely, but the personal finances of members of Congress suggest they will be able to withstand the slowdown far better than most Americans, according to a new analysis of lawmakers' latest personal financial reports by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
New Feature on OpenSecrets.org: Lobbyists' Campaign Contributions
October 16, 2008 | Lobbyists thrive on having access to politicians, and there are few better ways to gain that access than by making campaign contributions. Thanks to a 2007 change in Congress's ethics laws, federal lobbyists and their employers must now disclose their campaign contributions. We've analyzed them here on OpenSecrets.org.
Drug Industry Dough Shifting to Dems
October 14, 2008 | As the Democrats stand to make substantial gains in both the House and Senate on November 4th, the pharmaceutical industry appears to be following the power. Since the 2006 election cycle, donations from the drug industry have shifted starkly from favoring Republicans to reflecting parity among the parties. So far in this election cycle, Democrats and Republicans have received nearly equal shares of pharma money, 49 percent and 51 percent respectively.
PACs in 527's Clothing?
October 14, 2008 | Campaign finance reform group Democracy 21 filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission last week alleging that the American Issues Project (AIP), a pro-Republican group, and the American Leadership Project (ALP), a pro-Democratic group, broke campaign finance rules by not registering as political action committees, which are subject to contribution limits and reporting requirements.
Races to Watch IX: Wall Street's Favorite Candidates
October 9, 2008 | Not at all to the chagrin of oil and gas companies (and lawmakers who have received campaign donations from them), Wall Street is the new black for congressional candidates looking to link their opponents to an unpopular industry. As federal lawmakers have wrestled with an economic bailout plan worth $700 billion, candidates who have received contributions from the financial sector are on the defensive. Find out which candidates are filling their war chests with money from the finance sector in Capital Eye's final installment of Races to Watch.
Races to Watch VIII: Top Self-Funders
October 6, 2008 | On its own, fundraising is a serious challenge; add the obstacle of navigating complicated campaign finance laws and it's enough to deter many from the political arena. However, individuals with deep pockets can finance their own campaigns, and unlike contributions raised from other people, there is no limit to how much personal money candidates can give themselves. Capital Eye takes a look at the top self-funders seeking congressional office this election cycle.
Races to Watch VII: Where Cash Has No Competition
October 2, 2008 | Like reading tea leaves, one way to predict how a congressional race is going to go is by looking at the disparity in fundraising between the candidates. So far this election cycle, 280 House and Senate incumbents on November's ballot have collected at least 10 times more than the opponent they face in the general election. In this installment of Races to Watch, Capital Eye looks into why some of these incumbents have been such successful fundraisers.
Races to Watch VI: Candidates Backed by PACs
October 1, 2008 | More than a quarter of the money raised by congressional candidates on the November ballot has come from business and labor PACs, not from individual donors, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Capital Eye has profiled some races where labor union and business PAC money is playing the largest role.
Races to Watch V: Lobbyists' Favorite Candidates
September 30, 2008 | Registered lobbyists aren't just getting the attention of lawmakers while on the job. Like any other member of the public, they, too, are able to contribute up to the maximum amount per election to candidates of their choice. The Center for Responsive Politics has identified the congressional races with candidates who are receiving the most money from registered lobbyists.
Races to Watch IV: Money Flowing from Oil and Gas
September 29, 2008 | The oil and gas industry, under the spotlight this fall with energy at the forefront of political discourse, isn't hesitating to put some of its record profits into the hands of candidates who support its cause (or those it's seeking to convert). So far this election cycle, the oil and gas industry has given $12.3 million total to congressional candidates. The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has identified the candidates who have received the most money from oil and gas interests in this election cycle, and Capital Eye selected a few races to more deeply examine the impact of well-digger dollars on politics.
Races to Watch III: Big Money, Small Money
September 29, 2008 | Barack Obama defended his decision not to accept public financing by arguing that running a campaign for the White House based on small contributions accomplishes what the public financing system aims to do but falls short of doing: curb the influence of outside interest groups. In many congressional races, the issue of who's backing the candidate--wealthy donors or everyone else--is finding its way into debates over the best way to fix the economy and whether campaign contributions and lobbying by the financial sector had anything to do with today's economic crisis. Capital Eye takes a closer look at some of these races.
Races to Watch II: Candidates Supported by Their Party
September 25, 2008 | Private interests and members of the public aren't the only ones betting their money on the congressional candidates they hope will win (or retain) congressional seats. Lawmakers in both parties have a vested interest in seeing their own candidates succeed this November, with Democrats wanting to strengthen their majority and Republicans hoping to minimize their losses. Here we look at some of the candidates getting the largest cash infusions from their own parties, indicating a close race.
Races to Watch I: Challengers Outraising Incumbents
September 24, 2008 | With few exceptions, incumbents will out-raise their challengers--so far this election cycle, incumbents for Congress have raised nine times more than their challengers, on average, and there is not a single Senate race where the challenger has raised more money than the sitting senator. Although challengers aren't winning the money race on the Senate side, the Center for Responsive Politics has identified 14 House races where the challenger surpassed the incumbent in fundraising after the most recent reporting period, through June.
Races to Watch
September 24, 2008 | It's the presidential eclipse: Every four years, media coverage about all angles of the race for the White House (significant or not) overshadows all but a handful of too-close-to-call congressional races. Yet, in the midst of an economic meltdown, record gas prices and a five-year war, there's no question that citizens care about who represents them in Congress, not just who moves into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. While other political analysts focus on the most competitive congressional races, Capital Eye will spend the next week profiling contests with an interesting fundraising angle--even those where the winner is pretty easy to predict.
Retirees Propel McCain to the Fundraising Finish Line
September 3, 2008 | Preparing for a general election in which he cannot collect private donations, John McCain vaulted in front of Barack Obama in fundraising from one of the biggest groups of donors in American politics: the senior set. A new analysis of the Republican nominee's summer fundraising by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has found McCain leading Obama among retired donors almost two to one in June and July, $8.1 million to $4.5 million.
Labor Day Kicks off GOP Convention, But Unions Back Democrats
August 30, 2008 | Labor Day isn't just the unofficial end of summer. It's supposed to be a day to give American workers a break from all they do during the year. This year it also happens to be the first day of the Republican National Convention, an interesting choice given that when unions do give money to federal lawmakers, they heavily favor Democrats. And when they don't make contributions directly, they're still spending big bucks to sway elections in the favor of Democratic candidates.
Professors Spent Their Summer Vacations Giving to Obama
August 26, 2008 | While school was out, college professors and other educators were putting money into Barack Obama's presidential campaign, according to a new analysis of the Democratic nominee's summer fundraising. Educators contributed at least $2.3 million to his campaign in June and July, surpassed only by lawyers, who make up Obama's top-giving industry since the campaign's start, and retirees.
How to Teach a Blue Dog Red Tricks
August 24, 2008 | There is an emboldened breed of politician strutting around Denver this week and tonight, as part of the Democratic Party's convention, multiple corporations will be throwing a late-night bash in honor of these creatures. A group of fiscally conservative Democrats known as the Blue Dog Coalition has been able to leverage centrist appeal and an increasing Democratic majority into strong gains in the House of Representatives. The group's unique appeal is evidenced in the Blue Dogs' formidable fundraising coalition.
Nearly 5,000 PACs on the FEC's Books
August 12, 2008 | In this economy, statistics indicating growth are hard to come by. But today the Federal Election Commission announced there's been modest growth over the last six months in one area: the number of federally registered political action committees, or PACs. According to the FEC's semi-annual survey, the number of PACs increased 1.3 percent, from 4,234 to 4,292.
Vote Republican–Save 10 Percent on All Purchases
August 4, 2008 | Wal-Mart has denied the Wall Street Journal's claim that the retailer told its managers to vote for Republicans, pointing to its political action committee--which has split its contributions between the two parties this election cycle--as evidence of its bipartisan nature. But this year the Big Box retailer has given more to Democrats than ever before.
Power Struggle: Industry Standards
July 10, 2008 | Industries across the board have a stake in the outcome of energy legislation, either because they are looking for handouts or trying to minimize harm. Capital Eye profiles the major players, their concerns and the money they're spending to be heard on Capitol Hill.
Lobbying: The Constitutional Right of Pretty Much Anybody
July 10, 2008 | In analyzing the influence of private money on public policy, a great deal of attention is given to large special interest groups. Everyone has heard about Big Oil and Big Pharma. However, very few people know about the influence of fringe organizations such as "Big Golf" or the Australian meat lobby.
Despite New Rules, Lawmakers Still Airborne
June 18, 2008 | The pace of congressional travel has slowed since new ethics rules went into effect last year, but CRP's update of its travel database shows that some lawmakers are still collecting frequent flier miles on someone else's dime.
Obama Puts Lobbyists, PACs on DNC's Do-Not-Call List
June 5, 2008 | Now that the Democrats have a presidential nominee who refuses contributions from lobbyists and political action committees, the Democratic National Committee is bringing its own fundraising policies in line with Barack Obama's.
Superdelegates (Not) for Sale
May 20, 2008 | One of Hillary Clinton's most generous supporters has made the news for allegedly using money to entice superdelegates into Clinton's camp. According to the Huffington Post, media billionaire Haim Saban offered the Young Democrats of America (YDA) $1 million if the group's uncommitted superdelegates backed Clinton.
Presidential Candidates' April Reports Due May 20th
May 19, 2008 | Tuesday, May 20 at midnight is the deadline for the presidential candidates to file their fundraising reports for April. At the Center for Responsive Politics we will grab the electronically filed data on Wednesday morning and go to work on categorizing donations by geography, industry, company, etc.
Data Update: Heavy Hitters
May 16, 2008 | We've updated OpenSecrets.org's in-depth profiles of "Heavy Hitters"--the 100 biggest givers in American politics since 1989. On the old site we called them "Major Donors," "Top All-Time Donors" and occasionally "Blue-Chip Investors." They're Heavy Hitters now, and you'll find information on them that doesn't exist anywhere else.
New OpenSecrets.org Celebrates CRP's 25th Anniversary
May 14, 2008 | Voters, activists, journalists and political professionals have a new tool for following the most expensive U.S. election ever. The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has unveiled its redesign of OpenSecrets.org, the award-winning website that has illuminated connections between money, elections and public policy for millions of Americans.
Another Record Year for Lobbying
April 10, 2008 | Corporations, industries, labor unions, governments and other interests spent a record $2.79 billion in 2007 to lobby for favorable policies in Washington, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has calculated.
McCain Lags in GOP Strongholds
April 3, 2008 | This week the Wall Street Journal examined the difficulty that the Republicans' presumptive presidential nominee, John McCain, appears to be having in raising money from traditionally Republican sectors, such as agribusiness, construction and energy.
Obama Uses Web to Raise Record Sums
March 28, 2008 | Democrat Barack Obama is using the Internet in new ways to get supporters to give money to his campaign. "It is the result of an elaborate marketing effort that has left Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, his rival for the Democratic nomination, and Sen. John McCain, the presumed Republican nominee, struggling to catch up," the Washington Post reported.
Washington Lets In More Sunshine, But Halls of Power Are Still Too Dark
March 20, 2008 | Since Sunshine Week 2007, a few rays of sunlight have lit up Congress and the Bush administration in the form of ethics legislation and other bills mandating fuller disclosure. As these changes are implemented, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics is examining their effects on the public's ability to know what's going on in campaign finance, lobbying and other areas related to money and politics.
Media Advisory: February Presidential Campaign Finance Reports
March 18, 2008 | Thursday, March 20 at midnight is the deadline for the presidential candidates to file their fundraising reports for February. (Now that we're in the election year, presidential candidates file on the 20th of each month, instead of quarterly.) At the Center for Responsive Politics we will grab the electronically filed data on Friday morning and go to work on categorizing donations by geography, industry, company, etc.
A Candidate in Motion
March 13, 2008 | Newton's first law of motion (that an object in motion tends to stay in motion) is true in physics and also seems to apply to physicists running for Congress. Over the weekend, physicist and businessman Bill Foster, a Democrat, was unstoppable in Illinois's 14th Congressional District. Foster beat Republican Jim Oberweis in former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert's district, winning a seat that Republicans had held for decades.
Congress Has Wealth to Weather Economic Downturn
March 13, 2008 | As Americans worry about their own finances, their elected representatives in Washington—with a collective net worth of $3.6 billion—are mostly in good shape to withstand a recession.
Stimulus Package Leaves Some Interests Behind
February 14, 2008 | President Bush signed the $168 billion Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 this week, disappointing some industries and interests that had vied for measures that would benefit them.
Seeking Stimulation
January 31, 2008 | Industries are sending in lobbyists with their wish lists as Congress and the president debate a package to revive the ailing economy.
Presidential Candidates' Fund-raising Totals Due Tonight
January 31, 2008 | After a long wait, we'll learn tonight how much the presidential candidates raised and spent in the last three months of 2007 -- and who gave them the money. Year-end reports are due to the Federal Election Commission by midnight. The Center for Responsive Politics will download the data overnight and begin the labor-intensive effort to categorize donors by geography and industry.
FEC: Political Action Committee Numbers on the Rise
January 24, 2008 | More than 4,200 political action committees are now registered with the Federal Election Commission, representing a 1.5 percent increase during the last six months of 2007, the FEC announced last week.
Coal Executive Richard Stickler Continues Leading Mine Safety Agency
January 10, 2008 | For a few days at the start of 2008, Richard Stickler, head of the U.S. Mine Safety Health Administration, was out of a job. But President George W. Bush last week ensured that the former coal-mining executive would continue to head the Labor Department agency despite Senate Democrats' concerns.
Outsourcing the Income
December 6, 2007 | As individuals are pushed to replace soft money, professional fundraisers profit.
Biggest Donors Are Digging Deeper for '08
November 15, 2007 | Top industries and interest groups have increased their giving over 2004 by 46 percent, Center finds. As money shifts to Democrats, giving from Republican strongholds is mostly flat.
Retirees Got Active in Presidential Campaign's 3rd Quarter
November 1, 2007 | Exclusive analysis finds lawyers are still the biggest givers to candidates for the White House, but retired contributors have edged out Wall Street. A year before '08 election, Democrats have the edge in nearly every major industry.
Q&A: MoveOn.org, Bundlers and Conduits
September 27, 2007 | Attention to MoveOn.org's advertising has prompted many questions about how the group operates, and how it and others direct money to political candidates.
Time is Money
August 22, 2007 | From archaic technology to poorly timed staff vacation, lobbying firms explain why they aren't always quick to reveal who they're working for.
Small Donors Raised Their Voices in Presidential Campaign's 2nd Quarter
July 19, 2007 | While lawyers and Wall Street are still the biggest givers, the candidates raised 84 percent more—or more than a quarter of their money—from smaller donors in the last three months.
OpenSecrets.org and Helium Unite to Provide Online Forum for Debate
June 27, 2007 | Pros and cons on money in politics presented at Helium.com
Supreme Court Targets McCain-Feingold
June 26, 2007 | A ruling this week opens the door for business corporations and unions to fund issue ads as they like until the day of an election.
Power Play Series: Energy & Coal Mining
June 21, 2007 | The industry tries to convince policymakers that coal can be clean.
Border Patrol Series: Immigration & Construction
June 14, 2007 | Providing first jobs for generations of immigrants, the construction industry seeks to keep the labor stream flowing.
Border Patrol Series: Immigration & Agribusiness
June 14, 2007 | Heavily reliant on immigrant workers, the farming industry is largely united in support of the immigration bill.
Border Patrol Series: Immigration & Human Rights
June 14, 2007 | Immigrant rights groups suddenly find their issue in the spotlight.
Border Patrol Series: Immigration & Business
June 14, 2007 | Business speaks with a loud voice, but its sub-industries have varying views.
Border Patrol Series: Immigration & High-Tech
June 14, 2007 | The technology industry's need for highly skilled workers is often overlooked in the immigration debate.
Border Patrol Series: Immigration & Health
June 14, 2007 | As the U.S. population ages, the health sector wants to be able to recruit caregivers from abroad.
Border Patrol Series: Immigration & Labor
June 14, 2007 | Unions are generally pleased that the immigration bill puts illegal workers on a path to citizenship—and potentially union membership.
Border Patrol
June 14, 2007 | As lobbyists for industries and interest groups monitor and try to influence Congress's debate over immigration, Capital Eye analyzes the key players involved.
Don't Keep OpenSecrets.org a Secret, Congressman
May 24, 2007 | Former Justice Department official Monica Goodling admitted to Congress yesterday that she researched appointees' political contributions on the Internet. The Center for Responsive Politics asks the congressman who questioned her to spread the word about OpenSecrets.org.
Center Contributes to New Website Connecting Money and Congressional Votes
May 16, 2007 | Data from OpenSecrets.org helps users follow the money trail on MAPLight.org
Internet Experts Name OpenSecrets.org the Best Politics Site on the Web
May 1, 2007 | Webby Award is the fourth "online Oscar" for the Center for Responsive Politics.
Financiers, Along with Lawyers, are Underwriting the Race for the White House, Watchdog Finds
April 18, 2007 | New, exclusive analysis on OpenSecrets.org finds attorneys have given candidates the most, but Wall Street's biggest firms top all other companies. Candidates have relied on their personal connections for early fundraising.
Vote for OpenSecrets.org to Win a Webby
April 11, 2007 | Nominated for the seventh time as the world's best politics website, OpenSecrets.org is also up for a "People's Voice Award." Fans of the money-in-politics site can vote online. ____________________ Following a win last year for being the best website about politics, OpenSecrets.org has been nominated again for the prestigious Webby Award. While an expert panel…
Congressional Preview
April 7, 2007 | New leadership in the 110th Congress means newfound influence for interests friendly to Democrats By Miranda Blue and Lindsay Renick Mayer January 04, 2007 | With the changing of the guard on Capitol Hill comes a shift in lobbying efforts. In December, the Republican-led 109th Congress closed with a late-night flurry of bills to appease…
Don't Let the Senate Remain Behind the Times—and in the Dark!
March 26, 2007 | Can you think of a single good reason why senators should file their campaign finance reports on paper? Apparently, Utah Sen. Bob Bennett can. ____________________ It's not very often that you find an issue in Washington that everyone can agree on. But the basic idea of the Senate Campaign Disclosure Parity Act, which would require…
Hot-Button Interests Cooled Down in '06 Election
March 21, 2007 | Voters and candidates had their minds on the war, so PACs representing abortion and gun interests pulled back on their campaign contributions. By Lindsay Renick Mayer March 21, 2007 | Although political action committees across all industries increased their total contributions to candidates during the last election, giving by PACs tied to several hot-button political…
Despite a Flat Year for Lobbying, Business Booster's Advocacy Soared in 2006
March 15, 2007 | U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent 83% more on lobbying in 2006, but overall growth was less than 2 percent. Drug and biotech again topped all industries. ____________________ WASHINGTON – Washington's influence industry managed to build its lobbying business in 2006, according to an analysis of year-end disclosures by the Center for Responsive Politics, but growth…
Let the Sunshine In!
March 15, 2007 | Who's funding your elected representatives' campaigns, and how is that money being spent? What public policies are lobbyists trying to influence? It's your right to know, so speak up—here's how.
Statement on FEC's Settlement with Progress for America 527
March 1, 2007 | WASHINGTON—In response to a 2004 complaint by a coalition of nonpartisan watchdog groups that included the Center for Responsive Politics, the Federal Election Commission has announced that Progress for America Voter Fund will pay a fine of $750,000, or about 2 percent of the illegal soft money it raised to influence the '04 presidential election.…
Large, Undisclosed Contributions to Presidential Libraries Create Potential for Corruption
February 28, 2007 | In testimony on Capitol Hill, the director of the Center for Responsive Politics urges Congress to shine light on the financing of public-private complexes that honor presidents
Fundraising Wasn't for the Forefathers
February 22, 2007 | The earliest candidates for president would have a hard time imagining a $1 billion campaign. By Lindsay Renick Mayer February 22, 2007 | It's a scene that George Washington couldn't possibly have envisioned in 1789: Presidential candidates entering the race with millions of dollars in the bank, Hollywood parties bagging $1.3 million for a single…
State of the Union Preview
January 22, 2007 | Global warming, the Iraq war and balancing the budget are likely to be among the issues the president addresses. By Lindsay Renick Mayer January 22, 2007 | When President Bush takes the podium on Tuesday night to deliver his annual address, he will do so before a nation that is far less supportive of his…
Federal Communications Commission Employees Find Themselves Wired to Lobbying Firms
January 4, 2007 | As FCC employees revolve out of government and into the private sector, they're likely to find themselves lobbying their former employer.
OpenSecrets.org Monitors Washington's 'Revolving Door'
January 4, 2007 | With the capital's post-election 'NBA draft' in full swing, a new online database tracks the public and private employment of 6,400 well-connected individuals ____________________ WASHINGTON – As Congress debates ways to slow the "revolving door" between Capitol Hill and K Street lobbying firms, the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics has added a new feature to…
New Year, New Election Cycle Bring New Leadership Team at the Center for Responsive Politics
January 3, 2007 | WASHINGTON – The longtime research director of the Center for Responsive Politics, Sheila Krumholz, has been promoted to Executive Director of the nonpartisan watchdog group, the Center's board of directors has announced. And to develop new services to further the Center's educational mission, diversify financial support for the organization and form new strategic partnerships, the…
Statement on FEC's Enforcement Action Against Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
December 13, 2006 | WASHINGTON—In response to a 2004 complaint by a coalition of nonpartisan watchdog groups that included the Center for Responsive Politics, the Federal Election Commission announced today that Swift Boat Veterans for Truth will pay a fine of under $300,000 and disband the 527 organization that expressly (and illegally) advocated for the defeat of Sen. John…
2006 Election Analysis: Incumbents Linked to Corruption Lose, but Money Still Wins
November 8, 2006 | While voters in some states are still waiting to see who will represent them in Congress, one thing is certain: Money was a clear winner in the 2006 elections. Equally clear was voters' concern about corruption in Washington; officeholders tied to scandal lost in disproportionate numbers.
Money-in-Politics Resources for Election Night
November 7, 2006 | Consult OpenSecrets.org and experts from the Center for Responsive Politics ____________________ WASHINGTON–OpenSecrets.org, the award-winning Web site of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, contains numerous resources for reporters needing money-in-politics figures on Election Night and following November 7th. The Center's acting executive director, Sheila Krumholz, and communications director, Massie Ritsch, are also available to analyze…
Center for Responsive Politics Predicts '06 Election Will Cost $2.6 Billion
October 25, 2006 | This year's intensely competitive election for control of the House of Representatives and Senate will be the most expensive midterm election ever, the Center for Responsive Politics predicts. Candidates, national political parties and outside issue advocacy groups will spend roughly $2.6 billion by the end of 2006 to influence the 472 federal contests around the United States and pad the war chests of incumbents not running this year.
In the Money Race, 'Third' is Dead Last
October 23, 2006 | Without cash to spread their message, independent and third-party challengers once again struggle to compete against Democrats and Republicans. By Lindsay Renick Mayer October 23, 2006 | Three-term senator Joe Lieberman finds himself as a third-party candidate in Connecticut this year. He has raised at least $15 million. Todd Chretien is also an independent running…
New Web Tools Track Congressional Finances and Travel
October 10, 2006 | Easy-to-search databases add to free offerings of award-winning OpenSecrets.org ____________________ The non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics has added two new features to its award-winning money-in-politics Web site, OpenSecrets.org. One database details more than $2.4 billion in assets reported by members of Congress, the president and other top federal officials, making their personal financial disclosures fully…
527 Activity Surges in the States
September 13, 2006 | The advocacy groups that rose to prominence in 2004 have scaled back their federal activity this election. Instead, 527s are focusing on state issues and elections. Liberals have raised more money than conservatives. By Lindsay Renick Mayer September 13, 2006 | CLARIFICATION (9/27/06): The non-federal 527 activity mentioned in this story includes only the fundraising…
PC Magazine Names OpenSecrets.org a Top Web Site of 2006
August 31, 2006 | Money-in-politics resource is a 'classic' that shows 'exactly where the paper trail leads' ____________________ PC Magazine has named the online money-in-politics resource OpenSecrets.org as among "The Top 101 Classic Web Sites of 2006," along with Google, Yahoo! and the Library of Congress. This is the latest accolade for the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics, which…
FEC Upholds Blackout on Issue Ads
August 29, 2006 | Commission rejects proposal that would allow unions, corporations and other advocacy groups to use unlimited, undisclosed funds for pre-election ads that name candidates. By Lindsay Renick Mayer August 29, 2006 | The Federal Election Commission rejected today a proposal that would have allowed labor unions, corporations and advocacy groups to broadcast ads close to an…
Challengers Can Draw Hope from Aug. 8 Upsets, but Incumbents Still Have the Money Edge
August 9, 2006 | Historically, nearly all incumbents in Congress win re-election. Does loss by Lieberman and others suggest 2006 will be different? ____________________ Primaries in three states on Aug. 8 each produced a rare event—the incumbent lost. The non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics offers the following "big picture" observations about the upsets in Connecticut, Georgia and Michigan, and…
'08 Presidential Conventions Are Big Bid-ness
July 24, 2006 | Profiles of the five metro areas vying to host—and finance—the multi-day gatherings that open the home stretch of the race for the White House. By Neil Tambe July 24, 2006 | (1/11/07 UPDATE: The Democrats have chosen Denver to be the site of their 2008 convention. The Republicans announced in September 2006 that they will…
Investors Push Companies to Explain Their Politics
July 10, 2006 | Shareholder initiatives requiring greater disclosure of corporate campaign contributions and lobbying have fared better in 2006 but still mostly fail. By Neil Tambe July 10, 2006 | Shareholders who are concerned that corporations' political activities could devalue their stocks are increasingly prodding public companies to make their political contributions and lobbying activities more transparent. So…
Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Tuba Players
April 27, 2006 | The masses huddled on immigration issue include some surprising interests By Courtney Mabeus April 27, 2006 | Just as the United States is a tapestry woven of people from different countries and backgrounds, the various groups that lobby on the immigration issue form a diverse and often surprising patchwork. Lobbyists for ballet dancers, mushroom growers,…
Center for Responsive Politics Unveils New Lobbying Database
March 28, 2006 | Free, easy-to-search Web site reveals even more of Washington's "Open Secrets" ____________________ With lobbying under scrutiny in Washington like never before, the Center for Responsive Politics has launched a free online database that tracks the billions of dollars that corporations, labor unions and other organizations spend each year to influence Congress and federal agencies. Made…
Center for Responsive Politics Welcomes New Communications Director
January 9, 2006 | Former journalist Massie Ritsch joins non-partisan group studying money in politics ____________________ A former reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Massie Ritsch, has joined the Center for Responsive Politics as the non-partisan organization's Communications Director. Through its award-winning, publicly accessible website, www.OpenSecrets.org, CRP examines the influence of money on elections and public policy, especially in…
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