Lobbying

“K Street powerhouse loses founding partner” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Is Akin Gump the New King of K Street?” by Marisa M. Kashino in the Washingtonian.

“Lobbyists want spot on Team Scalise” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“K Street hits the jackpot with casino magnate” by Julian Hattem in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“Study Examines Role Of Citizens United Ruling On Politics” by Jim Letizia on WCBE.

“National Party Committees Report May Financial Figures” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

Alaska: “APOC staff says Anchorage mayor broke campaign finance law, proposes $187.50 fine” by Nathaniel Herz in the Anchorage Daily News.

Oklahoma: “Election Records: ‘Dark-Money,’ Campaign Groups Have Close Connections” by Oklahoma Watch & Clifton Adcock in KGOU.

Ethics

“‘Ms. Ethics’ Carol Dixon Remembered Fondly (Video)” by Colin Diersing in Roll Call.

“Don Young Must Repay $59K for Improper Trips/Gifts” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

Florida: “New Miami-Dade task force to target state public corruption” by David Ovalle in the Miami Herald.

Georgia: “Ethics commission to get new member” by Aaron Gould Sheinin in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Virginia: “Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe vetoes funds for ethics commission” by Rachel Weiner in The Washington Post.

Wisconsin: “Report: Scott Walker Accused of Campaign Finance ‘Criminal Scheme’” by Mark Murray in NBC News.

Wisconsin: “Scott Walker and campaign-finance law: Just how dodgy?” in The Economist.

Elections

“Democrats Playing Defense in 2014 State Legislative Races” by Louis Jacobson in Governing.

Oklahoma: “Is Oklahoma Senate headed for a runoff?” by Cameron Joseph in The Hill.

Government Tech and Social Media

“How the White House’s We the People E-Petition Site Became a Virtual Ghost-Town” by Dave Karpf in TechPresident.

“Awareness, Tech Projects are Top Crowdsourced Goals in Government, Study Says” in Government Technology.

EU: “Lobbyists increasingly look online to influence EU policy” in Euractiv.

A June 24 federal runoff has been scheduled for the Mississippi Republican Senate primary. Incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran and state Sen. Chris McDaniel will battle again in a tea party vs. establishment showdown. With 49 and 49.5 percent respectively, neither candidate earned enough of the June 3 vote to secure the party nomination.

McDaniel, running on a platform of change, hopes to unseat the longtime incumbent. Cochran’s congressional tenure began in 1972; he then served three consecutive terms in the House and six consecutive terms in the Senate.

Lobbying

“Under Contract” in The Hill.

“MPAA’s Michael O’Leary steps down – Big 12 hires a lobbying firm” by Byron Tau in Politico.

Missouri: “Lobbyists’ gifts to Missouri lawmakers exceed $500,000” by Angela Mueller in the St. Louis Business Journal.

Campaign Finance

“BitPay, CoinVox Team Up to Allow Politicians to Accept Bitcoin” by Eric Calouro in NewsBTC.

Delaware: “Campaign finance reform bills languish in legislature” by Jonathan Starkey in The News Journal.

Massachusetts: “Bill would increase PAC disclosures” by Frank Phillips in the Boston Globe.

New York: “Blame Game After Push to Revamp Campaign Financing Ends” by Mike Vilensky in The Wall Street Journal.

North Carolina: “N.C. election laws ‘stuck in pre-computer age’” by Jim Morrill in the Charlotte Observer.

Vermont: “Advocacy group turns sights to money in politics” by Neal P. Goswami in the Rutland Herald.

Ethics

“Prosecutor asks court: Reinstate DeLay convictions” by Juan A. Lozano (Associated Press) in the Houston Chronicle.

“Grand Jury Probes Capitol Knowledge & Stock Trading” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

Hawaii: “Ethics Commission Tells Lawmakers How They Should Spend Allowances” by Nathan Eagle in the Honolulu Civil Beat.

Elections

New York: “This is what happens when a campaign finance scholar runs for governor” by Max Ehrenfreund in The Washington Post.

Wisconsin: “Jon Erpenbach drops appeal in email open records case” in the Journal Sentinel.

State Legislatures

South Carolina: “SC House OKs $12,000 pay raise for lawmakers, overriding Gov. Haley’s veto” by Cassie Cope in The State.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor suffered a bruising primary defeat by tea party challenger Dave Brat on June 10.

Strategists say Cantor’s 11 percentage point loss was due to a lack of field effort, fueled by overconfidence in his path to victory. Many Republicans felt Cantor had become too removed from his district, mired in Washington infighting and too focused on the national stage.

According to historians, no House leader of Cantor’s rank has ever been defeated in a primary.

Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“Sallie Mae spin-off registers to lobby” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Amplifyd: Crowd-Sourced Lobbying Launches Website” by Annie Spiegelman in The Huffington Post.

“Politico: Wall Street Loses an Ally With Cantor’s Defeat” by Drew MacKenzie in Newsmax.

North Carolina: “Senate honors longtime lawmaker, lobbyist Alley” by Tara Jeffries in WRAL.

Campaign Finance

“Campaign Finance Hearings Showcase Extremes | Rules of the Game” by Eliza Newlin Carney in Roll Call.

“A Reporter Crashes the Super PAC Party” by Walter Shapiro in the Brennan Center for Justice Blog.

“Bitcoin bulks up lobbying power” by Julian Hattem in The Hill.

Connecticut: “Democratic governors lose challenge to Connecticut campaign finance law” by Nate Raymond in Reuters.

Kansas: “Panel looking into ethics of Facebook post seeking contributions to Schodorf campaign” by Brian Lowry in The Wichita Eagle.

North Carolina: “Legislators call for constitutional convention” in The Times-News.

Ohio: “Former executive testifies in campaign finance trial of northeast Ohio businessman” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

Elections

“5 takeaways from Eric Cantor shocker” by James Hohmann in Politico.

Lobbying

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

“Koch brothers add to K Street force” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

“Washington Redskins Improve Defense With K Street Lobbying” by Kent Cooper in Roll Call.

Campaign Finance

California: “Fremont nonprofit group fined $25,000 for laundering contributions in 2008 mayoral race” by Chris De Benedetti in the San Jose Mercury News.

Maine: “Ethics commission fines LePage for missing campaign finance deadlines” by Mario Moretto in the Bangor Daily News.

Maine: “Political donors in Maine’s gubernatorial race most often work for [blank]” by Darren Fishell in the Bangor Daily News.

Ohio: “Suarez relatives testify about campaign donations” by Ed Meyer in the Akron Beacon Journal.

Ethics

California: “Senate approves tighter gift bans, ethics rules” by Judy Lin (Associated Press) in The Modesto Bee.

Washington: “Ethics board looks at lawmakers’ free food” by Brad Shannon in The News Tribune.

Washington: “Moving state primary election left 1992 ethics reform behind” by Peter Callaghan in the Union-Bulletin.

Elections

Nevada: “It’s been a slow primary season, but there’s still much at stake” by Laura Myers in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

North Dakota: “Few statewide issues, races to be decided” by Nick Smith in the Bismarck Tribune.

South Carolina: “Voters Guide: Famous names dot GOP primary for SC lieutenant governor” by Andrew Shain in The State.

State Legislatures

Maine: “Democrats balk at LePage’s renewed push for special legislative session” by Mario Moretto in the Bangor Daily News.

Lobbying

“Caterpillar hires Ray LaHood as a consultant” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“Stephen Colbert exults in Colbert-crowning study” by Erik Wemple in The Washington Post.

California: “The Election’s Over, Where Does The Money Go?” by Grant Scott-Goforth in The North Coast Journal.

Missouri: “Kansas City Council panel supports campaign contribution limits” by Lynn Horsley in The Kansas City Star.

Ohio: “Daughter testifies against Benjamin Suarez in campaign finance scheme trial” by Ed Meyer in the Akron Beacon Journal.

Texas: “Texas Ethics Commission fines state Rep. Linda Harper-Brown $5,000 for obscuring campaign loans” by Gromer Jeffersd, Jr. in The Dallas Morning News.

Ethics

South Carolina: “SC lawmakers agree on ethics reform but ‘most important part … not getting done’” by Jamie Self in The State.

West Virginia: “West Virginia Ethics Commission fires executive director, gives no reason for her termination” by Jonathan Mattise (Associated Press) in The Republic.

Elections

Alabama: “Alabama voter turnout lower than 2010” by The Associated Press in the Montgomery Advertiser.

California: “Top-two primary imperils some legislative comebacks as Democrats seek to hold supermajorities” by Don Thompson (Associated Press) in the Daily Journal.

Missouri: “Missouri moving presidential primary to March” by David E. Lieb (Associated Press) in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Virginia: “Glance of candidates in Va. congressional race” by The Associated Press in the Miami Herald.

Redistricting

Florida: “Redistricting trial wraps up with no decision for weeks” by Aaron Deslatte in the Orlando Sentinel.

Washington, D.C. voters will have the chance to elect an attorney general in the upcoming months, thanks to a decision by the D.C. Court of Appeals. Currently, the attorney general is appointed by the mayor.

In 2010, voters approved a charter amendment authorizing the first election of the city’s attorney general and setting a primary election for April 2014. In late 2013, the council passed a law delaying the election from 2014 to 2018, fearing the city lacked the necessary preparation.

Paul Zukerberg, the only candidate for the city’s first attorney general race, challenged the 2013 law in court. On June 4, 2014, the Court of Appeals ruled an election must be held in 2014 unless it would not be practically possible for the D.C. Board of Elections to do so. The Court further noted the possibility of a 2015 election if a 2014 election is not possible.

Following a directive by the Court of Appeals to set a date for a special election in as few as 70 days, the D.C. Superior Court will now decide how soon the election must be held. Although the election is projected to be scheduled on November 4, 2014, the same day as the mayoral election, an election before November is also a possibility.

Photo of the John A. Wilson Building courtesy of Andrew Wiseman on Wikimedia Commons.

Neel Kashkari is the Republican nominee for governor after placing second with 19 percent of the vote in the first primary election for governor held under California’s open primary rules. The top two finishers in the primaries move on to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.

Kashkari, a native of Stow, Ohio, ran the federal bailout of the U.S. banking system and finished second to Gov. Jerry Brown, who took nearly 55 percent of the returns. Brown, who currently enjoys high approval and campaign donations, is expected to be elected to a record fourth term in November.

Lobbying

“Lobbying World” in The Hill.

“A lifetime ban on lobbying for lawmakers?” by Cristina Marcos in The Hill.

Campaign Finance

“FEC Summarizes Campaign Activity of the First 12 Months of the 2013-2014 Election Cycle” news release on the Federal Election Commission website.

“Reformers: It’ll take scandal to stop PACs” by Joe Battenfeld and Hillary Chabot in the Boston Herald.

Mississippi: “Mississippi Senate: Another race with record money” by The Associated Press on WZVN ABC 7 News.

Ethics

Alabama: “Alabama Ethics Commission director Jim Sumner to retire” by Brian Lyman in the Montgomery Advertiser.

Louisiana: “Senate rejects Jindal ethics board appointee” by The Associated Press on WAFB News.

South Carolina: “SC lawmakers try to find ethics compromise” by Jeffrey Collins (Associated Press) in the Charlotte Observer.

Elections

“Top takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries” by Paul Steinhauser, Ashley Killough and Dana Davidsen on CNN.

Government Tech and Social Media

“How Twitter Could Be Replaced As The Primary Political App” by David Jones in Social News Daily.

Attorney General Gary King received more than 33 percent of the vote in a field of five candidates to win the Democratic nomination for governor. King will face a general election match-up with Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

Martinez, a former district attorney from Las Cruces, was elected the state’s first female governor and the nation’s first female Hispanic governor in 2010.

King, a former state legislator and son of former Gov. Bruce King, raised about $476,000 for his gubernatorial bid since October. More than half of the contributions were in the form of King’s personal loans to the campaign.

During the same period, Martinez raised more than $2.4 million in campaign contributions.

The U.S. Senate primary between incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran and tea party challenger Chris McDaniel remains too close to call after the June 3 election date.

If neither candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be scheduled for June 24.

The race was considered one of the few remaining chances for a tea party victory after a string of primary challenges ended in defeat.

Lobbying

“Bottom Line” in The Hill.

“Big Business’ Summer Agenda | K Street Files” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“States and Localities Are Losing Their Influence in Washington” by J. B. Wogan in Governing.

Campaign Finance

“Campaigns Ignore State Law at Their Peril | A Question of Ethics” by C. Simon Davidson in Roll Call.

California: “L.A. County requires electronic filings of campaign finance reports” by Abby Sewell in the Los Angeles Times.

Massachusetts: “Campaign finance bill is now law” by Douglas Moser in the Eagle-Tribune.

Wisconsin: “Judge who stopped Wisconsin campaign finance probe tied to Koch-funded junkets” by Chris Young in The Center for Public Integrity.

Ethics

North Carolina: “North Carolina elections board hiring longtime FBI agent to work on investigation team” by The Associated Press in The Republic.

South Carolina: “SC Senate votes against House ethics plan” by The Associated Press in The State.

Elections

“Oldest lawmaker kicked out” by Cameron Joseph in The Hill.

“An Update on the 2014 State Legislators to Watch” by Louis Jacobson in Governing.

“A Guide to the 36 Governors’ Races” by Louis Jacobson in Governing.

Texas: “Tea Party Conservatives Win Top GOP Runoff Contests” by Brandi Grissom in The Texas Tribune.

Veteran state Sen. Don Balfour lost re-election in the primary on Tuesday, May 20, 2014.

Balfour is the longest-serving Senate Republican and was acquitted last year of charges he improperly billed the state for travel expenses.

Former Gwinnett County Commissioner Mike Beaudreau and former Lawrenceville City Councilman P.K. Martin both finished ahead of Balfour, setting up a runoff between the two candidates on July 22, 2014.