RIGHT TO RISE ANALYSIS. Breitbart. “His unique approach to building a presidential campaign is raising eyebrows, and several campaign finance law experts told Breitbart News that they believe Bush is violating the law.”
SUPER PAC BURN RATE. DB. “Liberals have slammed Priorities USA Action, the pro-Hillary Clinton super PAC, for not raising enough money, but that didn’t prevent a pair of prominent Democratic operatives from scoring lucrative paydays with the group.”
CROSSROADS COVERAGE. NYT. “Donald F. McGhan, a Republican campaign-finance lawyer, said it was not clear how those efforts would play out. ‘It’s really too early to tell this cycle who is going to be the dominant one and whether Crossroads is going to be more relevant or less relevant,’ he said.”
RING PERSPECTIVE. RC. “[Kevin] Ring, a former Hill aide, is wrapping up his 20-month sentence for an honest services fraud conviction by serving home confinement that allows him to work in downtown Washington, D.C.”
GRAHAM TEST. USAT. ” Sen. Lindsey Graham’s all-but-official presidential campaign likely will draw support from super PACs, but the South Carolina Republican said this should be the last election where wealthy donors are allowed to write such huge checks.”
AETNA REJECTS. Modern Healthcare. “Shareholders of Aetna voted against a measure last week that would’ve required the Hartford, Conn.-based health insurance giant to disclose political donations that are directed toward not-for-profit groups.”
GINGRICH STATUS. USAT. “Dentons, which brags of being the world’s largest law firm, announced Wednesday that Gingrich is joining its lobbying practice as an advisor.”
FORMS REVISED. Fuel Fix. “Former U.S. Senator Don Nickles, who runs a Washington lobbying firm, revised a federal disclosure report about work for Exxon Mobil Corp. to say his company was enlisted to monitor legislative activity related to Iran, not to lobby.”
IL: RAUNER GIVES. CB. “When Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office acknowledged that he had made $400,000 in campaign contributions to Republican members of the state Legislature, it opened up a familiar debate.”
MO: ETHICS FAIL. KTRS. “The Missouri Legislature once again has failed to pass bills aimed at clamping down on ethics laws considered some of the loosest in the nation. A bill aimed at preventing lawmakers from leaving office and immediately becoming lobbyist failed to pass before the May 15 legislative deadline.”
NJ: PAY TO PLAY MYTHS. Genova Burns. “Now that David Letterman has hosted his last show, the universe is experiencing a distinct lack of top-ten lists. We are happy to take on this awe-inspiring responsibility in the best way we know how: with a list of the top ten New Jersey pay-to-play myths.”
NM: TWO MEETINGS. DT. “The state task force announced in February to overhaul a campaign finance reporting system that has operated with little oversight in recent election cycles has met twice and is considering and creating policy recommendations, according to a spokesman for Attorney General Hector Balderas.”
HAVE A GOOD DAY.