Political Money Report 4/6/16 - Super PACs spend big, Amicus brief in McDonnell vs USA and Paul Ryan's fundraising haul

Super PAC names: #NeverTrump PAC, Great America PAC and Keep the Promise PAC

April 6, 2016

A NOTE FROM FRED

Super PACs are alive and well. And so is dark money. Just look at two recent examples. In yesterday’s Wisconsin primary, Senator Ted Cruz easily beat Donald Trump, the current Republican front runner. The Cruz campaign spent $502,000 on ads in WI as of March 29th and super PACs spent more than $2 million on pro-Cruz and anti-Trump ads. During the same period, the Trump campaign spent $394,000 on TV ads in WI and a super PAC announced they planned to spend $10,000 on pro-Trump ads. Overall, that’s a 6 to 1 advantage for Cruz in TV ads funded largely by super PACs.

Meanwhile, the “self-styled” Judicial Crisis Network (JCN), a conservative 501(c)(4) group, is conducting a seven-figure ad campaign funded by dark money contributions to oppose the confirmation of Garland to the Supreme Court. JCN’s anti-Garland ads praise vulnerable Republican Senators facing serious challenges in their reelection bids.

Public Citizen and Democracy 21 filed a Supreme Court amicus brief today in McDonnell vs United States of America. In the brief, we argue that former Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell cannot use the Citizens United and McCutcheon decisions to justify that his bribery conviction should be overturned. Read more.

Super PACs joining forces to "dump Trump". The #NeverTrump PAC is already planning activities for Cleveland's convention. The Our Principles PAC has dispatched a team to North Dakota to hand out fliers ahead of Sunday's ND Republican Convention. And a pro-Cruz super PAC has been strategizing over how to persuade unbound delegates to support Cruz. Read more.

Great America PAC emerges to support Trump. The super PAC led by a former Rand Paul supporter was formed months ago and says it has spent more than $1 million in ads to support the candidate, although media trackers haven't seen signs of that spending. Read more.

A Daily Iowan editorial praises the Republican FEC Commissioner's statement that LLCs could be sanctioned. "What is needed is the swift iron-fisted hammer of sanctions upon those behind ghostly LLCs attempting to orchestrate the 2016 election." Read more.

The American Prospect describes the skepticism regarding the FEC Commissioner's statement. The Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 have numerous LLC complaints currently pending at the FEC. Reform groups worry that the comments allow for loopholes that would still allow dark money groups to get around the law. Read more.

The Washington Post profiles Keep the Promise, the super PAC supporting Cruz. "In recent months, the super PAC has been effectively serving as an extension of Cruz's official campaign." Cruz has appeared at nearly 20 rallies that Keep the Promise has hosted. So far in the 2016 election, super PACS have moved beyond just buying campaign ads and now have taken on event planning, rapid response and field organizing. Read more.

Meredith McGehee of the Campaign Legal Center makes the argument for clear sponsorship info on campaign ads. A 2015 study found TV ads by unknown groups were more effective than candidate-sponsored ads. To level the playing field, McGehee says all ads from candidates and outside groups need clear on-air identification and that the Federal Communications Commission needs new regulations to enforce this. Read more.

2016 FACT OF THE DAY

$9 million - Amount Paul Ryan has raised through his "Team Ryan" network since becoming Speaker in October 2015. Read more.

IN THE STATES

NY: Board of Elections deadlocked on a vote to do away with the "LLC loophole" by lowering the contribution limits for LLCs. Read more.

AZ: U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Maricopa County over their reduction of polling places and long voting lines for the presidential primary last month. Read more.

WI: Americans for Prosperity, the Koch-backed dark money group, launched a three-week $1.1 million campaign supporting Sen. Ron Johnson in his race against Russ Feingold. Read more.

MS: The US Supreme Court refused to hear the challenge to Mississippi's campaign finance law that requires reporting by groups or people spending at least $200 to support or oppose a ballot measure Read more.

By: Fred Wertheimer (@FredWertheimer) & Kathryn Beard (@KathrynBeard)

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