CQ takes a look at outside groups, noting

the increasingly baroque efforts on the part of big-money interest groups to keep a step ahead of the regulators by developing elaborate methods to move funds around and target key races. In particular, interest groups are shielding their activities by taking on new nonprofit designations intended to be used by the political advocacy arms of charitable organizations.

It’s probably just me, but every time I see the FEC referred to as the “Federal Election Committee” (or Federal Elections Commission) it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard.

To learn about Republicans Who Care and the money behind the group, interested viewers would have to consult a notice it filed with the Federal Election Committee on Jan. 23, the day after its Maryland ad first aired. That showed the group’s sole financial backer to be the Service Employees International Union Political Education and Action Fund. The SEIU PAC donated $200,000 to Republicans Who Care on Jan. 14, and $180,000 went to the ad buy.