Author Archive for: mbeckel

FEC poised to approve proposal offering cybersecurity services to campaigns

Uncategorized

At a public meeting of the Federal Election Commission today in Washington, D.C., the commissioners discussed two issues related to foreign interference in U.S. elections. Since September 2018, a bipartisan group called Defending Digital Campaigns has been seeking the FEC’s permission to offer cybersecurity services to federal candidates and party committees, from across the ideological spectrum, at free or reduced

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5 things we learned from the first round of 2020 campaign finance reports

2020

Amisa Ratliff contributed to this report. On Monday, congressional and presidential candidates alike filed their first major campaign finance reports of 2019, detailing their financial activities between January 1 and March 31. Here are some key numbers to know, based on an Issue One review of these new filings. $936,000 The median amount of money raised during the first quarter

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Broad cross-partisan coalition urges presidential candidates to disclose their big-money campaign fundraisers

2020

Cross-partisan groups call on campaigns to disclose bundlers.

Issue One was joined today by 15 other organizations from across the ideological spectrum in urging all Republican and Democratic presidential candidates to publicly disclose information about their top campaign fundraisers on a regular basis during the 2020 presidential election. Presidential candidates have long utilized individuals known as “bundlers” to help them raise the funds necessary to wage competitive campaigns,

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The continuing “Price of Power”: How the political parties leaned on legislative leaders for cash during the 115th Congress

Congress

 By Michael Beckel and Amisa Ratliff One of the open secrets in Washington is that the Democratic and Republican parties both lean on their most powerful legislators to raise extraordinary amounts of campaign cash, often under the guise of paying “party dues.” The more influential the role, the more money party leaders expect legislators to raise. And to meet these

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In 2018 midterms, liberal dark money groups outspent conservative counterparts for first time since Citizens United

Dark Money

Total dark money spending since Citizens United nears $1 billion. The 2018 midterm election marked the first time liberal dark money groups outspent their conservative counterparts since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in January 2010, according to a new Issue One analysis of data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Combined, dark money groups spent approximately $150 million

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“Why We Left Congress”: Excerpts of Our Conversation with Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN)

Congress

Congressman Rick Nolan (D-MN) has had an unconventional career in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was first elected to Congress in 1974 and went on to serve three terms representing Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District. After 32 years out of office, he was again elected to Congress in 2012, this time representing Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District, which encompasses most of

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“Why We Left Congress”: Excerpts of Our Conversation with Rep. Jimmy Duncan (R-TN)

Congress

Congressman Jimmy Duncan (R-TN) has represented Tennessee’s 2nd Congressional District for 30 years. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in a 1988 special election following the death of his father, Congressman John Duncan, who had been in office since 1965. During the 115th Congress, Duncan served as the vice chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure

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Super PACs and dark money groups combined to outspend candidates in a record number of races in 2018

Election analysis

As Democrats and Republicans battled for dominance in both the House of Representatives and the Senate in 2018, super PACs and dark money groups collectively outspent the candidates’ own campaigns in a record-breaking 16 races, according to data provided to Issue One by the Center for Responsive Politics. Control of the House and Senate for the next two years was

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“Why We Left Congress”: Excerpts of Our Conversation with Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA)

Congress

Congressman Charlie Dent (R-PA) represented Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District from January 2005 until he resigned in May 2018.   During his tenure, Dent held a number of leadership positions. For two years, Dent was the chairman of the House Ethics Committee. He was the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on military construction, veterans affairs, and related agencies for

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“Why We Left Congress”: Excerpts of Our Conversation with Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL)

Congress

Four-term Congressman Dennis Ross (R-FL) was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives during the 2010 midterm elections. Ross first represented Florida’s 12th Congressional District. He has represented Florida’s 15th Congressional District since the district lines were redrawn following the 2010 census. In Congress, Ross has held a number of roles, including serving as a senior deputy whip for House

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