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).
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