November 7, 2019 •
San Francisco Voters Pass the Sunlight on Dark Money Measure
A San Francisco ballot measure intended to increase the restrictions on political contributions for campaign ads won easily on Tuesday. Proposition F, the Sunlight on Dark Money measure, passed by 76% of the votes. The proposition only needed a simple […]
A San Francisco ballot measure intended to increase the restrictions on political contributions for campaign ads won easily on Tuesday.
Proposition F, the Sunlight on Dark Money measure, passed by 76% of the votes.
The proposition only needed a simple majority to pass.
The measure’s passage means greater disclosure of who is behind campaign advertisements paid for by PACs.
The top three largest donors of the committee paying for the advertisement must now disclose the name and amount contributed to the committee.
Proposition F will take effect 10 days after the election results are certified.
August 26, 2014 •
Tuesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News Update
Lobbying “GOP staffers seek to cash in as odds grow of Senate takeover” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill. “How the Lobbying Top Tier explains an influence paradox” by Lee Drutman, Matt Grossmann, and Tim LaPira in the Sunlight […]
Lobbying
“GOP staffers seek to cash in as odds grow of Senate takeover” by Megan R. Wilson in The Hill.
“How the Lobbying Top Tier explains an influence paradox” by Lee Drutman, Matt Grossmann, and Tim LaPira in the Sunlight Foundation Blog.
Massachusetts: “Martha Coakley owns up to lobbyist-held fundraiser” by Chris Cassidy in the Boston Herald.
Campaign Finance
“Election Panel Enacts Policies by Not Acting” by Nick Confessore in The New York Times.
“Joe Biden’s secret fundraisers” by Edward-Isaac Dovere and Tarini Parti in Politico.
“The PAC to End All PACs Is a Farce” by Walter Shapiro in Politico Magazine.
“Millennial PAC tries to inject youth, diversity into graying legislatures” by Aliyah Frumin in MSNBC.
Alabama: “Did Alabama state candidates violate law by taking money from Congressman Bonner’s campaign?” by Brenda Kirby in AL.com.
Alabama: “Alabama Attorney General’s office drops criminal charges against Lowell Barron” by Paul Gattis in AL.com.
Tennessee: “State auditing Brenda Radford’s campaign finance report” by Stephanie Ingersoll in The Leaf-Chronicle.
Ethics
Florida: “Scott campaign, GOP have paid $227K for use of jet” by Steve Bousquet in the Miami Herald Blog.
Georgia: “Judge hears arguments on call for sanctions in ethics commission saga” by Aaron Gould Sheinin in The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Elections
“Ten weeks out from Election Day, is a Republican wave coming?” by Domenico Montanaro, Terence Burlij, Rachel Wellford and Simone Pathe in PBS NewsHour.
Arizona: “Arizona primary election: 5 key races to watch” by Alia Beard Rau in The Republic.
Political Advertising
“The 2014 digital ad juggernaut” by Darren Samuelsohn in Politico.
“New regs for Wednesday: TV ads, military health plans, truck drivers’” by Tim Devaney in The Hill.
“Political TV ads will soon know who you are” by Jon Fingas in Engadget.
July 24, 2012 •
Campaign Finance, Campaign Ads, and Ethics in the News
You’ll find many articles in today’s campaign finance and ethics news summary:
Campaign Finance
“Apps to Identify Who Backs Political Ads” in Government Technology.
“Romney-Obama Lawyers Raking in Millions” by Jonathan D. Salant in Bloomberg News.
Massachusetts: “Mass. groups take aim at Citizens United” in the Patriot Ledger.
Montana: “Group seeks to take measure saying corporations aren’t people off ballot” by Charles S. Johnson in the Billings Gazette.
Campaign Ads
“Ad-Rating Project Will Assess Campaign TV Spots by Asking Voters” by Gregory Giroux on Bloomberg News.
“Voters Say They Are Wary of Ads Made Just for Them” by Tanzina Vega in The New York Times.
“Obama, Romney Attack Ads Top Charts” by Tim Hanrahan in The Wall Street Journal.
“Obama puts $46.7M into ads, outspends what he raised in June” by Fredreka Schouten and Christopher Schnaars in USA Today.
“Report: Super PACs make up 80 percent of Romney ad spending” by Chris Moody in ABC News.
“Florida PAC Lets Internet Users Create Own Voiceovers For Romney Campaign Ad” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
Ethics
Arizona: “Legislator files ethics complaint against another” by The Associated Press in the Arizona Daily Sun.
Georgia: “Governor admits to ethics missteps, but major cases dismissed” by Aaron Gould Sheinin in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
April 2, 2012 •
FEC Disclosure Regulation Declared Invalid
US District Court Decision
A US District Court has declared a Federal Election Commission (FEC) regulation regarding disclosure for “electioneering communications” invalid.
The US District Court for the District of Columbia found FEC regulation 11 CFR §104.20(c)(9), which requires disclosure only of those making contributions over $1,000 to an entity for the purpose of furthering electioneering communications, contradicts the statute which requires disclosure of all donors making contributions over $1,000.
Concluding the FEC does not have the authority to narrow the disclosure requirement required by law, the Court declared the regulation invalid by granting the plaintiff, U.S. Representative Chris Van Hollen, summary judgment.
The FEC had argued for the need for the regulation after FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc. (WRTL), which concluded corporations and labor organizations were permitted to make expenditures for electioneering communications that did not constitute express advocacy or its functional equivalent. The commission believed requiring only disclosure of funds earmarked for the purpose of furthering electioneering communications appropriately provided the public with adequate disclosure information.
Addressing this argument in the decision, District Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote, “The [FEC] cannot unilaterally decide to take on a quintessentially legislative function; if sound policy suggests that the statute needs tailoring in the wake of WRTL or Citizens United, it is up to Congress to do it.”
September 24, 2010 •
Highlighted Site of the Week – The Living Room Candidate
If you are jaded by political campaign ads – I know we are heading into midterm elections – I found a Web site that may make you smile.
The Museum of the Moving Image: The Living Room Candidate offers over 300 presidential campaign television commercials ranging from 1952 to 2008.
We learned in school what a pivotal moment the Nixon vs. Kennedy televised debate was in shaping the American perceptions of the two candidates, but did you know the first televised presidential campaign ad was for Dwight Eisenhower in 1952? Advertising king Rosser Reeves (of “M&M candies melt in your mouth, not in your hand” fame) put together the famous “You like Ike, I like Ike, everybody likes Ike for president…” jingle.
At the Living Room Candidate, you can sit back and enjoy all the ads: Eisenhower slamming the Democrats in his “Eisenhower Answers America” ad in 1952; the Kennedy, Man for the ’60s jingle, Nixon playing “Happy Birthday” on the piano for Duke Ellington in 1972; Jimmy Carter, “the leader for a change,” glad-handing the crowds in 1976; and Ronald Reagan, “a man whose time has come,” promoting his successes as governor of California in an ad from 1980. Wow, have the styles changed over 58 years!
Video courtesy of the Living Room Candidate.
If you can’t get enough of the Rosser Reeves-era commercials, PBS hosts a wonderful archive called The :30 Second Candidate. That site hosts all of the campaign ads from the Eisenhower campaign of 1952. You will find a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at how the TV commercials went from concept to script, and from story board to ads.
The Living Room Candidate gives us two quotes to think about:
Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson said in 1956, “The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like breakfast cereal is the ultimate indignity to the democratic process.”
By 1968, television producer and Nixon campaign consultant Roger Ailes said, “Television is no gimmick, and nobody will ever be elected to major office again without presenting themselves well on it.”
Should we add Facebook and Twitter to Ailes’ advice?
State and Federal Communications, Inc. provides research and consulting services for government relations professionals on lobbying laws, procurement lobbying laws, political contribution laws in the United States and Canada. Learn more by visiting stateandfed.com.
