Nearly Official: Thompson Set for GOP Run

State wants to keep power to limit political spending

(NEWSER) - Montana's attorney general is fighting to preserve his state's ability to curb corporate political spending, and almost half of America's states are backing him. Some 22 states and the District of Columbia have filed a brief urging the Supreme Court not to use its Citizens United decision to strike down Montana's law limiting corporate money in politics, reports the Guardian . Montana's century-old Corrupt Practices Act, which was introduced to curb the power of copper barons, has been upheld by the state's highest court, putting it in conflict with Citizens United. More»

It could air the court's 'dirty laundry': Richard Hasen

(NEWSER) - The Supreme Court could soon revisit the issue of campaign finance, and it's time we heard David Souter's opinion on the matter. Souter wrote an unpublished draft dissent against Citizens United, the case that opened the door to super PACs; it was an issue dear to his heart, notes Richard Hasen at Slate . The dissent was likely a scathing one: According to a New Yorker piece by Jeffrey Toobin, it "aired some of the Court’s dirty laundry." More»

Plus, how many Americans like him? Not many: poll

(NEWSER) - It's not a great day for John Edwards: As his trial begins, a CBS News poll finds that just 3% have a favorable view of the former politician, and the New York Post reports that even his romance with Rielle Hunter—who will likely be called to testify—has petered out. Politico lists six things to watch during the campaign finance trial:

• How will campaign finance be affected? Though, as Politico points out, "few candidates pay their mistresses," politicians do tend to rack up other personal expenses. One activist fears that if Edwards is convicted, it will encourage campaigns to foot the bill for those costs by suggesting "every bit of money a candidate spends could be seen as in furtherance of his campaign and therefore … a candidate can use campaign funds for almost anything."

Noted Red Sox fan's campaign got $2,500 from team's president

(NEWSER) - Scott Brown has a deal with a devil—the devil who wears pinstripes. The Massachusetts senator, who has touted his Red Sox fandom in radio and TV ads, last month got a $2,500 donation from Randy Levine, the president of the New York Yankees, the Boston Herald reports, in a story dramatically titled, "Scott Brown Taps Evil Empire." Writer Joe Battenfeld declares it "E-Incumbent," calling Levine "the embodiment of everything we hate about the Yankees." More»

Campaign is $4.5M in debt

(NEWSER) - Newt Gingrich has reached new levels of desperation: To raise cash, he's started renting out his campaign's donor list for up to $26,000. Gingrich's campaign is $4.5 million in debt, and apparently those $50-a-pop pictures with Newt weren't helping to close the gap. Insiders tell Politico that Gingrich and wife Callista insisted on continuing to use private jets, top-level security, and other perks despite the diminishing popularity of the campaign. “They overspent to keep up the appearances of being a top-tier candidate,” says one former campaign aide. “If you have a campaign bus and you’re flying in on a chartered jet, but you do not have the money for that, you end up sacrificing your ground game." More»