[Political Activity Law]

HEALTH INSURANCE ASK. HILL. “Nabilah Islam, a progressive Democrat running for a House seat in Georgia, is asking the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to let her use campaign funds to purchase health insurance.”

NEW SUPER PAC. TO. “A new super PAC that says it will spend $75 million to support Democrats in 2020 is funded in large part by billionaires who run hedge funds, including some with a history of supporting Republicans, according to recent filings with the Federal Election Commission.”

LAST WEEK AT THE FEC. The agency’s weekly digest is here.

RUNNING DIGITAL. HILL. “American Bridge, a liberal super PAC, is launching a series of digital ads criticizing President Trump’s recent comments indicating he would be open to cutting entitlement programs in the future.”

STACY ON AIR. GAZ. “In fact, “Stacy” is a mom, wife and teacher who apparently lives in 11 different congressional districts across the country. At least that’s what it seems if you watch TV ads being run by American Action Network targeting Democratic members of Congress, including Iowa 1st District Rep. Abby Finkenauer.”

MI: LOBBYISTS TARGETED. XYZ. “The Coalition to Close Lansing Loopholes, from Progress Michigan, launched a ballot initiative on Thursday that would tighten rules for lawmakers and lobbyists in Lansing.”

NM: ETHICS IDEA. ABQ. “Why is it, then, that the state legislature’s 2020-21 budget recommendation for the state ethics commission would seriously under-fund that fledgling body? The legislative proposed budget is approximately $150,000 below the commission’s requested $1.14 million, and contains no supplemental funding.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

SANDERS HIT. APN. “The watchdog group Common Cause filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday, alleging that Our Revolution, a political nonprofit organization founded by Bernie Sanders, violated campaign finance law by accepting donations in excess of federal limits while boosting his White House ambitions.”

DISCLOSURE DELAY. POL. “Michael Bloomberg has bought his way into the 2020 presidential race with hundreds of millions of dollars from his personal fortune. But he may notprovide any details about where that money comes from until more than half of the Democratic primary is over.”

SUPER PAC UP. YN. “Super-PAC America First Policies launched an ad Tuesday that highlights Sen. Doug Jones’ (D-AL) refusal to oppose the impeachment of President Donald Trump.”

NC: VETERANS TARGET. WRAL. “A long-time campaign finance watchdog filed a complaint against the state chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans on Wednesday, saying organization leaders may have concealed campaign donations to state politicians under other names.”

OR: NO HURRY. AT. “Gov. Kate Brown says there’s no hurry to pass campaign finance limits during the 2020 legislative session, preferring to wait for voters to decide in November whether to amend the Oregon Constitution to allow it.”

OR: TIED UP. PM. “Mayor Ted Wheeler and other Portland political candidates were the target of a recent campaign finance complaint for accepting large donations. But the Portland City Auditor’s Office says it will drop the complaint, because it is based on local campaign finance policy that is currently being sorted out in the courts.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

CELEBRATE CU. WSJ. “A decade later, most spending comes from the same place it always has: individuals who donate directly to candidates, up to legally limited amounts.”

CU LEGACY. WP. “The history of money in American politics is a cyclical story of scandal and reform.”

NEW CHAIR. BP. “The minimum number of members that must be present to make the agency’s decisions valid—known as a quorum—is four.”

SALARIES FOR CANDIDATES. INT. “Under the rules, a candidate running for office can only start taking a salary once the filing deadline for entering the primary has passed.”

COMPLAINT FILED. ABC. “Mark Green, Bloomberg’s Democratic opponent in the 2001 NYC mayoral race, is announcing that this week, he will file an official complaint with the Federal Election Commission against Bloomberg News for ‘illegal corporate in-kind contributions’ to the billionaire former mayor of New York’s presidential campaign.”

MD: FUNDS RETURNED. WP. “Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has returned $62,950 in campaign contributions, according to his campaign finance report for this month.”

OK: MAGA PLATES. WP. “Two Republican state senators in Oklahoma want to make room on the roadways for President Trump’s brand — in a move that might be in violation of federal campaign finance rules.”

HAVE A GOOD DAY.