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In the News
Original journalism from the Center's OpenSecrets News
Trump AG nominee William Barr is a longtime GOP donor
January 15, 2019 | Attorney General nominee William Barr has provided consistent financial support to Republican candidates and causes for nearly 25 years.
Do new Democratic climate committee members get more from big oil or environmental interests?
January 10, 2019 | In total, new Democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee received more money from oil and gas-related PACs than environmental PACs.
From Beto to Oprah, undeclared 2020 candidates already backed by outside groups
January 10, 2019 | Super PACs have emerged supporting a litany of potential 2020 Democratic candidates, from the unlikely, such as Oprah and The Rock, to more likely candidates like Beto O'Rourke and Elizabeth Warren.
For-profit prisons strongly approve of bipartisan criminal justice reform bill
December 20, 2018 | The nation's largest for-profit federal prison contractors weighed in on the FIRST STEP Act, and they appear to be happy with it.
The revolving career of Jon Kyl
December 14, 2018 | Kyl, who will leave his seat Dec. 31, has had a decorated career in both Congress and the lobbying world.
2017 financials of the Koch's dark money network
November 29, 2018 | Four of the Koch brothers-funded nonprofits made hundreds of millions of dollars in 2017, money raised entirely from unknown donors.
New clues link $1 million Trump inauguration mystery money to secretive "dark money" network
November 28, 2018 | New tax returns reveal dark money conduit paid $919,900 to mysterious LLC that made a $1 million donation to President Donald Trump's inaugural committee.
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.
Months after deadline, financial disclosures for Mnuchin, DeVos, Ross still not public
November 21, 2018 | Financial disclosures for Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross have yet to be released.
Tax returns reveal one six-figure donor accounts for entirety of "dark money" funding Whitaker's nonprofit
November 21, 2018 | Tax documents reveal single six-figure donor accounting for 100 percent of "dark money" funding nonprofit run by acting Attorney General Matthew G. Whitaker.
Stung by Trump and midterms, the Koch network changes its approach
November 16, 2018 | After clashing with the Republican president and enduring a bruising midterm at the hands of reenergized Democrats, the Koch network is rethinking its strategy.
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.
Major industries shift contributions from Republicans to Democrats ahead of election day
November 2, 2018 | Wall Street gave 71 percent of its $7.86 million in campaign contributions to Democrats in the most recent pre-general election FEC filing period.
Blue wave of money propels 2018 election to record-breaking $5.2 billion in spending
October 29, 2018 | The Center for Responsive Politics projects that more than $5.2 billion will be spent this cycle, making the 2018 midterms the most expensive ever.
The Koch network's integrated strategy for social transformation
October 26, 2018 | The Koch network and its libertarian allies have battle-tested strategy for holding the line on a forgotten front in the info-wars.
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.
Violence Against Women Act at risk of lapsing
October 3, 2018 | The Violence Against Women Act has received a three-month extension, but has yet to be fully reauthorized by the 115th Congress.
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.
Report: Secretive nonprofits remain a major player in 2018
August 3, 2018 | Dark money groups have accounted for more than half of all outside group spending on broadcast TV ads this election cycle, a new study finds.
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.
Bloomberg to spend a record $80 million to flip the House blue in November
June 22, 2018 | With a focus on spending money in certain moderate suburban areas, Bloomberg hopes to help the Democratic Party wrestle control of the House.
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.
CRP hosts a discussion with author Steven Brill
June 15, 2018 | Award-winning journalist and author Steven Brill's new book Tailspin examines how core American systems are breaking down and contributing to the crises our country faces.
$1 million mystery gift to Trump inauguration traced to conservative legal activists
May 14, 2018 | One of the largest contributions to President Donald Trump's inaugural committee in 2016 appears to have been orchestrated by a set of powerful conservative legal activists who have since been put in the driver's seat of the administration's push to select and nominate federal judges.
EXCLUSIVE: Robert Mercer backed a secretive group that worked with Facebook, Google to target anti-Muslim ads at swing voters
April 5, 2018 | Most Americans have never heard of the far-right neoconservative dark money nonprofit that ran the ads. It has no employees and it's run out of the offices of a D.C. law firm. More importantly, most voters never saw the ads. And that was by design.
March Madness: A big money breakdown
March 12, 2018 | If the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament was a competition of federal lobbying, an Ivy League school would win its first title.
GOP donors too 'embarrassed' to publicly support Trump gave millions to dark money group
March 6, 2018 | Tax documents show that the group spent $45 million from the run-up to the 2016 presidential election into the early days of President Trump's administration. The money that fueled the spending was raised from just a handful of wealthy, anonymous donors — most of whom gave more than $1 million each.
'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.
Retiring members of Congress have $50 million in their campaign coffers. Where will it go?
February 27, 2018 | The 42 members of Congress plan to retire or have already resigned ahead of November's midterm election, and their campaign committee war chests boast a combined $50 million cash-on-hand.
Midterms attracting new deep-pocketed donors
February 20, 2018 | Twenty-seven new donors broke onto the scene last year by giving at least $100,000 to political causes after contributing no more than $20,000 from 1989 to 2016. It's an eclectic group to say the least.
Outside groups to spend millions on tax messaging in 2018
February 2, 2018 | Conservative groups have done their best to corner the market on tax messaging based on pure volume and size of expenditures, but liberal groups too have asserted themselves since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's enactment last year.
Companies that funded Trump's inauguration came up big in 2017
January 19, 2018 | President Donald Trump's inaugural committee raised a record $107 million with the help of wealthy benefactors but also through donations from more than 200 corporations and anonymous LLCs, some of which held government contracts.
Koch nonprofit president's anti-net neutrality campaign
December 13, 2017 | American Commitment, a small nonprofit with ties to the donor network spearheaded by billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, has been actively opposing net neutrality.
Endowment tax affecting Republican districts with GOP support
December 8, 2017 | The GOP-led tax reform bill moving through Congress that includes a new excise tax on the investment income of private colleges and universities not only affects liberal-leaning institutions but the districts of nearly two dozen Republican lawmakers who support the bill.
Higher Ed in the crosshairs of GOP tax bills
December 1, 2017 | The tax proposals being pushed by Congressional Republicans carry consequences for one of the GOP's least important donors – colleges and universities.
Audit shows NRA spending surged $100 million amidst pro-Trump push in 2016
November 15, 2017 | The National Rifle Association's overall spending surged by more than $100 million in 2016, surpassing any previous annual NRA spending totals on record, according to an audit obtained by the Center for Responsive Politics. The explosion in spending came as the NRA poured unprecedented amounts of money into efforts to deliver Donald Trump the White House…
The politics behind your college and how you pay for it
August 8, 2017 | With the end of summer fast approaching comes another year of rising college tuition costs and looming student loans. College tuition has increased over the past several decades, but in the last 10 years the average cost of tuition for four-year public colleges and universities has grown at a lower rate than previous decades. Still, the…
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…
The politics behind your Fourth of July celebrations
July 6, 2017 | Fourth of July weekend is all about the red, white and blue. But some of the industries behind the festivities for America's birthday show more loyalty toward red than blue. Hamburgers and hotdogs are the go-to food choices for many Americans on the Fourth of July. It's a big day for the livestock industry, which last year…
Among NBA owners, Betsy DeVos's father-in-law tops donors
June 8, 2017 | There's big money to be made—for players, agents, and networks—in the NBA Finals currently underway. But while the Golden State Warriors battle the Cleveland Cavaliers on the court, off court, NBA team owners have been making some sizable political contributions. In fact, the generous and deep-pocketed NBA owners gave just under $12 million in 2016,…
Turkey lobbying Texas legislature to go after Gulen-connected schools
June 6, 2017 | There isn't much Turkey wouldn't do to go after Fethullah Gulen, the controversial cleric Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan blames for a failed coup in 2016. Last fall, former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and Turkish officials reportedly considered going beyond trying to convince the U.S. to extradite Gulen, who lives in exile in Pennsylvania:…
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…
Beyond the NEA budget: The political side of art
May 8, 2017 | The Recording Academy's high-wattage GRAMMYs on the Hill event in early April honored Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) for their commitment to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) — an agency that President Donald Trump's administration has proposed cutting. Still, stars like country singers Keith Urban and Wynonna Judd, both of…
Two (at most) secret donors funded 93% of pro-Rubio nonprofit
May 3, 2017 | A politically active nonprofit that supported Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-Fla.) failed 2016 presidential bid raised nearly $22 million in two years, 93 percent of which came from either one or two anonymous donors, tax documents obtained by the Center for Responsive Politics show. Conservative Solutions Project, a 501(c)(4) "social welfare" organization with no employees or…
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…
Ninth annual K Street Classic: Wildcats on top — and maybe not the ones you'd expect
March 16, 2017 | After being locked out of the NCAA tournament for its entire 78-year history, Northwestern University's basketball team has finally made the cut. And while students at the private Evanston, Illinois university are celebrating having reached this landmark, Northwestern has already won another championship: According to our tally of lobbying dollars spent in 2016 — our…
Van Hollen led Congress in contributions from lobbyists
March 8, 2017 | Sen. Chris Van Hollen's (D-Md.) star has been on the rise in the Democratic party: After seven terms in the House, he won a Senate seat last November, and now occupies a much-coveted spot on the Appropriations committee while also chairing the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the party's fundraising arm for its Senate candidates. A knack for…
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…
Pro-Israel interests upped contributions, lobbying in 2016
February 15, 2017 | President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began establishing their face-to-face diplomatic relationship with a meeting on February 15th. But the broader ties between the U.S. and Israel date back decades, and have been bolstered by pro–Israel interests that are active political donors and haven't hesitated to press their views on issues affecting the…
As pro-Trump nonprofits rev up, regulators stall again
February 2, 2017 | With a new set of politically active nonprofits promising to pour millions into ads supporting President Donald Trump's agenda and cabinet nominees, an FEC decision last month provides a telling reminder of how these groups push the legal limits on their activity — and how difficult it is for regulators to do anything about it. For the…
Holiday reading list: OpenSecrets Blog's best of 2016
December 22, 2016 | Boy, has 2016 been a whirlwind adventure. If you're like us, you have tabs and tabs of unread stories that caught your eye during the workday, but haven't had time to dive into yet. Now that the holiday break is upon us, we'll finally have the time to sink into that comfy chair by the…
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…
Betsy DeVos and her big-giving relatives: Family qualifies as GOP royalty
December 1, 2016 | It's no secret that Betsy DeVos, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Education Department, is a political fundraising juggernaut. Her contributions to candidates and school choice causes around the country have been all over the news since she was named the nominee. More consequential, though, are the depth and breadth of contributions by her family…
HHS contenders: A crop of politicians with major funding from health sector
November 18, 2016 | Nov. 29 update: President-elect Donald Trump named Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) as his pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Unsuccessful GOP presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson declared Tuesday that he has no interest in a position in the Trump cabinet and instead wants to serve the administration as an outside advisor because he…
One Nation rising: Rove-linked group goes from no revenue to more than $10 million in 2015
November 17, 2016 | One of the most active groups in the 2016 cycle wasn't a super PAC — though those were plenty busy — but a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, One Nation. From mid-2015 through 2016, the group spent about $40 million in a largely successful push to protect the GOP's fragile majority in the Senate. And it did…
Mine, all mine: Single candidate super PACs, creeping down-ballot
November 10, 2016 | It used to be a must-have accessory for any presidential campaign. Now, the deep-pocketed super PAC that is dedicated to supporting you, and only you, is more an integral part of a candidate's campaign machinery. Republican Mitt Romney's Restore our Future poured $142 million into trying to defeat President Obama in 2012, while Priorities USA…
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…
Total cost of 2016 election could reach $6.6 billion, CRP predicts
October 25, 2016 | Note: Please see our updated prediction of the cost of the 2016 election. Is 2016 the Year of the Billionaire when it comes to financing the election? There are plenty in the mix. And they've helped fuel what is turning out to be the most expensive election ever. The Center for Responsive Politics projects that candidates,…
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…
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…
Clinton and Wall Street: What's the deal, really?
July 12, 2016 | In May, Wall Streeters donated more than any other industry to Hillary Clinton's campaign and pro-Clinton super PACs – nearly $4.45 million out of her total $314 million raised. Retired people and the printing & publishing industry took the Nos. 2 and 3 spots. This news tracks with one of the major critiques of Clinton: that…
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…
Ten nonprofits called out for breaking political spending cap
June 16, 2016 | Even with a tax status that says "social welfare group," a nonprofit organization's spending record can still reveal plenty of political activity. Sometimes too much. Ten politically active nonprofits are the subject of new civil complaints filed with the IRS by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a left-leaning watchdog group based in D.C. The group elected Hillary…
A hedge fund house divided: Renaissance Technologies
June 7, 2016 | Renaissance Technologies, the hedge fund firm and one of the largest political contributors in American politics today, is a world made in the image of its leadership. The firm rejects many of Wall Street's routine practices. Rather than staffing up with whiz kids in finance, for instance, Renaissance looks for analysts with backgrounds in science and…
The multiplication magic behind the dark money churn
May 3, 2016 | Ever hear the one about the social welfare organization that was punished by the IRS for its political activity? The lawyer who got the letter was so shocked by the news, he forgot to thank the flying pig that delivered it. If you're thinking to yourself, but wait, I've heard that nonprofit organizations are subject to…
First quarter doldrums hit lobbying outlays for most, but pharmaceutical industry bucks the trend
April 27, 2016 | Lobbying clients overall apparently weren't looking to burst out of the gate in 2016, but outlays by some of the biggest companies in the pharmaceutical industry spiked during the year's first quarter. Lobbying spending by companies and interest groups in the first three months of 2016 — the last year of an eight-year presidential administration…
New nonprofit tied to stealthy circle of dark money groups
April 15, 2016 | Leading the pushback from the outside against President Obama's attempt to bring the Supreme Court back up to its full complement of nine justices, the Judicial Crisis Network claims to have spent $4 million on a TV, radio and digital campaign attacking nominee Merrick Garland and arguing that the next president should fill the vacancy. Additional…
Liberal megadonors outspending conservatives on joint fundraising committees
April 15, 2016 | With the Republican contest in disarray at the top of the ticket, party operatives are encouraging megadonors to look further down the ticket. But deep-pocketed conservatives are falling behind their liberal counterparts in the race to fund some of the vehicles that will help carry down-ballot candidates: joint fundraising committees, or JFCs. A Center for Responsive Politics analysis…
Eighth annual K Street Classic: Parity returns, Aggies win close victory
March 15, 2016 | Already this NCAA men's basketball season has proven to be one for the record books. We've had six different No. 1 ranked teams throughout the season. AP-ranked top 10 teams have lost a total of 74 times, the most since 1948, when the AP started conducting its poll. This is not to say that there…
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…
Nonprofits dominate airwaves in Senate races, with no donor disclosure
February 25, 2016 | When Democrats consider their odds for regaining the Senate this November, one of the first states that comes to mind is Pennsylvania, where first-term Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican, is locked in a rematch with former Democratic Sen. Joe Sestak, who lost to Toomey in 2010. But for a race with such high stakes, it seems, at…
How Crossroads GPS beat the IRS and became a social welfare group
February 12, 2016 | When a group called Crossroads GPS sent the IRS an application for tax-exempt status in September 2010, Nancy Pelosi was speaker of the House, Snapchat hadn't started doing whatever it does, and Miley Cyrus was still Hannah Montana. A lot has changed since then, including the political influence of 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations like GPS, a…
Tobacco, rum and other interests lobby on Cuba as restrictions ease
February 8, 2016 | It may seem a country long in love with cigars has little need for Swedish Snus dipping tobacco. But Swedish Match, by its own measure the third-largest manufacturer of the tobacco pouches in the U.S., doesn't see it that way: Since 2011, the company has lobbied Congress more heavily than any other on trade with Cuba. Last week, the…
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…
Super PACs allow Wall Street to dominate presidential giving in 2015
February 2, 2016 | The securities and investment industry flexed serious financial muscle in the presidential money race last year. At $102 million contributed to all candidates, current and former, and the super PACs supporting them, it led all industries tracked by the Center for Responsive Politics, new data show. Super PACs allowed the industry to gain an outsize share…
Apple's appetite for Washington influence keeps growing
January 28, 2016 | When you type "Tim Cook not" into Google, one of the first phrases to pop up is "Tim Cook is not a visionary." He may be no Steve Jobs, but with the company's growth slowing, Apple Inc.'s CEO clearly has a vision — one where Apple is a major player in federal lobbying. This week…
Nonprofit cops to too much politicking, sends IRS an IOU
January 21, 2016 | In the world of campaign finance, this is becoming a familiar story: A nonprofit group is launched by individuals with political connections; has no physical office, volunteers or employees; and spends much of its money on political consultants, some of whom are linked to the operatives running the group. Also, it does little or no…
Football matters — for research
January 11, 2016 | After a season that brought just one defeat between them, the top two teams in college football will face off tonight in Phoenix for the national championship. Partisans of the University of Alabama and Clemson University (and we have one of each here at CRP) have placed their bets, put on their lucky underwear, prayed…
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…
Actually, Hillary Clinton's Wall Street money? More than double that 3 percent.
December 21, 2015 | This post has been updated to include a statement from the Clinton campaign. Not that you saw it or anything, but OpenSecrets.org got a pretty big shout-out over the weekend. When presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wants to get her facts about campaign finance straight, at least she knows where to come. "I think it's important to point…
Getting schooled: 1 in 10 members of Congress has student loan debt
December 1, 2015 | While more than half of federal lawmakers are millionaires and their combined median net worth shot up 6.7 percent between 2013 and 2014, there's at least one way in which many members of Congress can understand the plight of millions of Americans: They owe tens of thousands of dollars in student loans. With the astronomical…
Pro-Tillis dark money group funded entirely by Crossroads GPS
November 17, 2015 | 11/17/2015, 4:12 PM: This post has been updated to build on the breaking news from this morning's report. One of the largest and most prolific politically active nonprofits in the country was virtually the sole backer of Carolina Rising, the group that spent $4.7 million on ads supporting now-Sen. Thom Tillis' successful run to unseat…
Ethics watchdogs call for halt to lawmakers' privately sponsored overseas travel
November 6, 2015 | Ethics watchdog groups in Washington on Thursday called on House Speaker Paul D. Ryan to impose a moratorium on privately sponsored travel abroad for members of Congress, following reports that a group of nonprofits lied about the true source of funding for potentially hundreds of lawmaker and Congressional staff trips to Turkey. "These trips have…
Wonky longshot Lessig's top donors: Google, Harvard
November 2, 2015 | As of Sept. 30, Lessig had pulled in $1 million from individual donors to his campaign, 62 percent of which were "large" donations of more than $200.
Travel by ethics panel members adds wrinkle to Azerbaijan probe
October 28, 2015 | Three nonprofit organizations that were tied up in a House Ethics Committee investigation of a 2013 congressional junket to Azerbaijan also sponsored 109 trips to Turkey for members of Congress and their staffers between 2011 and 2014, an OpenSecrets Blog review of congressional ethics filings shows. That included a free trip for the current chair of the Ethics…
Lawyers backing Clinton, financiers flocking to Bush: Who's funding the race for the White House
October 22, 2015 | Lawyers are showing a lot of love for Hillary Clinton, while Wall Street is investing most heavily in Jeb Bush. Outside of retirees, a traditional and unsurprising donor base for most candidates, the 2016 presidential candidates looked to a variety of industries in their quest for campaign money from individuals in 2015's third quarter, a Center…
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.
Three new board members join Center for Responsive Politics
September 14, 2015 | The Center for Responsive Politics is pleased to welcome three new members to its Board of Directors. Jennifer N. Victor is associate professor of political science at George Mason University's School of Policy, Government and International Affairs, where she has been on the faculty since 2012; she is also director of the school's undergraduate programs.…
It's academic: With $1.2 million, Clinton leads presidential field in donations from educators
September 11, 2015 | You could say Hillary Clinton is a teacher's pet. As students return to class from summer break, their teachers, professors and school administrators are following a historical pattern: Those in education tend to give more to Democrats than Republicans. Individuals in the field donated $64.5 million during the last presidential election cycle, and more than…
Diverse 2016 candidates take in largely similar industry contributions
August 11, 2015 | As many Americans sat in front of their television sets Thursday evening to watch the first party-sanctioned debate of the 2016 presidential election season, they were probably not surprised that the GOP contenders attempted to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack. As the Center's recently updated 2016 presidential profiles show, however, the candidates' top…
Ethics chair received contributions from donors linked to groups in Azerbaijan probe
August 4, 2015 | The House Ethics Committee has dropped its probe into 10 members of Congress who traveled to Baku, Azerbaijan in May 2013 with oil industry money, according to a Friday afternoon press release. The panel passed a trove of documents it collected to the Justice Department for a possible review of actions by parties outside Ethics' jurisdiction. But even as the…
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…
At the National Constitution Center, all money is created equal
July 2, 2015 | Independence Day is just around the corner, and families across America will be in search of fun (and maybe even educational) activities to participate in over the weekend. For anyone in Philadelphia — where both the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were approved and signed, a good place to start would be the National…
Powerful health care entities side with Obama in Supreme Court case, present quandary for GOP if it "wins"
June 24, 2015 | The U.S. Supreme Court could rule as early as Thursday in the case of King v. Burwell, which deals with whether or not the Affordable Care Act allows tax credit subsidies to be given to individuals who buy health insurance in the dozens of states using the federal exchange. There's little question that some Republicans…
Green Party's Jill Stein Reprising 2012 Run
June 22, 2015 | The Green Party nominee in 2012, Jill Stein, is officially seeking another White House bid after asserting that the U.S. is ready to move away from a two-party system. Undaunted by receiving just .36 percent of the vote in the 2012 presidential election – which admittedly made her the most successful general election female presidential…
Lawmakers who traveled to Azerbaijan urged action benefiting state oil company that funded trip
May 26, 2015 | Several lawmakers caught up in an investigation of their participation in a lavish overseas trip introduced legislation that would benefit the alleged host of their spring 2013 junket – the state-owned Azerbaijani oil company. Additionally, these lawmakers — and others on the trip — have received tens of thousands of dollars in donations from a…
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,…
"Campaign donor" is not a job — but occupation can predict party preference
May 19, 2015 | In the world of money in politics, many interest groups behave predictably. Election after election, contributions from oil and gas companies, for instance, flow overwhelmingly to Republicans, while those who work in education favor Democrats. What about when contributions break down differently within industries? The CFO and the janitor, for instance, may have opposing political views,…
Leading Edge and Legacy: Google and GE Join Top Lobbying Spenders in 2015 First Quarter
April 27, 2015 | The first three months of 2015 saw Washington consider one of the most expansive trade negotiations in history; the future of technology and the Internet; and the merger of major cable communications companies. You'd better believe that those debates — and other, perennial wrangles on subjects like the Affordable Care Act — caught the attention…
Will Clinton Win Back Wall Street for Democrats?
April 14, 2015 | Wall Street has been remarkably bipartisan for much of the last 25 years, but a swerve to the right a few years ago cut its flow of campaign cash for Democrats practically to a trickle. That may change as Hillary Clinton's official announcement of a presidential bid returns to the spotlight a Democratic candidate whom Wall…
Crossroads GPS Might Soon Be Off the Hook for 2010, 2011 Spending
April 8, 2015 | On April 13, one of the largest and most controversial political groups of the post-Citizens United era will celebrate an important anniversary: The three-year statute of limitations will expire for statements made by Crossroads GPS on tax returns covering its first 18 months, making it nearly impossible for the group to be penalized for activity it reported in…
The JCN Story: Building a Secretive GOP Judicial Machine
March 23, 2015 | This story was cross-posted at The Daily Beast. It was a cold winter night in Washington, D.C., not long after President George W. Bush won a second term, and the mood at the upscale Italian restaurant was downright celebratory. The most prominent guest was Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, but his table also boasted a…
Stephen Colbert — Two-Time Recipient of "OpenSecrets Bump" — Calls IRS' Bluff
March 19, 2015 | PROGRAMMING NOTE: This is a premium report for our OpenSecrets Platinum members only, so if you are not reading this on a $10,000 AppleWatch that you got as a party favor at your niece's Sweet 16 yacht-christening and/or dressage quadrille performance, you're in the wrong place. Now that it's just us, let's start with a disclosure: OpenSecrets…
Seventh Annual K Street Classic: Longhorns Remain on Top
March 18, 2015 | According to the American Gaming Association, over 40 million Americans are filling out brackets in preparation for the March Madness tournament, which kicks off Thursday. Many will play it safe, listen to the analysts, and bet on Kentucky for the championship. But that's boring, and the NCAA tournament has a penchant for producing upsets. So…
Thin Mints or Samoas? No Lawmaker Dares Say No to Girl Scouts
March 13, 2015 | If you pay attention to congressional Twitter feeds — or just have a sweet tooth — you may know that this is the week that lawmakers have been revealing their true partisan preferences: Thin Mints or Samoas? Girl Scouts have been making their rounds through the Capitol, selling cookies to lawmakers who then snap photos…
West Coast, East Coast: Silicon Valley Blurs the Distinction With Washington Presence
March 6, 2015 | Silicon Valley has staked its claim in Washington. From Capitol Hill to the White House, tech money is everywhere — and 2016 looks like it will be the industry's biggest year yet. Tech may not be pushing as much cash into politics as Wall Street, but its influence is on an upward climb. Its lobbying has…
More Members of Congress Hold Student Loan Debt
March 3, 2015 | Members of Congress are, on average, far wealthier than the typical American, but an increasing number of them have a now typical American financial obligation: student loan debt. Forty-seven members of Congress had a cumulative total of between $1.8 million and $4.6 million in student loan debt in 2013, according to their personal financial disclosure…
In the Garden of Dark Money, the Thorny Case of Rosebush Corp.
January 22, 2015 | Ever since news broke in 2013 that the IRS had targeted the exemption applications of tea party and some other politically-oriented groups for extra scrutiny, conventional wisdom had it that the agency throws up roadblocks for organizations trying to obtain its seal of approval. But much evidence indicates the IRS backs down without much fuss…
Who Cares About SOTU? We Have a Few Guesses
January 20, 2015 | The economy is growing steadily, unemployment is down, the stock market is soaring, gas prices are diving. Good luck getting a rise out of someone by mentioning the deficit at a Washington dinner party, something that would have been unimaginable in the not-so-distant past. There's plenty of good news for President Obama to dwell on…
The Championship Bowl Game, Money in Politics Edition
January 9, 2015 | The inaugural College Football Playoff series proved to be an exciting departure from the old BCS format with a pair of very different bowl games on New Year's Day. Oregon decisively routed Florida State in the Rose Bowl (59-20), giving quarterback Jameis Winston and the Seminoles their first loss since November 2012. In the Sugar Bowl,…
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…
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…
Cash on the Table
December 5, 2014 | The 2014 election might have been the most expensive midterm ever, and it might have seen some of the most extravagant spending on wall-to-wall advertising ever — but when Election Day had come and gone, there was a surprising amount of money still sitting on the table. The Service Employees International Union PAC reported yesterday…
Uncommon Allies Against the Common Core
December 3, 2014 | What do the bulk of Republican presidential hopefuls share with the two major teachers' unions in the United States, besides mutual dislike? Turns out there is something: Growing opposition to the Common Core education standards. Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) became the latest high-profile Republican to change his stripes and oppose the Common Core on Monday.…
As FEC Window Opened, Subjects of Dark Money "Issue Ads" Became Targets for Defeat
November 3, 2014 | It's official. Today, spending by "dark money" organizations on congressional elections surpassed that of all previous cycles. At $169.2 million so far, money spent by these groups that don't disclose their donors handily outpaces 2010's previous record for a midterm election, where dark money spending topped out at $135 million. It even, albeit barely, tops the $168.6 million spent…
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.…
NEA Super PAC Targeting Tillis
October 14, 2014 | NEA Advocacy Fund, the super PAC affiliated with the country's largest union, is showing its spending clout in the North Carolina Senate race with less than a month to go before the midterm elections. The National Education Association boasts three million members working in education from the preschool to the postgraduate level. Its super PAC…
Millennials: Are Your Favorite Brands Influencing Politics?
July 29, 2014 | Studies have confirmed several statistics about the group known as millennials, the generation born between 1980 and 2000. They're on track to be the most educated generation to date, they're getting married significantly later in life, and they're in debt. They're also the most civically engaged generation the United States has ever seen. Millennials are…
OFA Fundraising Down, But Still Attracting New Donors
July 22, 2014 | As it signaled it would a few months ago, Organizing for Action, the nonprofit spinoff from President Barack Obama's re-election campaign that focuses on advancing his legislative agenda, brought in fewer big donations and less money overall in the second quarter: close to $3.9 million compared with almost $5.9 million the previous quarter. But while the group…
For World Cup Sponsors, K Street Is A Whole Other Ball Game
June 18, 2014 | The ongoing FIFA World Cup is an occasion for fans to congregate in bars and yell at the television — and a time when multinational corporations get to market their brands far and wide through players' jerseys and billboards on the field. But the official sponsors of the championship are also key players in another arena: K Street. Six companies…
For-Profit Education's Million-Dollar Letter
May 30, 2014 | The public comment period ended this week on the Education Department's proposed new rules to limit federal aid to colleges and universities whose graduates are particularly debt-saddled or have high rates of student loan default. The rules would hit for-profit institutions hardest. But the industry is fighting back — and it has allies. Last week, 36…
Hot Race in NC-5? No, but Foxx is Hauling in Out-of-State Cash
May 22, 2014 | Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) doesn't have much to worry about this year — she easily dispatched a primary challenger earlier this month, and her Democratic opponent has raised just $3,000. So why does OpenSecrets.org consider the race for North Carolina's Fifth Congressional District a "Hot Race"? As it turns out, Foxx's campaign fundraising raised a red flag when we…
Politiquizz: Testing the System
May 6, 2014 | It's springtime, and that means thousands of high school students around the country are preparing to take Advanced Placement exams, a product of the College Board. And in March, the College Board announced its plan to introduce a new version of the SAT in 2016. The test will return to its old 1600-point scoring system, have an optional…
Koch Company and Labor Unions: One Degree of Separation
April 22, 2014 | Strange brew cooked up on K Street: Charles, David and organized labor.
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.
Sixth Annual K Street Classic: State Schools Dominate, Longhorns Triumph
March 17, 2014 | The University of Texas is the latest public school to win it all in the K Street Classic, where we use lobbying spending to pick our March Madness bracket.
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.
Congress' Student Loan Pinch Hits Both Parties
February 7, 2014 | Dozens of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle reported owing money on student loans in 2012.
Defense Contractors Lose a Strong House Ally
January 16, 2014 | Rep. Buck McKeon, chair of the House Armed Services Committee and a big recipient of campaign funds from military contractors, announced his retirement.
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.
Liberal Nonprofit's Funds Surged in 2012
December 4, 2013 | Patriot Majority posts record fundraising and spending.
Priorities USA Relied on Handful of Donors
November 20, 2013 | Priorities USA, the politically active nonprofit that backed President Barack Obama's re-election in 2012, raised $8.4 million in 2012, with most of it coming from just five individual donors. The group spent more than half its budget -- just under $5 million -- on grants to other nonprofits.
OpenSecrets.org Debuts New Look
November 20, 2013 | If you've visited OpenSecrets.org this week, you'll notice things are a little different! Learn what's changed, what's stayed the same, and what's been improved...
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.
Marijuana Heating Up as Midterm Election Issue
October 2, 2013 | As burning topics go, marijuana's not up there with the government shutdown. Still, it's more likely than ever before to be a topic in the midterm election.
Koch Group's IRS Report Unlocks A Few Mysteries
September 18, 2013 | Freedom Partners' 990 filing reveals the identities of some grantees of other dark money groups. But it also shows that the 501(c)(6) is one of the biggest trade associations in the U.S. -- and a highly unusual one in that it has given almost all of its money to other groups.
Exclusive: Largest Dark Money Donor Groups Share Funds, Hide Links
September 10, 2013 | OpenSecrets Blog has learned that the Center to Protect Patient Rights, the biggest shadow money group that does nothing but give grants to conservative politically active nonprofits, has received tens of millions of dollars from a similar group, TC4. But that's been hidden from the public: TC4 was sending the money to wholly-owned units of CPPR operating under different names. Other groups, too, have used this subterfuge, the latest trick in the (c)(4)s' grab-bag of nondisclosure tricks.
For-Profit Colleges Ready to Rumble Again
September 10, 2013 | The schools lace up their gloves for another round as the Obama administration tries again to clamp down on them.
New Anti-Income Tax Coalition Has Dark Money Ties
September 3, 2013 | A new anti-income tax coalition was announced today, uniting four ostensibly independent conservative groups into one formidable group. While the groups have united to form a bloc against the 16th Amendment, which allowed for the creation of the income tax, they have always been close -- in some case, very close.
Back-to-College Special: Academic Contributions Aren't Just Cerebral
August 29, 2013 | President Obama might hope that his new education initiative doesn't rile too many in academia: By reputation, college professors and staff members are solid Democrats, and a deeper look at their campaign contributions by the Center for Responsive Politics mostly backs that up -- though certain types of schools tend to skew more left than others.
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.
FISA, NSA Spying a New Focus of Tech Lobby
July 23, 2013 | Tech firms and others listed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the NSA's collection of Internet and phone data as issues they lobbied on in the second quarter of the year. Big tech companies backed off a bit from their explosive lobbying growth, though they hadn't previously mentioned these issues as concerns.
Tea Party Groups Attacking Obamacare Granted Tax-Exempt Status
July 18, 2013 | The Internal Revenue Service has granted tax-exempt status to a handful of politically active nonprofits, including several tea party groups and a Florida organization called America is Not Stupid, that ran political ads attacking "Obamacare.'"
Rep. Kline Turns Chairmanship into Profitable For-Profit Haul
July 15, 2013 | Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), who chairs the House Education Committee, didn't get a single campaign contribution from the beginning of April to the end of June from any students, professors, faculty, teachers' groups or nonprofit universities. The for-profit education industry, however, accounted for almost one quarter of his substantial fundraising in 2013's second quarter.
Student Loan Rate Rise Likely to Help Sallie Mae
July 1, 2013 | Lawmakers failed to reach a deal to prevent federally subsidized Stafford loan interest rates from doubling today, making students the latest casualty of the impasse gripping Congress and likely benefiting private lenders such as Sallie Mae.
Nominees to D.C. Appellate Court Are Solid Democrats, Contributions Show
June 5, 2013 | Obama's speech in the Rose Garden this week to announce three judicial nominees pressured lawmakers to put partisanship aside to fill the vacancies in the court. None of the three appear to have particularly controversial pasts, but all are solidly Democratic donors.
Top Schools for Federal R&D Grants Are Big Spenders on Lobbying, Campaign Contributions
June 5, 2013 | Many of the top 10 university recipients of government R&D grants also were top spenders on lobbying compared with other schools -- and also were big contributors to federal candidates, parties and outside groups in the 2012 campaign cycle, OpenSecrets.org data shows.
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.
Getting the Fix: Lawmakers' Targeted Favors for Top Donors
May 14, 2013 | A mash-up of data on bill sponsorships, campaign contributions and lobbying shows that in some cases, lawmakers have sponsored bills of interest to just one entity -- which happens to be a top contributor to the lawmaker's campaign fund.
Susan G Komen Virtually Quits Lobbying
May 10, 2013 | The anti-breast cancer group spent $140,000 on lobbying in the first quarter of 2012. A year later, that had dropped to just $10,000 -- a further indication that it hasn't recovered from the debacle caused by its short-lived decision to pull funding from Planned Parenthood.
Site Spotlight #2: Profiles of Interest Groups
May 6, 2013 | Our second piece highlighting the abundant resources available on OpenSecrets.org.
Sanford and Colbert Busch Roughly Even On Cash, not on Outside Spending
May 3, 2013 | The candidates facing off in Tuesday's special election in South Carolina have roughly the same amount of money at their disposal. But the outside spending in the race -- fueled by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and House Majority PAC -- heavily favors Colbert Busch.
REPLAY: Watch CRP'S Shadow Money Magic Webchat
April 22, 2013 | Tune in today at 2 p.m. for a webchat on "shadow money" -- $300 million of which was poured into the 2012 elections with no identifying donor information.
Shadow Money Magic: Five Easy Steps That Let You Play Big in Politics, Hide Your Donors and Game the IRS
April 15, 2013 | Happy Tax Day! We hope you'll celebrate by reading the first installment of our new report, which shows that it's not all that hard to be a big player in politics while keeping donors under wraps AND gaming the IRS, the agency that's supposed to be the cop on this particular beat.
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.
Golden Bears Victorious In 5th Annual K Street Classic
March 20, 2013 | The University of California, though seeded only 12th by the denizens of March Madness, bested the competition in our 5th Annual K Street Classic!
Capital Eye Opener, March 4: Obama Nominee Edition
March 4, 2013 | The president announces new nominees -- several of whom have given political contributions over the years. Only one, though, gave for Obama's re-election as well as his initial bid.
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.
Members of Congress Feel Student Loan Pain Firsthand
February 7, 2013 | When lawmakers debate whether to extend low rates on subsidized student loans later this year, many of them will be feeling firsthand the pain of student loan debt: Five senators and 41 members of the House report that their liabilities include money still owed on loans to finance their own education or that of their children.
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.
Capital Eye Opener, Feb. 1: Five Things We Didn't Know About 2012 Until Last Night, and More
February 1, 2013 | We know, we know: 2012 is over, done, in the rear-view mirror. But in the campaign finance world, midnight last night in many ways marked a reckoning for 2012 politicians, super PACs and others involved in the election.
Education Advocacy Declines Steeply
January 31, 2013 | Spending on lobbying was down across the board in 2012, but no interest group tightened the purse strings more than the education industry. In 2011, the industry, which includes both for-profit and nonprofit colleges and universities and trade associations that represent both, reported spending about $106 million on lobbying expenses. In 2012 it spent only $88.6 million -- a decline of more than $17.6 million
Lobbying Again on Downward Slide in 2012
January 29, 2013 | Lobbying in Washington declined for the second straight year, to its lowest level since 2007. Wall Street, insurance, lawyers and law firms and other industries all took hits, but none more so than education. Patton Boggs remained the top lobbying firm in terms of billings, but even it saw less revenue than it did in 2011.
Capital Eye Opener, Jan. 23: Tech Companies' Lobbying Up — Though Not as Much as the Chamber's
January 23, 2013 | The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its subsidiaries were by far the fourth quarter's biggest spenders on lobbying. But don't forget Google -- or the American Dehydrated Onion and Garlic Association.
Capital Eye Opener, Jan. 17: Shadow Money Group Slammed in Montana Courts, the Latest in Waldron v. Bachmann, and More
January 17, 2013 | Shadow money groups take another hit at the state level as a Montana judge rules Western Tradition Partnership used "subterfuge" to avoid disclosing its donors and posting required disclaimers. And former Michele Bachmann presidential campaign staffer Peter Waldron sticks another needle in his voodoo doll with a complaint to the FEC about how Bachmann paid a consultant.
Capital Eye Opener, Jan. 15: Automakers Rev Up Political Spending, the Power of the Hospital Lobby and More
January 15, 2013 | The auto industry may be showing off at the big show in Detroit this week, but many candidates have already seen the industry's best side. Also, the hospital industry fends off important cuts in the fiscal cliff legislation.
Obama's Shadow Money Allies File First Report
January 8, 2013 | The tax return of the nonprofit linked to the main pro-Obama super PAC shows links to other liberal groups and more payments to Paul Begala. What it doesn't show is donors' names.
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.
Capital Eye Opener, Dec. 13: Women Donors for Obama, Ashley Judd Favored for Dems' Senate Nomination, and More
December 13, 2012 | The Center for Responsive Politics looks at the donor demographics for the presidential race, a poll shows Ashley Judd is the favored Democrat to run for Senate in Kentucky and a lobbying firm picks up a big name.
Lawyers, Education Consistent as Obama's Top Industries, Wall Street True to Romney
December 12, 2012 | With the final fundraising numbers filed, Barack Obama's leading contributing industry was lawyers and law firms with $27 million, while Wall Street was Mitt Romney's, giving him $21 million.
Stanford Leads BCS Bowl-Bound Schools in Contributions, Lobbying
December 5, 2012 | The 10 universities headed to BCS bowls this season also have been politically active and have spent a combined $1.5 million lobbying and $2.7 million on campaign contributions. Stanford, by far, has spent the most with almost $300,000 on lobbying and $1.7 million in contributions.
Rising Stars: Newly-Elected Lawmakers to Watch
December 5, 2012 | Newly elected members of Congress are weeks away from claiming their seats. Here is CRP's shortlist of newcomers expected to make some waves.
Defense Lobbying Continues Downward Flight Path
December 5, 2012 | The number of clients lobbying on defense issues has dropped steadily since 2008. It now ranks fifth, behind even transportation.
Capital Eye Opener, Nov. 21: Mark Warner Stays Put, Terps Move to Big 10 but Remain Big Donors, and More
November 21, 2012 | Virginia's Mark Warner decides to stay in the belly of the Senate beast, setting the stage for a VERY costly 2014 re-election bid. And the Terps move to the Big 10, along with Rutgers, but both schools already rank highly in terms of political contributions.
Fear of Sequestration Not Limited to Defense, Lobbying Records Show
November 16, 2012 | Sequestration is the subject of much lobbying activity, and it's not all coming from the defense industry.
Capital Eye Opener, Nov. 15: Rice Could Be in Hot Water, Lobbyist-Bundlers Helped New Lawmakers, and More
November 15, 2012 | Sen. John McCain says he'll oppose Susan Rice as Secretary of State, though not because she was an Obama bundler in 2008. Also, we know about presidential bundlers (well, not so much about Romney's), but what about those who bundled for incoming lawmakers?
Obama Keeps Most Major Contributors, Not Finance
November 14, 2012 | In the end, Obama kept most of his top donors from 2008. Wall Street was the striking exception.
Capital Eye Opener, Nov. 13: Gay Rights Groups Back History, Prolific Paul Ryan and More
November 13, 2012 | The freshly declared victory of the woman who will be the first openly bisexual member of Congress shows the strength of gay rights and women's groups. Also, the evolution of Paul Ryan as a national figure, as seen through campaign finance data.
Mixed Results for Challengers That Outraised Incumbents
November 7, 2012 | Some winning challengers yesterday had a cash advantage to neutralize the incumbent advantage, though a couple of races where challengers won the fundraising battle are still too close to call.
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.
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.
Priorities USA Gains Edge With Help Of New Donors
October 21, 2012 | Priorities USA, the super PAC backing President Barack Obama, scored another win last month in the head-to-head matchup against its counterpart -- and did it by attracting many more new donors, most of them wealthy individuals.
Active Unions and Lots of Spending Mark Last Quarter Before the Election
October 19, 2012 | Just over 100 super PACs submit their data quarterly, rather than monthly. But just because they disclose less frequently doesn't mean they're not active in the meantime.
Hot Race in the Illinois 11th: Judy Biggert vs. Bill Foster
October 19, 2012 | The House race in Illinois' 11th District has it all; tight poll numbers, a fundraising deadlock and plenty of outside spending by prominent groups.
Capital Eye Opener, Oct. 18: Binders Full of Money, Bloomberg's New Super PAC, and More
October 18, 2012 | Don't laugh, binders are big business and helped make Romney the wealthy man he is today, while another wealthy man, Mike Bloomberg dives into the world of super PACs head first, and the Ivy League education of two New York Senate candidates.
Debate Prep: Your Guide to the Issues and Who's Invested in Them
October 16, 2012 | Tonight's debate will be closely watched to see whether the president delivers a more energetic performance. But there are other reasons to tune in, including keeping an eye on whether the candidates' responses reflect the positions of their campaign contributors.
Capital Eye Opener, Oct. 12: Romney's 360 on Abortion, Strange Bedfellows in the 501(c) World, and More
October 12, 2012 | Romney may have tried to tack to the center on abortion, but less than 48 hours later he was back to attacking Planned Parenthood -- which has shown its muscle as an outside spending group this cycle.
Capital Eye Opener, Oct. 11: Too Many Tanks, Affirmative Action Case's UT Supports Obama and More
October 11, 2012 | The Army says it doesn't need any more M-1 Abrams tanks, but it may get them anyway. The company that makes them just happens to be one of the largest contributors to campaigns nationwide.
Capital Eye Opener, Oct. 4: Debate Remarks Reflect Donors, Monsanto's D.C. Presence May Help Cushion Bad News, and More
October 4, 2012 | In a roundabout way, Mitt Romney spoke up for the interests of big banks -- which occupy slot Nos.1 through 8 on the list of his top contributors. Meanwhile, Monsanto's big investment in Washington could help soften the impact of the sort of bad news it has been receiving in recent weeks.
Capital Eye Opener Sept. 28th: Iowa Begins Voting, Transparency Gets Interactive, and More
September 28, 2012 | Residents have begun early voting in Iowa, the first swing state to start in-person voting in the presidential election. The Hawkeye State loves those firsts, but it's way down the list when it comes to political contributions.
Capital Eye Opener, Sept. 12: Teachers' Strike Could Affect Dems' Cashflow, Pandora's Box, and More
September 12, 2012 | The Chicago teachers' strike puts a hold on Rahm Emanuel's fundraising for Priorities USA. Will teachers' unions -- among the largest donors to liberal outside spending groups -- shut down their giving?
Capital Eye Opener, Sept. 7: Bankers Prep Secret Spending, Jewelry Heir Funds Anti-Gay Marriage Ads
September 7, 2012 | A few months back there was excitement over a new super PAC founded by bankers to target members of Congress -- it didn't really pan out. But a new organization created yesterday might do better -- it will collect money anonymously from big banks and target Senate races.
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.
Capital Eye Opener, August 16: Obama Implements Immigration Policy, Romney Beating Obama in Swing State Fundraising and More
August 16, 2012 | Lobbying on the DREAM Act made strange allies on Capitol Hill. A new poll shows Mitt Romney ahead in some key battleground states. And the DCCC hits Rep. Dan Benishek (R-Mich.) on Medicare.
Tea Party Feud in Missouri Primary
August 6, 2012 | On paper, FreedomWorks for America and the Tea Party Express look like natural allies, supporting small government, spending cuts and so forth. But in Missouri, FreedomWorks, the Express and other influential conservative players find themselves on different sides of tomorrow's contested Senate primary.
Washington's Influence Olympics: Boxing
August 2, 2012 | To emerge victorious from this event, lobbying firms must prove they can knock out the competition by offering representation on a broad range of issues to an array of industries -- thus packing a heck of a bottom line punch.
Washington's Influence Olympics: The Decathlon
July 31, 2012 | The U.S. may have taken gold in women's gymnastics today -- but who medaled in the decathlon in Washington's Influence Olympics? The winners, some of whom had very limited resources, lobbied on the greatest number of issues.
Romney's Gender Gap Widens and Super PACs on Left Narrow Money Gap with Right: Our Breakdown of the June Reports
July 27, 2012 | The share of Romney's fundraising take from women hits a new low for 2012, while Obama's is again on the rise, and Wall Street falls out of the top five industry donors to the Republican candidate. And the gap between liberal and conservative super PAC spending is narrowing.
Capital Eye Opener, July 19: Tax Releases, Body Politics and More
July 19, 2012 | Democrats propose candidate tax disclosure, Sarah Silverman makes Sheldon Adelson an indecent proposal and a new app promotes transparency in today's Capital Eye Opener.
Capital Eye Opener, July 18: Kerrey Wants Outside Spending Curb, Texas Conservatives Fund Makes Big Ad Buy and the GOP Veepstakes Heats Up
July 18, 2012 | Bob Kerrey wants to follow Massachusetts' lead and ban outside money in his race, the Texas Senate contest gets even more expensive and Mitt Romney's VP pick could be coming soon.
Sunlight for Stealth PACS: Late-Disclosing Groups Report Donors
July 16, 2012 | Certain super PACs that spent money in primaries without disclosing where they got the funds have now had to report to the FEC. There are some familiar megadonors among them -- and in one case, a big gift from another super PAC that hasn't said where its money comes from. That just adds another layer of opaqueness to the puzzle.
Capital Eye Opener, July 2: Crossroads hits ND and NM; Former IRS official targets ALEC; Shadow money in the spotlight;
July 2, 2012 | Political nonprofits face increased scrutiny. Crossroads spending network makes new media buys. And ALEC is accused of tax violations.
Capital Eye Opener, June 27: Guns, Contempt and Money; Campaign Ad Disclosure Passes Hurdle; Reid and McConnell make nice on student loans
June 27, 2012 | The NRA hearts the GOP. The Office and Management and Budget says the FCC's new rule on disclosure of political ad buys doesn't violate the Paperwork Reduction Act. And Congress could provide relief on student loan rates this week.
Obama and Romney Tread Familiar Fundraising Ground in May
June 22, 2012 | But other than the Hollywood bump, the sources of Obama's campaign cash remained fairly static. The president raised nearly $3 million from retired donors in May, a group which has held the top spot for both Obama and Romney for the entire cycle so far.
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.
Rich Rewards: One Man's Shadow Money Network
June 19, 2012 | Howard Rich was behind a slickly produced, anti-Earth Day video this year that's been watched more than 2 million times on YouTube. That's just one product to emerge from his tightly-knit network of tax-exempt groups that pass money back and forth and are active political players. The original donors, though, aren't known. Which is just the way he likes it.
Our Shadow Money Conference, Rajat Gupta's Democratic Dollars and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 19
June 19, 2012 | On Wednesday, the Center for Responsive Politics will host a conference at the National Press Club on the growing role of groups like these -- politically active non-profit organizations -- in elections.
DREAMing on K Street, Lady Liberty Day and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 18
June 18, 2012 | One hundred twenty-seven years ago yesterday, the Statute of Liberty arrived on American shores. In the decades that followed, more than 12 million immigrants passed by, looking to her as a symbol of hope and freedom -- including the freedom to write checks to politicians.
Two New Industries Profiled on OpenSecrets.org: For-profit Education and Payday Lending
June 11, 2012 | OpenSecrets.org is rolling out two brand new profiles of industries that are also relatively new to the Washington power structure: for-profit education and payday lending. For-profit colleges ramped up their lobbying efforts in 2010, after the Obama administration indicated it would crack down on abuses by some institutions. And the payday lending industry has been increasingly politically active.
Bloomberg Pokes Big Beverage
May 31, 2012 | New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks in the city's food service outlets isn't likely to translate to the federal stage anytime soon, in no small part due to the lobbying power of the American Beverage Association and companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Sunscreen Lobby Limits New Reg's Burn
May 24, 2012 | While you're baking in the sun this weekend to celebrate the first days of summer, don't forget the sunscreen. Also, remember that while you relax, someone in Washington is probably hard at work devising a lobbying strategy on what the label should say. The "Big Sunscreen" lobby, revealed!
OpenSecrets Blog's PolitiQuizz: Attack of the 'Death Star'
May 14, 2012 | It's election season. For politicians, that means two things: campaigning and fundraising. But for most Americans, it only means one: ads, ads, ads.
Super PAC Spending Teeters at $100 Million Mark
May 10, 2012 | Expenditures by super PACs are on the verge of hitting $100 million, further proof that outside spending will far outstrip anything seen in previous election cycles. For a little perspective, consider that one super PAC, Restore Our Future, has already spent more -- $44.5 million -- than all outside groups combined had spent at this point in 2008.
Top 26 Revolving Door Universities
April 27, 2012 | The Center for Responsive Politics has released a list of the top 26 colleges which have produced the most revolving door lobbyists. Check out which schools have the most graduates passing through the revolving doors between the federal government and lobbying firms.
OpenSecrets Blog PolitiQuizz: Who is Education's Favorite Senator?
April 26, 2012 | Rep. Virginia Foxx has spoken disparagingly about student loan debt, but it so happens that she has received nearly $50,000 from for-profit colleges. See if you know which member of Congress received the most money from the education industry in 2010.
Center for Responsive Politics Teams Up With MTV For "Fantasy Election '12"
April 26, 2012 | MTV today announced that a world-class coalition of philanthropic, technology, and political accountability partners including Knight Foundation, Center for Responsive Politics, PolitiFact, RealClearPolitics, foursquare and more are teaming up with the network to launch "Fantasy Election '12."
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.
For-Profit Education Industry Finances Virginia Foxx
April 18, 2012 | Representative Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) has been attracting a lot of attention on our site today - presumably for comments she made over the weekend in a radio interview that she has "very little tolerance" for people who graduate from college with huge student loans. Looking for context on Foxx and her comments? OpenSecrets.org has it.
The FreedomWorks Network: Many Connections, Little Disclosure
March 16, 2012 | If six-term Senate veteran Orrin Hatch had gone down to defeat in yesterday's Utah GOP caucuses, Dick Armey might have claimed some credit.
Colleges and Universities Face Off in Fourth Annual K Street Classic
March 13, 2012 | Only the most ardent fan of the University of Colorado at Boulder would pick the 11th-seeded Buffaloes to win the NCAA men's basketball tourney, even though they have one of the nation's best rebounders in Andre Roberson.
VoteVets Reaped Heavy Backing from Environmental Groups
February 28, 2012 | An organization begun six years ago by Iraq war veterans received nearly $4 million from environmental groups in 2010, a year during which it spent $3.2 million running ads that targeted congressional candidates and urged passage of a climate bill.
Back to the Wall, Planned Parenthood Hangs Tough
February 7, 2012 | Planned Parenthood fields a tough defense. Anyone who didn't figure that out last week, when a breast cancer charity cut off the group's funding and quickly reversed course, could have looked at its lobbying expenditures for 2011, the year Republicans re-took control of the house and posed a significant threat to its bottom line.
EXCLUSIVE: Obama Campaign Refunding Money Donated by Federal Lobbyists
January 27, 2012 | President Barack Obama's re-election campaign is refunding the donations of five registered federal lobbyists who gave to the committee last year, OpenSecrets Blog has learned. Some of these refunds were triggered after OpenSecrets Blog brought the contributions to the campaign's attention. The Obama campaign has pledged to refuse contributions from lobbyists, continuing a policy it set during the 2008 campaign.
The Bowl Championship Series, Lobbying Edition: College Football Gets Political
December 30, 2011 | The ten universities selected to play in this year's Bowl Championship Series were chosen for their toughness and tenacity. They got the nod because any given Saturday their football teams displayed a willingness to win, and often did so. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that these schools are employing similar tactics in Washington, D.C.
Lobbying Your True Love: The True Cost of Twelve Days of Christmas, 2011 Edition
December 19, 2011 | Finding the price of the bounty in the "12 Days of Christmas" carol a little steep? Well, no wonder. Do you have any idea how much the groups representing each of those presents spend lobbying the federal government each year?
Money Talks: OpenSecrets.org's Interview with Author and Professor Lawrence Lessig
December 16, 2011 | Lawrence Lessig, a Harvard law professor and writer, stepped into the campaign finance realm only recently, and only, as he sees it, out of necessity. OpenSecrets Blog spoke with Lessig about his new book, "Republic, Lost," and what it describes as the "one issue in this country" that ties together all the others: campaign finance reform.
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!
Jennifer Palmieri Spins Through Revolving Door Again, Back to White House
December 7, 2011 | The White House press shop will soon have a new addition: Jennifer Palmieri, who will be the deputy communications director. Despite her status as a former lobbyist, Palmieri is likely to find a welcome home working for a president who once vowed that lobbyists would not "find a job in my White House."
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.
Some Lobbyists Say Gobble, Gobble
November 24, 2011 | The noble turkey has representation in Washington, D.C. Or at least the farmers and industry behind the plump North American birds do.
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.
Health Sector Groups Most Aggressively Lobby the Supercommittee
November 2, 2011 | During the third quarter of 2011, more than 400 companies, unions, trade associations and other groups reported lobbying the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, popularly known as the debt supercommittee, according to a new analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics of reports filed last month with the U.S. Senate.
Vampire Presidential Candidates, Republican-Flavored Candy Corn and More in Capital Eye Opener: Oct. 31
October 31, 2011 | Every time you take a bite of the sugary goodness known as candy corn, are you helping elect Republicans to Congress? If you are eating candy manufactured by Jelly Belly -- one the the nation's leading producers of candy corn -- the answer might be yes.
Lobbying Plus Public Relations, Super PAC Hopes to See Green and More in Capital Eye Opener: Oct. 27
October 27, 2011 | One of the twenty biggest lobbying firms in Washington is expanding into public relations and merging with international public relations firm Grayling, The Hill reports.
LGBT Community Raising Big for Obama, Another Blue Dog Retires and More in Capital Eye Opener: Oct. 21
October 21, 2011 | Among the legion of supporters who have bundled big money for President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election campaign is a powerful contingent of openly gay and lesbian fund-raisers.
Supercommittee U, Battleground Bus Tour and More in Capital Eye Opener: Oct. 19
October 19, 2011 | As the deadline for budget reforms by the supecommittee nears, the voices of possibly threatened sectors continue to grow louder. Various higher education groups have concentrated lobbying efforts toward the committee to keep the cuts off of students and universities, who rely on loans, grants and tax deductions for funding.
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.
Campaign Finance Advocates Urge Supporters to Brace For Long Fight Against Big-Spending Special Interests
September 23, 2011 | During a web seminar sponsored by the Business Ethics Network last week, campaign finance reform advocates were in agreement in offering a forecast of big money in the 2012 election cycle -- and called on supporters to brace for a long fight.
The Civil Rights Lobby, Huntsman Corp. Exec Starts Super PAC and More in Capital Eye Opener: Aug. 30
August 30, 2011 | Decades after former NAACP counsel Thurgood Marshall joined the U.S. Supreme Court, the NAACP is still fighting to eliminate racial prejudices and to secure political, educational, social, and economic equality of all citizens. And part of that fight involves lobbying in the nation's halls of power.
OpenSecrets Blog's PolitiQuizz: How Heavily Did Weiner's GOP Opponent Rely on Personal Cash?
August 29, 2011 | A one-time opponent of former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), who resigned earlier this year amid a sexting scandal, is getting another chance at winning New York's 9th Congressional District.
OpenSecrets Blog's PolitiQuizz: Which Member of Congress Was the Biggest Teacher's Pet Last Year?
August 22, 2011 | During the 2010 election cycle, which member of Congress received the most money from the education industry? And how much did he or she collect?
Supercommittee Members Far Wealthier Than Average Americans
August 17, 2011 | As the supercommittee meets to come up with a way to cut $1.5 trillion from the national debt, the decisions about which programs will be axed will be made by lawmakers, who, by and large, are far wealthier than the average American.
New Feature on OpenSecrets.org Highlights Top Contributors to Debt Supercommittee Members
August 17, 2011 | Many special interest groups have invested heavily in supercommittee members on both sides of the aisle, including the securities and investment firms, the real estate industry and health professionals, according to new research by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Some Joint Fund-raising Committees Corner the Market to Help Candidates Raise Cash
August 10, 2011 | One-fifth of the 377 joint fund-raising committees active during the 2010 election cycle received at least half of their donations from one sector. Less than one percent of candidate committees, on the other hand, typically received 50 percent or more of their donations from one sector during the same time period.
President Obama Eyes Education Reform, Freshman Proposes Campaign Finance Bill and More in Capital Eye Opener: Aug. 9
August 9, 2011 | President Barack Obama announced a Monday a process by which states may apply to seek relief from portions of the No Child Left Behind Act.
First Presidential Campaign Finance Reports Show Clout of Wall Street, Retirees
July 28, 2011 | President Barack Obama has raised $48.7 million for his re-election campaign and his GOP challengers have raised a combined $36.7 million. But where is that money coming from?
Financial Sector Helps Barack Obama Score Big Money for Re-election Fight
July 22, 2011 | One-third of the money President Barack Obama's elite fund-raising corps has raised on behalf of his re-election has come from the financial sector, according to a new Center for Responsive Politics analysis. Individuals who work in the finance, insurance and real estate sector are responsible for raising at least $11.3 million for Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee, according to the Center's research.
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.
Money Talks: OpenSecrets.org's Interview With Political Scientist James Thurber
July 14, 2011 | Political science professor James A. Thurber, the founder and director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University, talks with OpenSecrets Blog about President Barack Obama's time in the White House, Obama's fund-raising machine, federal lobbying regulations and the proliferation of outside spending.
God's Lobbyists: The Hidden Realm of Religious Influence
July 13, 2011 | When it comes to the government lobbying efforts of most religious institutions, their activities are notably shrouded in darkness, even as representatives of numerous faiths routinely pressure federal lawmakers on issues ranging from health care to international relations, poverty to abortion rights.
NEA Endorses Obama, Freshman Senator Becoming Key Tea Party Player and More in Capital Eye Opener: July 5
July 5, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics:
Activists Push for DREAM Act (Again), Obama Woos Bundlers and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 29
June 29, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Veterans Organizations Take Fight To Washington as Obama Announces Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan
June 22, 2011 | Veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are fighting a bloodless battle in Washington. But like the wars oversees, the conflict in the nation's capital is also being driven by a large force and sizable amounts of money.
FDA Introduces New Cigarette Warning Labels, NRCC Out-Raises DCCC and More in Capital Eye Opener: June 22
June 22, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Politicians Rushing for Fraternity and Sorority PAC Money
May 19, 2011 | Of late, the Fraternity and Sorority Political Action Committee has become a financial force for candidates who "champion Greek issues."
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.
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.
FEC Audits Obama's 2008 Campaign, Vilsack to Run in Iowa And More in Captial Eye Opener: April 19
April 19, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Seven Score and 10 Years Later, Civil War Battles Persist
April 19, 2011 | Last week marked the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War, when the bombardment of Fort Sumter ignited four years of bloody conflict. And even though the last combatant died decades ago, plenty of organizations are still spending money on the Civil War -- much of it concerning education and preservation, although some blue-and-gray greenbacks are spent lobbying the federal government, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates.
Senator's Potential Campaign Turbulence, Wall Street Says Raise Debt Ceiling and More in Capital Eye Opener: April 14
April 14, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Basketball Champ UConn Shoots Bricks in Political Arena
April 5, 2011 | Feel fortunate, Huskies fans, that the University of Connecticut's championship-winning NCAA basketball tournament performance is based on, well, basketball.
Political Equation for Physician Hospitals of America: 'Money = Access'
April 5, 2011 | "In politics money = access," a donation solicitation from the Physician Hospitals of America obtained by OpenSecrets Blog states as one of five reasons to financially support the organization's political action committee. "We need access to our politicians to educate them about who we are, what we provide, why we exist and how we benefit patients, physicians, communities and the healthcare industry."
President Barack Obama Seeks to Again Mobilize Donors During Re-Election Campaign
April 4, 2011 | During the 2008 election, Barack Obama set fund-raising records and mobilized millions of individual donors. Obama was particularly successful in turning small-dollar donors into repeat givers, often via the Internet. His re-election campaign will be trying to emulate that success this go around.
Nascent Political Movements Seek Cash, Legitimacy By Creating Federal Committees
March 22, 2011 | Federal political committees materialize every week, although the ones that typically attract notice are those backed by high-profile politicos or special interest groups. So, in the absence of national attention, why form a national-level political committee in the first place?
Schools' Federal Lobbying Expenditures Poor Predictors in NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
March 21, 2011 | Some advice for your 2012 basketball brackets: Don't pick schools based on their federal lobbying expenditures.
College Basketball Gets Political in 3rd Annual K Street Classic
March 17, 2011 | If federal lobbying expenditures determined the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, a surprising school would win the Big Dance.
Lobbyists Aggressively Targeted Democrats' Top Priorities During Barack Obama's First Two Years
March 10, 2011 | One out of every four groups that lobbied on any issue at the federal level during 2009 or 2010 targeted their efforts on health care reform, financial regulatory reform, the stimulus and cap-and-trade climate proposals, according to research by the Center for Responsive 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.
Republican Newt Gingrich Wants to Party Like It's 1995
March 3, 2011 | Former Republican Congressman Newt Gingrich of Georgia, who served as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 through 1998, is testing the waters of a presidential run.
National Popular Vote Plan Pushers Hire New Lobbyists, Bring on Deep-Pocketed Help
February 23, 2011 | Supporters of a plan to dramatically reshape the way Americans elect presidents have brought in some new, big guns.
Tea Party Activists Press Forward Despite Meager Finances, Varied Electoral Success
February 23, 2011 | During the 2010 election cycle, 20 political action committees registered with the Federal Election Commission with the "Tea Party" moniker attached to their respective names, yet only a handful of these groups raised serious money, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal data.
Google, Facebook Lead New Generation of Technology Companies Pressing Government for Favorable Treatment
February 17, 2011 | For Google and Facebook, the president serving as their pitchman is indicative of their meteoric rise both outside and within Washington, D.C. And it marks how the political landscape has rapidly shifted for computer and Internet companies, with Washington nonentities of just a few years ago now ranking among the most prominent players in the capital.
Donald Trump's Donations to Democrats, Club for Growth's Busy Day and More in Capital Eye Opener: February 17
February 17, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
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 State of Our Union, Public Financing and More in Capital Eye Opener: January 26
January 26, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
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.
Artur Davis' Revolving Door Trip, Clinton Donor Pleads Guilty to Lying and More in Capital Eye Opener: January 4
January 4, 2011 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
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.
Lobbying Your True Love: Twelve Days of Gifts and Special Interests Access This Christmas
December 22, 2010 | All told, $185,908 can buy you twelve days of access to everything from drummers to pear trees. And while giving your true love every item in the "12 Days of Christmas" song may cost a pretty penny, keep them on retainer every day of the year costs even more. The cost of the 12 firms and organizations advocating for these gifts so far this year has been $12.4 million, by the Center's calculations.
Federal Documents — Likely Erroneous — Say Michelle Rhee Lobbied for Obscure 'Fighting Apartheid' Organization
December 6, 2010 | Michelle Rhee, the former District of Columbia Public Schools chancellor and education reformer to the stars, was a registered federal lobbyist for an organization called Fighting Apartheid Confrontation Transformation Systems. At least, that's according to federal lobbying disclosure documents that are almost certainly incorrect.
'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Lobbying Surges As Repeal Fight Nears Climax
December 3, 2010 | From January through September, 29 unique groups have lobbied on the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on openly gay service members, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of federal lobbying reports explicitly mentioning the measure.
'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.
Gay Rights Political Donations Plummet Amid Contentious Congressional Session
November 30, 2010 | The years leading up to the 2010 midterm election have been an important stretch for gay rights advocates, but you wouldn't necessarily know it by gauging the amount of money invested this cycle by gay and lesbian rights groups and their donors.
Top Industries Put Brakes On Federal Lobbying Spending During Third Quarter
November 18, 2010 | Despite expending massive sums of money, some of the industries most active in lobbying the 111th Congress slowed their spending during this year's third quarter in the face of the midterm elections and a changing political tide, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal data.
Who's Buying This Election? Close to Half the Money Fueling Outside Ads Comes From Undisclosed Donors
November 2, 2010 | Of the nearly $300 million spent by outside groups so far in attempts to influence the election, the public remains completely in the dark about who's behind 42 percent of these expenditures.
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.
Outside Groups Out-Spend Candidates in Some Competitive Races
October 30, 2010 | Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), a moderate Democrat, and Republican Ken Buck, his Tea Party-fueled challenger, don't have much in common when it comes to public policy. But they share the common distinction of having more attacks ads run against them than they themselves have spent campaigning, the Center for Responsive Politics finds.
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.
Led By George Soros' Son, Student Contributions Buoy Democrats in 2010 Midterms
October 20, 2010 | In the run up to the 2010 midterm elections, Soros joins a handful of young, emerging political heavyweights, many of whom are related to other prolific political donors. And they're helping tip the scales toward Democrats in the competition for students' campaign cash, the Center's analysis indicates.
Be it Bingo or Activism, Some Women Buck Political Contribution Trends
October 14, 2010 | Only three-tenths of a percent of voting-age Americans donate money to campaigns, and historically, men donate much larger sums than women. But a Center for Responsive Politics analysis shows at least 20 cities are bucking the trend. And some in unconventional ways.
Employees Giving Money to Boss Perry, Fun with Campaign Finance and More in Capital Eye Opener: October 14
October 14, 2010 | Your daily dose of news and tidbits from the world of money in politics.
Female Lobbyists Get the Cold Shoulder, Tracking the DCCC's Investments and More in Capital Eye Opener: October 7
October 7, 2010 | Rep. John Boehner (R-Oh.) has reportedly been working behind the scenes with male Republicans, urging them to avoid appearances of impropriety by cutting down on after-hours partying -- and particularly any partying that involves female lobbyists. And it seems to be working: According to The Hill, female lobbyists are complaining that Boehner's warning has cut off their access to many male Republicans in the House.
Abandoned But Still Fighting, Party Nominees Press on Without Establishment Support
October 5, 2010 | Maybe these unlucky candidates face a well-funded incumbent, or run in a district that doesn't align with them ideologically. Or perhaps they are just too quirky for the ballot box. Whatever the reason, these candidates face a harsh political Darwinism -- they have been judged unelectable by their affiliated party, and are effectively left to fend for themselves, come November.
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.
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.
Capital Rivals: Koch Brothers vs. George Soros
September 21, 2010 | OpenSecrets Blog is here to investigate the numbers behind these bold-faced names in our new feature, Capital Rivals.
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.
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.
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.
OpenSecrets Blog's PolitiQuizz: Name that Industry
July 6, 2010 | Not only does OpenSecrets.org keep track of the individual companies and organizations lobbying the federal government, but we also keep track of the lobbying numbers of entire industries. Some of the top industries lobbying congress include oil and gas, electric utilities, and the education industries.
State and Local Governments Aggressively Lobby the Federal Government in Hope of Federal Aid
July 2, 2010 | Take a little national health care reform, mix it with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and add a jobs bill. It's proving to be a recipe for state and local governments -- some of which are running massive budget deficits -- to spend near-record levels of money hiring professional lobbyists in a bid for federal aid.
Threadbare Politics: How Partisan is Your Clothing?
June 29, 2010 | Although the clothing industry is pretty evenly divided overall, individual companies in the clothing manufacturing business tend to be notably partisan in their federal political donations, more so than almost any other industry.
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.
Sen. Michael Bennet Sold Off Millions in Securities upon Taking Office, Owns Stock in Company Backing His Campaign
June 16, 2010 | Days after Democrat Michael Bennet was sworn into the U.S. Senate, the freshly minted senator sold off at least $2 million worth of investments, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of newly released personal financial disclose reports.
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.
OpenSecrets.org Named Among Best Political Websites For Teachers And Students
June 4, 2010 | Education website Shmoop.com has bestowed on OpenSecrets.org a "Best of the Web" award for our "quality, reliable" information about the money in U.S. politics. In a statement about the award, the team at Shmoop.com praised the Center: "Congratulations, and thanks for providing such a great resource for teachers and students."
OpenSecrets Blog's PolitiQuizz: Name that University
June 1, 2010 | Ah, summer. The season of grilled meats, trips to the beach, frosty treats -- and, oh yes, lots and lots of graduation parties.
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.
Double Trouble for Bart Stupak, SeaWorld Makes Waves in D.C. and more in Capital Eye Opener: March 19
March 19, 2010 | Two recent articles in Politico highlight the precarious position in which Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) now finds himself as a result of his opposition to health care reform legislation that's primed for a vote Sunday.
K Street College Classic: Basketball's March Madness Gets Political
March 17, 2010 | The colleges and universities competing in the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament aren't simply hardwood powerhouses. Most are also significant players in the Washington, D.C., lobbying arena, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal disclosure data.
'Citizens United' and Marital Bliss, Student Lenders Get Reconciled and More in Capital Eye Opener: March 17
March 17, 2010 | WIFE OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE AIMS TO GAIN FROM CITIZENS UNITED: The Supreme Court shook up the world of money-in-politics when it opened the doors to increased corporate spending in the case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.
Google, Facebook Among Young Tech Companies Firing Up Lobbying Efforts
March 15, 2010 | Google's exponential increase in federal lobbying is representative of many Internet companies. And few industries have grown as quickly as the computer and Internet industry has.
OpenSecrets.org Announces Winners of Money-in-Politics Oscars
March 4, 2010 | OpenSecrets.org is pleased to announce the first-ever money-in-politics Oscars!
GOP Gets Red on Democrats, John Kerry Could Lose a Tooth and more in Capital Eye Opener: March 4
March 4, 2010 | The Republican National Committee is planning to raise money during 2010 midterm elections by capitalizing on 'fear' of President Barack Obama and a promise to 'save the country from trending toward socialism.'
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.
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.
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.
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: Tuesday, November 3
November 3, 2009 | HAPPY ELECTION DAY: Voters today in Virginia, New Jersey, New York, Maine and elsewhere are heading to the polls to cast their votes in races -- some high-profile, some less so. How will the high-profile contests in Virginia, New Jersey, New York and Maine turn out? Leave your predictions in the comments!
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.
CRP's Suggested Rosters for Tonight's White House B-Ball Game
October 8, 2009 | If President Barack Obama is looking for tips on how to divide up the teams in tonight's White House basketball game, we've got a suggestion. Forget who can make the most slam dunks or free-throws. How about the most successful fundraisers in the first half of the year versus the, er, least successful? If the president takes that route, this is what tonight's lineup would look like.
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.
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.
WWE Chief Executive Linda McMahon Brings Strong Democratic Ties to Her Attempt to Smackdown Chris Dodd
September 16, 2009 | Linda McMahon, the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, announced today she's seeking the Republican Party's nomination to upset incumbent Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). But McMahon's history is hardly that of a hardcore Republican. She and her husband have contributed nearly $90,000 to federal candidates and committees since 1989, with 51 percent going to Democrats.
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.
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.
Health Interests, Lobbyists Rank High Among Industries Increasing Campaign Contributions
August 19, 2009 | Political action committees and individuals associated with health industries, each of which are intimately involved in the nation's ongoing health care reform debate, are donating more to federal candidates during the second quarter of 2009 than the first quarter, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis.
Capital Eye Opener: Wednesday, August 19
August 19, 2009 | CAMERA ROLLING: As we've been gearing up for the Sept. 9 Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, we've come across some interesting (and sometimes quirky) YouTube footage that helps explain at least part of the story.
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.
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.
Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. Donated Maximum to Obama's Presidential Campaign
July 24, 2009 | President Barack Obama told the nation during a Wednesday night press conference that a Harvard professor at the center of a police racial profiling controversy is a longtime friend. In fact, Henry Louis Gates Jr. is more, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates: The professor was a notable donor to Obama's 2008 White House bid.
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.
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.
Rep. Boustany, Ex-Heart Surgeon, Hearts Market-Based Health Reforms
July 7, 2009 | Former heart surgeon Rep. Charles Boustany (R-La.) has raised more than $971,000 from health professionals since 2003 -- his No. 1 industry backer. He is also a member of the House Republican Health Care Reform Working Group and a vocal advocate for private market reforms.
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.
Another Batch of Obama's Ambassador Picks Have Money-in-Politics Ties
July 1, 2009 | President Obama's fifth consecutive week of naming new ambassadors brought with it five people with long histories of donating campaign cash, including two donors who also bundled more than half a million dollars each for the president's campaign war chest.
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.
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.
Big Donors & Bundlers Among Obama's Ambassador Picks
May 28, 2009 | U.S. presidents have long rewarded big campaign donors, fundraisers and other loyalists with ambassadorships, and Democratic President Barack Obama seems to be no exception. The list of individuals he has announced he will be nominating to ambassadorships around the globe include several big contributors and bundlers.
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.
The K Street College Classic
March 19, 2009 | The colleges and universities competing in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament aren't just powerhouses on the court. Some of them are influential in Washington, too, paying lobbyists large sums in pursuit of research dollars and federal student aid. Check out CRP's bracket, based on how March Madness would turn out if these schools' 2008 lobbying spending determined the tournament's outcome.
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.
PMA Group and Clients Paid Out $40 Million to Current Congress
March 12, 2009 | This week we took yet another look at the contributions from embattled lobbying firm PMA Group, this time analyzing all donations from the firm and its clients back in time to all members of the 111th Congress, plus President Obama. Since 1998, the firm and its clients have given $40.3 million total to the candidate committees and leadership PACs of 514 lawmakers--nearly every member of the current Congress.
Congressmen Overseeing Defense Budget Got $8 Million from PMA Group and Clients
March 2, 2009 | The FBI hasn't been the only group continuing to investigate lobbying firm PMA Group, which specializes in securing federal earmarks for its clients. At the Center for Responsive Politics, we've expanded our original analysis of contributions from the lobbying firm to lawmakers, specifically those on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, to include contributions from PMA's clients, as well.
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.
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.
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.
Financial Industry Lobbyists Keep Bankers' Hours
August 26, 2008 | For every star-studded concert and poker tournament when the sun goes down over the Rockies, there are dozens of mundane corporate events during the day that resemble what goes on in Washington nearly every other day of the year. Such was the scene Tuesday at a daytime event sponsored by the Financial Services Roundtable, an influential alliance of the nation's biggest banks, insurers, mortgage lenders, investment advisors, credit card companies.
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.
Money Wins Colorado Primary
August 13, 2008 | Two weeks before the Democratic Party convenes in Colorado to officially nominate their candidate for president, a House election in the state yesterday set the record as the most expensive primary in the country. And the candidate who spent the most money -- most of it his own -- was victorious.
House Posts Travel Database, Sort Of
August 5, 2008 | On the last day permitted by law, the Clerk of the House of Representatives on Friday posted an electronic database of privately sponsored congressional travel. The improvement enables citizens to find out which groups have flown representatives across the country or the world--without having to come to Washington to peruse tattered binders in an office basement. Since 2006, with support from the Sunlight Foundation, the Center for Responsive Politics has taken it upon itself to bring the information to the public, a time- and resource-intensive task.
Power Struggle: Consumers Vent About Oil Industry's Influence
July 10, 2008 | If there's one dreaded stop on every traveler's roadmap these days, it's the gas station. With the cost of fuel topping $4 a gallon this summer for the first time ever, there are a lot of questions, but not many clear-cut answers. Capital Eye's reporters dropped in on service stations in the D.C. area to find out where consumers are placing the blame.
NYT Columnist: Obama's Donors Mirror Democrats'
July 1, 2008 | It appears that being the candidate of change doesn't necessarily mean appealing to a new set of donors. New York Times columnist David Brooks used extensive data from the Center for Responsive Politics today to argue that Barack Obama's fundraising base looks a whole lot like those of Democrats past and present.
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.
Home Is Where the Cash Is
June 11, 2008 | Most women will say that being a homemaker is a rewarding job, even though they don't earn any money from it. Campaign finance reports, however, make the important work look surprisingly lucrative.
Candidates Appear at AIPAC
June 3, 2008 | For an organization that doesn't make campaign contributions, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is remarkably influential in U.S. politics, which explains why the presidential candidates are all speaking this week to 7,000 pro-Israel activists at the organization's annual meeting in Washington.
Climate Change: A Hot Issue on K Street
May 27, 2008 | Climatologists aren't the only source of data on global warming. It turns out that disclosure reports filed with Congress show that lobbying on climate change has been heating up sharply in recent years.
Lobbyists in McCain Land Deal Have Close Ties to Senator, Post Reports
May 9, 2008 | The Washington Post's story this morning about a land deal supported by John McCain that benefits his donors, bundlers and staffers illustrates how furiously Washington's revolving door spins. It's enough to make even a senator dizzy.
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.
Count Ralph Nader's Money
April 10, 2008 | Consumer advocate and three-time presidential hopeful Ralph Nader enjoys the distinction of being the first independent presidential candidate profiled on OpenSecrets.org this election, because he's one of the few independents with any money to analyze.
Cost of '08 Presidential Race Already Tops All Elections Prior to '04
February 4, 2008 | While Republicans saw gains, exclusive analysis of year-end contributions finds Democrats maintained their hold on most top-giving industries. Lawyers, retirees and Wall Street still dominate. Candidates are on pace to break 2004 records before parties officially nominate.
2008 Legislative Preview
January 24, 2008 | A floundering economy, global warming and No Child Left Behind are likely to be among the issues the president addresses, and Congress takes up, this year.
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.
Lobbyists Get Local
October 4, 2007 | City and state governments spend about $70 million a year on lobbyists, with the primary goal of getting far more money out of Washington.
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.
The New College Try
August 9, 2007 | University employees have emerged from the library to become a major player in election financing, opening their wallets again in '08 to win the White House for Democrats.
Exploring Fred Thompson's Finances
August 3, 2007 | Southern donors, lawyers, retirees and investors are major backers to the undeclared candidate's exploratory committee, the Center for Responsive Politics finds.
Weighing In (Part of the "Cultivating Support in Washington" Series)
July 12, 2007 | Nutrition groups push for the farm bill to focus on Americans' eating habits.
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 & High-Tech
June 14, 2007 | The technology industry's need for highly skilled workers is often overlooked in the immigration debate.
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…
April 5, 2007 | Ethics concerns and new legislation have put the brakes on congressional travel in 2007. By Lindsay Renick Mayer April 05, 2007 | (This story has been corrected to reflect Rep. Steven Leslie Kagen's trip to Miami this year.) As two ethics bills restricting congressional travel fly through the House and Senate, lawmakers are largely grounding…
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…
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…
Money for Nothing
November 3, 2006 | House and Senate candidates who didn't even make it to Election Day spent almost $100 million raised from contributors and their own pockets. By Lindsay Renick Mayer and Miranda Blue November 03, 2006 | Every two years, candidates running for Congress plead with friends, family and people they've never met to dig deep into their…
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,…
Not-So-Happy Returns
April 13, 2006 | Recent scrutiny of companies that prepare individuals' tax returns can't compare to oversight of corporate accountants. The tax-prep industry's political influence can't compare either. By Courtney Mabeus April 13, 2006 | It is said that there are two certainties in life: death and taxes. Days before millions of Americans scurry through W2's, 1099's and receipts…
A New Battleground
March 8, 2006 | War veterans try to topple congressional incumbents and their bigger war chests By Courtney Mabeus March 08, 2006 | To raise money for his congressional campaign in Minnesota, Tim Walz first had to learn how to sell himself. It's a skill he didn't have much need for in 24 years as a national guardsman, but,…
Capitol Campaign to Remodel the Lobby
January 12, 2006 | UPDATE, Feb. 2: In an upset for acting Majority Leader Roy Blunt, House Republicans elected Ohio Rep. John Boehner 122-109 in a second-ballot vote to replace former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas). Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) dropped out after receiving 40 votes in the first ballot. By Center for Responsive Politics January 12, 2006 |…
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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