In the News
Politicker NJ: D.C. case could reverberate in New Jersey
By Jeff BrindleLaura Holmes and Paul Jost, with the backing of the Center for Competitive Politics, are challenging a provision in the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) that limits contributions by individuals to $2,600 in the primary and $2,600 in the general election.Holmes and Jost want to be able to contribute $5,200 in the general election under circumstances by which they do not contribute in the primary.The issue centers around the fact that in federal law candidates who are not opposed in the primary are allowed to “bank” primary election contributions for general election purposes.
Independent Groups
Politico: Inside the Koch data mine
By Mike Allen and Kenneth P. VogelThe least-known vehicle for the Kochs is a for-profit company known as i360, started by a former adviser to John McCain’s presidential campaign after McCain lost to Barack Obama in 2008. Subsequently, it merged with a Koch-funded data nonprofit. The Koch-affiliated Freedom Partners, formed in late 2011, eventually became an investor, officials confirmed to POLITICO.Spending more than $50 million in cash over the past four years, i360 links voter information with consumer data purchased from credit bureaus and other vendors. Information from social networks is blended in, along with any interaction the voter may have had with affiliated campaigns and advocacy groups. Then come estimated income, recent addresses, how often a person has voted, and even the brand of car they drive. Another i360 service slices and dices information about TV viewing to help campaigns target ads more precisely and cost efficiently.GOP campaigns can get less-expensive data through the RNC, but happily pay i360 for its superior profiles. Midterm clients included several of the GOP’s marquee Senate and gubernatorial victors, including Sens.-elect Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Joni Ernst of Iowa, and Gov.-elect Larry Hogan in Maryland.
NY Times: The Special Powers of Super PACS, and Not Just for Federal Elections
By Derek WillisThe “super PAC” is not what it used to be.Before mere mortal political action committees got this elevated status to accept unlimited political contributions, they were known as independent expenditure-only committees.They were supposed to spend money trying to elect or defeat candidates on the national level. But a look at the activity of super PACs in the 2014 election cycle shows that they have expanded their activities far beyond the original model. In what is a perfectly legal maneuver in many states, they are at work in state elections, provide a foundation for future elections and serve as a source of money for other political committees. Sixteen super PACs that spent at least $1 million during the cycle spent nothing on trying to elect or defeat federal candidates, and 24 others spent less than half of their money that way.
National Journal: Facebook Army to police GOP candidates
By Shane Goldmacher and Tim AlbertaThe volume of calls was so high that, within hours, the White House complained it was a “security issue,” according to an email from the phone vendor hired to connect callers to the switchboard. More than 9,000 calls had been made before they pulled the plug. At the headquarters of ForAmerica, the conservative group that had launched the telephone broadside, the White House’s reaction was seen more as victory than defeat.“We got our point across,” said David Bozell, ForAmerica’s executive director.In the last four years, ForAmerica has quietly amassed what it likes to call a “digital army” on Facebook—a force that that now numbers more than 7 million. The group’s spectacular growth can be explained in part by the paid acquisition of its members through targeted advertising. But thanks to a daily stream of savvy and snackable red-meat messaging, these mercenaries have become loyal conservative digital soldiers whose engagement is attracting new recruits. These days, a routine post on ForAmerica’s page reaches more than 2 million people, achieves more than 100,000 “likes,” and has tens of thousands of people repost and comment.
TPM: Adelson Is Tired Of Giving Money To Outside Groups So He May Start His Own
By Daniel Strauss“We are evaluating all options, and we may fundamentally change how we engage in the process while staying true to our principles,” Adelson aide Andy Abboud told the Times.Besides boosting Gingrich, Adelson also donated $10 million to the super PAC supporting Mitt Romney during the primary. Of course, in the end, neither candidate won the presidential race.So now Adelson is thinking of setting up his own super PAC to get involved in congressional and presidential races. The Times reports that Adelson is likely to be a bit more careful next time around on who to support in the primary.
Candidates, Politicians, Campaigns, and Parties
Bloomberg: Obama Fundraising Goal: $225,000-Per-Day for Presidential Library
By John McCormickAbout $225,000 dollars a day. That’s a ballpark estimate for how much President Barack Obama and his supporters need to raise for his presidential library, assuming $500 million in expenses and a desire to pay the tab within four years of leaving office.With his last midterm election behind him, Obama will start to focus more on the project next year, as he begins to decide how he wants his legacy showcased. The president, first lady and current White House staff won’t be actively fundraising until he leaves office, although others will be starting that work.“It’s a huge fundraising campaign,” said Benjamin Hufbauer, a University of Louisville professor and author on presidential libraries. “President Clinton and the second President Bush both did pretty extensive fundraising in their last year in office and that really gave them a head start.”
Roll Call: McConnell Plots a Functional, Bipartisan Senate
By Niels Lesniewski“Up to half the calls I got after the election were from Democratic senators. I’m not implying that they were happy I won, but they were awfully curious as to whether I really meant it early last year when I pointed out that we needed to run the Senate in a very different way,” he said. “I think there’s going to be bipartisan gratitude for having a chance to be relevant, to not be marginalized.”
State and Local
Missouri –– NY Times: Attorney General of Missouri Denies Doing Favors for Lobbyists
By Eli YokleyJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s attorney general on Monday defended how his office handled consumer fraud complaints against companies that have lobbied him directly and contributed to his political campaigns.Attorney General Chris Koster, a Democrat, was called to testify before an investigative committee in the Missouri House of Representatives in response to a New York Times article that examined the emerging practice of corporations’ lobbying state attorneys general, giving generously to their campaigns and funding their lavish travel.According to the article, Mr. Koster shut down an investigation into 5-Hour Energy after a personal appeal from the company’s lobbyist during a conference at a resort in California. The article also said Mr. Koster had settled a case against Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company and a major campaign donor, on terms more favorable to the company than had been reached in other states.
