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Political Spending: Civic Engagement is Not a Threat to Democracy
January 1, 2018  •  By IFS Staff  •    •  

The First Amendment guarantees every American freedom of speech. That freedom includes the right to spend money on speech. Without money, a political group cannot buy ads, print fliers, organize protests, or hire staff. Short of shouting one’s opinions on a street corner, it takes money to spread a message. Recognizing this relationship, the Supreme Court has long prohibited the…

On Bob Bauer and “Evidence”
August 15, 2016   •  By Paul Jossey   •  ,

Bob Bauer responded to my early summer post about professors Rick Hasen and Larry Lessig’s use of the infamous ‘Gilens and Page’ study. In ...

Statement of Chairman Bradley A. Smith and President David Keating on FEC Commissioner Weintraub’s “Corporate Political Spending and Foreign Influence” Forum
June 23, 2016   •  By Brad Smith   •  , ,

Today, Commissioner Ellen Weintraub has taken the unprecedented step of using her office to organize what is in essence a private forum, to be ...

Pre-Primary News Coverage of the 2016 Presidential Race: Trump’s Rise, Sanders’ Emergence, Clinton’s Struggle
June 1, 2016   •  By Matt Nese   •  ,

This analysis by Thomas E. Patterson of the Harvard Kennedy School and Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy evaluates news media coverage ...

Are Plutocrats Really Uniting?
May 13, 2016   •  By Paul Jossey   •  , ,

The anti-First Amendment Campaign Legal Center recently hosted noted election-law professor Rick Hasen to discuss his book ‘Plutocrats United.’ Hasen presented the book’s “reform” ...

When do the Rich Win?
May 1, 2016   •  By Matt Nese   •  ,

Abstract: There is exploding academic and non-academic interest in the relative influence of economic “haves” and “have-nots” on public policy. In a recent, widely referenced ...

How to Use Campaign Finance Data to Mislead the Public
April 9, 2016   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  , ,

Corporations are “distorting our democracy” – at least according to activists Bruce F. Freed and Marian Currinder, writing in U.S. News and World Report. ...

Do State Campaign Finance Reforms Increase Trust and Confidence in State Government?
March 30, 2016   •  By Matt Nese   •  , , ,

The political and legal battle over campaign finance reform hinges on differing views about the importance of such regulations for preserving and enhancing the integrity ...

Georgia H.B. 370; Analysis of Proposed Amendment to Regulate So-Called “Election Targeted Issue Advocacy”
March 11, 2016   •  By David Keating   •  , , ,

The Center for Competitive Politics (CCP) respectfully submits the following comments analyzing a proposed amendment to regulate “election targeted issue advocacy,” which we understand ...

Significant Constitutional and Practical Issues with New Mexico Senate Bill 11
February 16, 2016   •  By Matt Nese   •  , , ,

On behalf of the Center for Competitive Politics, I respectfully submit the following comments on constitutional and practical issues with portions of Senate Bill ...

Iowa and New Hampshire Results Indicate Money’s Failure to Buy the 2016 Election
February 11, 2016   •  By Scott Blackburn   •  ,

As this Issue Brief discusses, results from the 2016 Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary highlight that the age-old adage that “money buys elections” ...

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