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WASHINGTON, December 16, 2004 — So-called 527 committees raised and spent just over a half-billion dollars during the 2003-2004 election cycle—double the amount spent during the 2002 cycle, according to a report released today.
The Center for Public Integrity and the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University held a joint news conference and discussion on these issues at the National Press Club. >>
The Center for Public Integrity and the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University held a joint news conference and discussion on these issues at the National Press Club. >>
WASHINGTON, November 3, 2004 — Section 527 organizations supporting President Bush spent nearly $30 million on broadcast ads in the final three weeks of the election—from Oct. 13 through election day—triple the amount spent by similar groups supporting Sen. John Kerry. >>
WASHINGTON, October 18, 2004 — Political organizations known as "527 committees" have raised a record $391 million during the 2003-2004 election cycle, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of filings with the Internal Revenue Service. >>
527 Ad Spending Heavy in Midwestern States
Wisconsin and Iowa see millions in advertising since June
Update
WASHINGTON, September 17, 2004 — Independent political groups favoring President George W. Bush or opposing Democratic Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts have reported raising more than $26 million since June, narrowing the gap between them and other groups supporting Kerry, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity. >>
WASHINGTON, August 12, 2004 — In the 2004 campaign season, 22 well-heeled contributors have, for the first time, made Section 527 organizations—the non-profit committees that can raise unlimited donations from individuals, corporations and labor unions—beneficiaries of their largesse, giving at least $200,000 each and a total of more than $26 million since early 2003. >>
WASHINGTON, July 27, 2004 — Disclosure documents from the Internal Revenue Service reveal that political non-profit organizations have amended filings to include previously unreported contributions and expenditures—some in excess of $1 million—yet have faced little, if any, sanction. >>
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2004 — America Coming Together, a political non-profit group opposing the re-election of President Bush, spent more than $1.1 million and deployed at least 700 people in Ohio in the six months ending in April, heavily focusing its early efforts on that battleground state, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis of federal records. >>
Update
WASHINGTON, May 27, 2004 — The Center for Public Integrity has added new features to its Web site on political non-profits known as Section 527 committees. The site, which is updated weekly with new data from reports filed with the Internal Revenue Service, now contains breakdowns on those 527 committees that are focused on federal elections and those that mostly are active in state contests. >>
Update
WASHINGTON, April 20, 2004 — Driven by a surge in giving by wealthy individuals, political non-profits raised more than $59 million during the first three months of this year, with much of that money going to groups dedicated to defeating President George W. Bush in November, an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity shows. >>
Commentary
WASHINGTON, March 4, 2004 — New contribution reports released today by the IRS show that an organization that ran attack ads against presidential candidate Howard Dean raised $1 million. In the 21st century in the United States of America, it is still astonishingly easy to assassinate a political opponent's character, with little or no accountability or basis in fact. It is hardly new to politics anywhere that money and the messages it buys often create devastating perceptions. But such smear tactics are more serious and offensive when they benefit major "mainstream" candidates seeking the Presidency, are utilized anonymously by mysterious, outside organizations and they occur in the wake of recent, historic, campaign finance reform and new political disclosure requirements. >>
Special Report
WASHINGTON, September 25, 2003 — It was the morning of November 6, 2002, the day after Democrats had lost control of the U.S. Senate, lost ground in the U.S. House of Representatives and were soundly beaten in several key gubernatorial races.
The man at the top of the party, Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, had some explaining to do. Standing before the gathered media in Washington, D.C., he returned to a longtime Democratic lament: Republicans simply had more money. >>
WASHINGTON, September 25, 2003 — National political parties may be banned from raising "soft money" under a new campaign finance law, but partisan gubernatorial associations have gone on accepting unlimited contributions from many of the same corporate and labor union donors for use in statewide elections. >>
WASHINGTON, September 25, 2003 — Some political committees with ties to federal lawmakers and candidates continue to raise and spend "soft money," even as the Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of the new law banning the practice. >>
WASHINGTON, September 25, 2003 — A group made up entirely of college students and recent graduates—the College Republican National Committee—has become one of the most successful youth-oriented fund-raisers in the country, spending more than $10.6 million during the past two years to promote Republican candidates and issues. >>
WASHINGTON, July 16, 2003 — Political committees operating in a gray area of the law spent more than $430 million during the past three years to influence elections and policy debates across the country, according to an analysis by the Center for Public Integrity. Due to their unique legal status, 527 committees, known after the portion of the Internal Revenue Code that defines their tax status, are almost totally free from fund-raising restrictions while still being able
The Center for Public Integrity and the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University held a joint news conference and discussion on these issues at the National Press Club. >>
The Center for Public Integrity and the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy at Brigham Young University held a joint news conference and discussion on these issues at the National Press Club. >>