"The staggering amounts reflect how super PACs are fundraising powerhouses just six years after they came on the scene."
Wertheimer's Political Money Report
April 15, 2016
A NOTE FROM FRED
In the McCutcheon case, Democracy 21 and other groups warned the Supreme Court in our brief that if the Court struck down the overall limits on individual contributions, the opportunity for soliciting huge contributions would be restored. Chief Justice Roberts gave the back of his hand to this theory by striking down the limit and saying that our example was “divorced from reality.” Turns out Roberts is the one divorced from reality. What we predicted is now occurring in the 2016 elections. Hillary Clinton, joined by the DNC and 33 state party organizations, is using a joint fundraising committee to solicit huge checks. As of February, Clinton has solicited 24 donors who have each provided checks of $300,000 or more. Paul Ryan, joined by the NRCC, is using a joint fundraising committee as well and has solicited checks for over $400,000 from four different couples. As the Supreme Court recognized in the McConnell case, it is the nexus between the huge donor and the officeholder or candidate soliciting the money that creates the opportunities for corruption, regardless of who is spending the money.

Welcome to the land of the billionaires and the home of the oligarchs. A small number of the Super Rich are responsible for the record sums of money raised by super PACs so far during the 2016 election cycle. A Washington Post analysis reveals that close to half of the money (41%) came from just 50 mega-donors and their relatives. "The staggering amounts reflect how super PACs are fundraising powerhouses just six years after they came on the scene." Read more.

Paul Ryan raised a massive $17 million fundraising haul this quarter for his Team Ryan joint fundraising committee. More than $9 million of the money was from donors and PACs giving more than $50,000. Charles Koch and his wife gave almost half a million to the committee in March alone. Read more. 

Publicly, Karl Rove said Trump was "a petty man consumed by resentment", but privately the American Crossroads PAC associated with Rove suggested its donors help Trump win if he is nominated. The donor phone call which featured Rove described state polling and electoral map data that showed scenarios in which Trump could beat Clinton. Read more.

Rolling Stone Magazine profiled Democracy Spring protesters this week as hundreds of them were arrested in a mass sit-in at the Capitol. The event is advocating for campaign finance and voting rights reforms. Read more. 

This weekend, many more will be coming to Washington for the Democracy Awakening movement. A broad coalition of reform groups is joining together to advocate for a "democracy where every voice is heard and every vote counts equally." The three day event will include demonstrations, teach-ins and a Rally for Democracy on Sunday at the Capitol. Learn more at www.democracyawakening.org.

Priorities USA Action, the main super PAC supporting Clinton, reserved $20 million more in TV ad time beginning in June after the California primary. This brings the group's total ad buy up to $90 million. Read more. 

Wanted: convention delegates. Many big-money outside groups opposing Trump have turned away from running traditional advertising and are now spending money researching how to best target convention delegates. Our Principles PAC spent over $2 million on TV ads in Florida, but hasn't bought any air time in New York ahead of next week's primary. Instead, the group is spending their time and money researching the delegate selection process. Read more. 

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise is on a"fundraising tear." Scalise has raised over $1 million in the first quarter of 2016. As well, he has raised $3.6 million for other Republican members of Congress. Read more. 

Open Secrets outlines why the presidential public financing system in its current form doesn't work. "The program was way too restrictive on how candidates could spend funds once they received them,” said an elections lawyer. Of the 2016 presidential candidates, only Gov. Martin O'Malley accepted the federal matching funds. Read more.  To fix the presidential system, see reform bills sponsored by Sen. Udall (S.1176) and Reps. Price and Van Hollen (H.R. 2143).

2016 FACT OF THE DAY

$607 million - The amount donors this cycle have given to super PACs so far. 2016 will likely surpass the 2012 election with the most money raised by super PACs who raised $828 million in the 2012 election cycle.  Read more. 

IN THE STATES
AZ: The DNC will file a lawsuit against Maricopa County Board of Supervisors and the Arizona Secretary of State over their handling of the March 22 primary. The reduction of polling locations led to over five-hour waits for some voters. Read more.

NY: The Department of Investigation, one of the agencies tasked with investigating the corruption charges against Mayor de Blasio's campaign fundraising, is run by Mark Peter, a close friend of the mayor and treasurer of his 2013 campaign. A New York Times editorial urges Peters to recuse himself from the investigation. Read more.

U.S. Virgin Islands: The Virgin Islands Republican Party chairman is in hot water over his close ties to a Cruz political operative. Chairman John Canegata signed a contract to provide a commission to a Cruz operative on money he raised for the Virgin Islands Republican Party. However, almost all of the $1.6 million the Party raised went towards political firms in D.C. and not towards supporting local candidates or party building in the Virgin Islands. Read more. 

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