Independent groups
Roll Call: Rules of the Game: Dissecting Super PAC Consulting
by Eliza Newlin CarneyAs super PACs gear up to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on this year’s elections, the well-paid political consultants who are cashing in on the outpouring of unrestricted money are getting some long-overdue scrutiny.
Reuters: Big donors diversify Super PAC donations
by Alexander Cohen and Alina Selyukh(Reuters) – Diversification has long been a preferred investment strategy for uncertain times – and now, U.S. political investors are diversifying, too.
Washington Post, Blog: Democratic super PAC targets Romney’s wealth in new ad
by Aaron BlakeThe Priorities USA Action ad, which the group is running in swing states Florida, Iowa, Ohio and Virginia, features a single picture of Romney and his business partners posing with money between their teeth and bursting out of their suits and notes that Romney made $21 million last year.
National Journal: Bankers’ Non-Super PAC Super PAC Taking Novel Approach
by Andrew JosephIts plan is to solicit non-binding pledges from supporters to back the candidates the group later recommends. The super PAC will research and identify candidates that are both friendly to traditional banking interests and participating in winnable races, and send the pledges their names along with a link so they can contribute directly to those campaigns. “We will not collect your money,” the group says on its website. It hopes to influence just a handful of races in a big way through many small donations.
Politico: Billionaires fall in line
by Kenneth VogelThe super PAC mega-donors who dragged out the GOP primary are getting behind the establishment, rather than continuing to back rogue candidates and causes — as some in the Republican Party feared.
Candidates and parties
USA Today: Obama, DNC raised $53M in March for campaign
by Fredreka SchoutenWASHINGTON – President Obama’s fundraising gained strength in March, as he raised a combined $53 million for his campaign and the Democratic National Committee in preparation for the next phase of the campaign: the general election battle with Republican Mitt Romney.
The Hill: Pro-Obama super-PAC ad hits Romney on Bain Capital past
by Geneva SandsThe super-PAC backing President Obama’s reelection campaign launched a new television ad Monday portraying Mitt Romney as being beneficial to the wealthy and harmful to the middle class.
Politico: Clinton, Giuliani, Edwards campaigns still in debt
by Dave LevinthalNew federal campaign finance documents indicate these and other former White House hopefuls each still owe creditors six- or seven-figure sums that date back years, which in more than one case, bleed into decades.
