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NEWS ABOUT: super PACs

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Stevens: High Court Likely Rethinking Citizens United

Former Supreme Court justice says 'second thoughts' are likely

(Newser) - John Paul Stevens, who dissented on the controversial Citizens United ruling before retiring from the US Supreme Court in 2010, says the rest of the justices appear to be having "second thoughts about the breadth of the reasoning." Stevens made his comments at a University of Arkansas event... More »

GOP Plans to Drop $1B Ad Bomb on 2012

Super PACs and other outside groups plan a huge blitz for 2012 elections

(Newser) - Republican groups plan to spend a record $1 billion on the November elections, and could outspend Democrats by a margin of 2-to-1. Politico has the details on the spending plans of super PACs and other outside groups: The Koch brothers plan to spend $400 million; Karl Rove's groups are... More »

Colbert-Inspired Super PACs Break Out Nationwide

Stephen Colbert's PAC motivates America's college students

(Newser) - Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, has spawned a new breed of nutty super PAC imitators, CNN reports. College students inspired by Stephen Colbert's super PAC experiment are finding that a stamp and a few pieces of paper suffice to start a political action committee. "I was just... More »

Romney's Super PAC Walloped Obama's in April

Pro-Romney group hauls in millions more

(Newser) - Mitt Romney's super PAC pretty much lapped President Obama's last month, pulling in $4.6 million in April, to Priorities USA Action's $1.6 million. The kicker? That was the smallest haul of the year for the pro-Romney Restore Our Future, Politico reports. April was a particularly... More »

Right-Wing Super PACs Outspending Liberals 4-1

They're playing big role in congressional races

(Newser) - Super PACs aren't just reshaping the presidential race , they are also transforming congressional campaigns. And in those races, conservative interest groups are outspending their liberal rivals by a four-to-one margin, reports the Washington Post . So far, conservative groups have plowed $20 million into House and Senate races, and with... More »

Time to Make Souter Dissent on Citizens United Public

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,... More »

Super PAC: We'll Hammer Obama With Jeremiah Wright

Plan to hit him where McCain pulled back

(Newser) - Top Republican strategists have devised a plan to "do exactly what John McCain would not let us do" and bombard the public with incendiary Jeremiah Wright soundbites just in time for the Democratic National Convention in September. The plan was commissioned by Chicago Cubs owner Joe Ricketts, who would... More »

New GOP Super PAC Targets Young Voters

Crossroads Generation hopes to turn frustration into GOP gain

(Newser) - A new super PAC is targeting younger voters—but it's Republican, not Democratic. Crossroads Generation aims to tap into the frustration of young Americans fed up with poor job prospects, overwhelming student loans, and a weak economy. The new PAC is today launching a $50,000 social media campaign... More »

Soros Giving $2M in Dem Donations

He donates $1M to super PAC despite opposing them

(Newser) - George Soros has put himself back in the big leagues of political donors with a pair of hefty donations to pro-Democratic groups. The billionaire—who donated $23 million to groups opposing George W. Bush's re-election in 2004—has given $1 million to the advocacy group America Votes, and $1... More »

Obama's Big Donors Slow to Write Checks

His fundraising is down compared to 2008

(Newser) - Whether because of the economy, fighting with Wall Street, or the lack of an exciting primary battle of his own, President Obama's fundraising this election cycle is behind where it was in 2008—$196 million as of the end of the March, down from $235 million in March 2008,... More »

A $2B Election? It's on Track for 2012

Romney, Obama campaigns could each spend $1B

(Newser) - Barack Obama raised $750 million for his 2008 run, and John McCain's sum nudged the combined total over the $1 billion mark. How quaint. Come November, the nation's first $2 billion election could be in the books. A memo from the Romney campaign obtained by the New York ... More »

Clooney Hosting $6M Fundraiser for Obama

Stars coming out for the prez

(Newser) - Super PACS might be gearing up to back Mitt Romney in the general election, but George Clooney is about to rake in the bucks for Barack Obama. Clooney is hosting a $6 million fundraiser for the president. The 150-seat, $40,000-a-head dinner will be held at Clooney's Los Angeles... More »

Karl Rove's Super PAC Ready for Anti-Obama Blitz

Crossroads America to launch ads while Romney campaign rebuilds

(Newser) - If you think Republicans have been bashing President Obama, you haven't seen anything yet. American Crossroads, the largest GOP super PAC with an expected $200 million—founded by Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie—looks ready to begin its anti-Obama ads this month, reports the New York Times . Crossroads had... More »

Citizens United Unleashed the 'Crankocrats'

Timothy Noah points out that corporations aren't the ones funding super PACs

(Newser) - When the Citizens United decision came down, many people expected a corporate takeover of the political system. But that hasn't happened, Timothy Noah of The New Republic points out. Corporations wanted no part of campaign controversy. Instead, super PACs are fueled by "crankocrats," tycoons like Foster Friess,... More »

Adelson: Newt 'At the End of His Line'

Billionaire backer acknowledges Gingrich probably can't win

(Newser) - Looks like even Newt Gingrich's biggest financial backer knows it's all but over for the GOP presidential candidate, the Los Angeles Times reports. "It appears as though he’s at the end of his—at the end of his line," said billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson... More »

Meet the GOP's Biggest Donor

It's not Sheldon Adelson: Harold Clark Simmons has given $18.7M

(Newser) - Sheldon Adelson and Foster Friess have been in the spotlight as the billionaire backers of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, respectively, but one man has given more than either of them to the GOP's 2012 effort: Harold Clark Simmons. The difference is that Simmons, the 80-year-old Texas billionaire head... More »

Santorum Rips Big Money 'Machine' in Ill. Defeat

He slams super PACs in Gettysburg address

(Newser) - Rick Santorum has made it clear that he's sticking around despite his resounding defeat in Illinois . In a rambling election night speech in Gettysburg, he described this year's election as the most important since 1860, urged supporters to "saddle up, like Reagan did in the cowboy movies,... More »

Pro-Romney Super PAC Taking Fed Contractor Money

Banned for 36 years, controversial donations may now be allowed

(Newser) - Ah, Citizens United , the political can of worms that keeps on opening. Federal contractors have been banned from making political donations for 36 years, but because of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, it's now unclear whether they can give to super PACs. American Crossroads (a Republican super PAC)... More »

2012 GOP Race the Cheapest in Years

...even with all that super PAC dough

(Newser) - Surprising fact: Even with the contributions of a billionaire casino mogul , the 2012 GOP race for the White House is actually turning out to be one of the cheapest in decades. The Washington Post looks at the numbers through January, and reports that every single primary season since the 1990s... More »

New Super PAC Wants to Dump All Incumbents

'We’re not interested in shifting power between Republicans and Democrats'

(Newser) - On Super Tuesday, the Campaign for Primary Accountability had its money behind two diametrically opposed candidates: Tea Party conservative Brad Wenstrup, and Dennis Kucinich. What did they have in common? Both were taking on long-entrenched incumbents. The Campaign is the rare super PAC that doesn't back any one candidate... More »

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